My 04TL is now going through its second Arizona summer. I have noticed that the black leather on the steering wheel and the stick shift are now "sticky" to the feel almost all of the time. When using Lexol leather cleaner on the black leather surfaces, I get a lot of black buildup coming off on my cleaning cloth.

Does anyone know what's going on? More importantly, does anyone know how to fix it?

Thanks!

 

are you a mechanic by any chance? it seems that something on your hands is eating away at the leather, like gasoline or a solvent, because you said its only on the steering wheel and shift knob. check your front seats and see how much they compare because they are also exposed to some sunlight.

 

No, but I can drive my car to the mechanic! (Where it just happens to be right now ...)

I don't have any solvents stored near my baby.

I wonder if the problem is the black leather? It may be getting hotter than the light beige leather in the rest of the car. Or, the black dye may not be holding up as well to the high heat and low humidity. With our daily 110 °F + days here in Arizona, I'll bet that all my leather is getting stressed a bit.

Any ideas on how to fix it?

 

This happened to my old jeep cherokee but it happened over a much longer time. In my experience, it just gets worse and worse until eventually I just bought a steering wheel cover to go over it.

Get it checked out by the dealer and make them fix it.

 

Grettings Fellow TLr! I also drive a black 2004 TL & live in AZ. I utilize the Lexol leather cleaner and conditioner. Fortunately, I don’t have to park my car in the sun for long periods of time. I haven’t noticed any of the problems you’ve mentioned. However, my TL’s interior is camel in color. If the camel colored die is rubbing off on my cloths and skin, I can’t see it. It certainly makes sense though that the die would rub off since it is not natural color. One thing I wish I could correct though is the ashy looking front dashboard. Are there any suggestions on a non-glossy, non-greasy cleaner protectant?

 

Try 303 Aerospace protectant. It seems to be pretty popular.

 

MOVE

Sorry, could not resist. I don't yet have that problem with my TL which has Quartz interior or the Ebony interior in my 2002 MDX. On my 1993 DelSol I do have the problem on the steering wheel and the stick nob. The surfaces do appear to firm up when the interior temperature improves. There does not seem to be any long term damage or deterioration.

We are currently in our second day of temps in the 105+ degree range.

 

MY FRIEND I 2 LIVE IN AZ...... I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY PREVIOUS CAR (1997 HONDA ACCORD SPECIAL EDITION0)..............DON'T KNOW ABOUT U BUT ME, I SUFFER FROM WET HANDS MY HANDS ARE ALWAYS SWEATY. SO 4 MY 2004 TL, I GOT A WOODED SHIFT KNOB BY ACURA ($109)...............AND A BLACK STEERING WHEEL COVER 2 GO WITH MY BLACK INTERIOR..

 

My 04/Nav steering wheel is starting to fade. The leather looks like it's cracked at 12 o'clock. Been using Lexol leather cleaner but it hasn't really helped too much. Looks like part of the leather peeled off to. Just noticed it today! Is this covered under warranty?