ed_423

lets play a game, its call "how gross is your steering wheel".

i will start.

it was a old towel, but was completely white, did not have ANY dark spots before. it was an old face towel, and was washed every week (i was told). forgot to take some before pic, so just gonna have to take my words for it. this was AFTER i finish wiping my steering wheel...

front:


back:


your move, cu2-owners.

mR742

pretty disgusting. I'm afraid to check.

Mr. NC

Mine is proly as grimy...more so with the door handles and shifter.

Won't even mention the back seat

extracrunchie

you didnt use any products?

KillerG

A) thats disgusting

B) thats just you

BaoZZeR

OMG I bought my car used and it was so disgusting. Used a whole bottle of interior leather wipes to get it off

PyroDave

i use the mr clean magic erasers on my interior, works really fucking well at getting grime off.(plastic and stuff not seats)

ssjoeboe9

I know mine is bad, even my turn signal blinker has shit on it. lol

TSXKid2010

lol i never let mine get that dirty. cleaned weekly.

mrstak

iTrader: (1)

maybe you should use your toilet for that kind of stuff joe...

ed_423

i clean mine a lot too, but i guess i didnt' scrub hard enough.

i used turtle wax leather cleaner

now i will clean it more often and scrub a little harder...

ed_423

oh yeah a part of it is from the light switch/turn signal!

pickler

hey just a headsup on people who use windex and mr.clean on their leather steering, it can actually damage it. the texture becomes kind of rough after a while and will look messed up. found out the hard way!

ceb

This is a scary thread - not because of the crap on the steering wheels, but because of the crap you guys put on your steering wheels.

Magic Eraser is abrasive - you might as well use sandpaper.
Leather wipes - don't have enough product on them to do anything.
Turtle Wax leather cleaner. Wax and cleaner should never be used in the same sentence. TW is almost as bad as Armorall - which is the devil.

Use a proper leather cleaner like LeatherMasters or Leatherique. In a pinch use something like Lexol but never, ever, use a product that you wouldn't put on your seats or use on your GFs purse.

PyroDave

ceb im just trying to add to your list of why to never buy a leased car ;P

i used the magic eraser more so for the plastic parts, like the inside part of the door, the buttons on the wheel, the cupholder covers. it felt pretty soft to me, but if you say its abrasive, i'll take your word for it, you seem to have experience using it on your purses

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

I was just about to quote your magic eraser post!!
omg!!! so hard on your leather!!!!

ceb

True dat.

Be very, very careful with the Magic Eraser. The buttons are painted and the ME can take that right off. They advertise the ME as something to remove grime from wheels but then go on to say that you shouldn't use it on automotive paint. What is a wheel other than a painted, clearcoated automotive paint.

I've found a periodic wipe with a damp cloth (not poly microfiber) will remove most crud. Otherwise, a quick dusting with Aerospace 303 should do the trick.

Professor

I come from a more civilized era of automotive transportation, and drive with leather gloves and goggles.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

CEB knows his stuff!
rawk on dude!

TSXKid2010

I use leather lotion/cleaner made for leather jackets, purses, and wallets. quality ishhh...

MrOtocinclus

I take exception to the "never buy a leased car" comment... but then again, admittedly, I'm an exception when it comes to people who lease.

Perfect timing on this thread. I just cleaned my interior yesterday, and my steering wheel was fine. I always use Zymol leather cleaner and conditioner. There's a bottle in my trunk so whenever I want to take a break from work or something, I clean my car.

I know there are probably better products out there, but most people who step into my car for the first time ask me if it's new (also happened in the '09) so I'm happy with this product.

P.S. I've used Zymol on my home furniture, and it's worked well also.

PyroDave

up until last sept, everyone that saw/was in my car said it still looks pretty much like new, still had the leather smell too. no smoking, no food, washed once every week or two, no air fresheners. then my sister got the car for the semester =/

ed_423

^ yup, ppl still say i have the new car smell haha

and yes, i will get rid of that turtle wax leather cleaner asap! will invest in some zymbol or something

GrigioTSX10

I hate that my door opening areas get dirty because I have taupe interior. I have the car detailed at least once a month though so it's not bad.

tsxtoto

Soon, someone will come out with the idea of 3m(clear bra) the interio to keep it like new

mapleloaf

Another great leather product I got from my Acura Dealer is made by Malco, a commercial grade product used by detailers that is not typically available in automotive places. Works very well on seats, steering wheel, and shift knob to clean and condition leather.

WdnUlik2no

cleaned mine with bottle of water and a battery powered scrubber and within a few seconds the water was completely brown. Disgusting. It's amazing how much dirt, oil and other crap are on your hands.