How often to 'condition' leather steering wheel?

[Marc Hufnagel]

Under warranty my 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee leather wheel is being replaced. I got the Jeep about 2 months ago and it came to me in this condition:



Any thoughts on what happened?

It was suggested on another board to use Lexol conditioner, I use Megs stuff and would like to get a care recommendation if I can. I've read that too much conditioner could have caused this damage, or a person using too much hand creme. It's on a 3 year old garaged vehicle.

Once it comes back next week with a new wheel I'd like to make sure this does not happen again..

[Mike Phillips]

Re: How often to 'condition' leather steering wheel?

Originally posted by Hellspawn
Under warranty my 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee leather wheel is being replaced. I got the Jeep about 2 months ago and it came to me in this condition:



Any thoughts on what happened?

My first thoughts on the cause of the damage is body oils and sweat? Body oils contain salts and acids and can be corrosive to a number of different surfaces. I know when I did some label copy work for Henredon and Ethan-Allen, one of the things that is a concern with furniture manufactures is the body oils that are introduced to both finished and unfinished wood surfaces as it deteriorates and stains the surface.

It was suggested on another board to use Lexol conditioner, I use Megs stuff and would like to get a care recommendation if I can. I've read that too much conditioner could have caused this damage, or a person using too much hand creme. It's on a 3 year old garaged vehicle.

Once it comes back next week with a new wheel I'd like to make sure this does not happen again..

I think your best bet is going to be to maintain your new steering wheel with a combination of these two products,

Gold Class Rich Leather Aloe Cleaner




Gold Class Rich Leather Aloe Conditioner



If this is a daily driver, then apply the cleaner with a clean, soft of terry cloth towel and work it in well. Remove the excess with a separate clean terry cloth towel or a microfiber. Then apply the conditioner. After applying the conditioner, you should also give the steering wheel another wipe with a clean, dry cotton towel or a microfiber to insure that it's not slippery. (Safety first).


Your hands, even when kept clean still release body oils which contain acids and salts. So it's a good idea to clean your leather surfaces periodically and even more-so surfaces that are touched often with your skin. An example would be the seats if your wear shorts in the summer.

Hope this helps...

Mike

[Lt1Corvette]

Another good addition is driving gloves

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Lt1Corvette
Another good addition is driving gloves

You should post this as a new product suggestion in the New Products Suggestion forum.

[b]Meguiar's Driving Gloves[b]



Mike

[Tim Lingor]

Hey,

One of my trucks I used to own, had a leather steering wheel that was damage similar to that. I had been fishing at the time, and ended up using a STRONG Insect Repellant. I guess I had a fair amount on my hands and then forgot to wash it off before driving my truck home. Well, the repellant ate the leather quite badly. I know it was the repellant as the black leather particles were on my hands!

Tim