Cleaning leather steering wheels with a 'magic eraser'

[jazig.k]

Thought I'd post this because I remember my 3lt leather wheel and 164 were so bad I actually threw them out :/ I do regret getting rid of the 3lt one... Oh well...

I bought a 735iL. Very clean car but has a bit of a worn looking steering wheel. This is what I found browsing the forums (BMW people are a odd bunch compared to the Alfa guys...). Gonna try it myself this week!

http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=681976

Maybe it might help out some of you guys here?

Googling seems to bring up people using them on all leathers.
Just remember the erasers are abrasive malamine foam, don't scrub too hard! There's also 2 camps of people, those who leave it bare after and those that condition or seal the leather. That gonna be up to you to decide which is best.

[Craig_m67]

Wow, that steering wheel came up a treat!
Mine felt worn and was falling apart from humidity, perhaps sealing the new one would help

[colcol]

I put a leather steering wheel cover over the 33 leather wheel cover back in the 80's, still there, with no wear on the original leather wheel cover....or for all i know it could be rotted underneath.
It is expensive to recover a steering wheel cover as it is very time consuming, as the leather has to be done in sections and then all tightened up.
The Victorian division of the Alfa Club went to New Life Repair Services and got the lowdown on leather repairs.
Apparently sweat and acids from your hands is a killer, but with modern cars with power steering, the actual force on the steering wheel is not as damaging as old cars with non power assist, Colin.

[jazig.k]

Gettin a wheel recovered is about $250. Maybe more or less depending where you go. Still, at price like that you're better off looking after a wheel first or trying to salvage the old finish.

Anyway, I picked up one of these 'erasers' at the supermarket. I'll post my results.