The steering wheel in my 2005 TL is really worn out. The leather is hard, there's a rip at the top and it's curling up around the corner of the tears. It's long overdue, but this find was well worth it. A brand new OEM steering whee! I looked on eBay and found some nice used wheels, but I figured they might not be too far behind. So here it is:




The leather on the driver seat also started to rip so I have a new lower piece arriving this weekend. I'll hopefully have the new wheel installed and the seat fixed up by this Sunday. The biggest cosmetic issue on the interior beyond these two items is the dash which has cracks all over. I'm thinking about just getting a nice dash mat for now. I would like a new OEM dash, but it seems that it will likely start cracking so I'm not sure that will be the best move.

 

Well I sure hope that the current available batch of OEM replacement dashes are not prone to the notorious cracking. Has anyone purchased one in the past couple years or have any first hand knowledge?

 

 

Yeah that's why I'm thinking I will just put a dash mat on it for now until I figure out how I want to sort out the cracked dash. And when I say cracked I mean there's probably 15 cracks in mine. It's BAD.

The wheel was $110 plus shipping on ebay. The guy had it listed at $160 with the option for a 'Best Offer' and they accepted it for $110.

 

Heck of a nice find and a fair price , in my opinion.
Mine is still nice, but the cruise controls on the wheel don't illuminate anymore.
Bought a minty used one complete recently to replace it , and crossing my fingers everything illuminates and functions afterwards.

You might like the new Coverlay option for your dash.
Next best thing to new OEM , without all the removal and installation labor.
They are a full overlay made of ABS plastic . And they will not crack .

I saw one in a car Sunday and it looked nice , except for where the Airbag had blown out on the passenger side.
( a wrecked car in junkyard )