[mav238]

Magic Sponge for the steering wheel

I typically soak the magic sponge in water and then apply some Lexol leather shampoo gel. This will help to remove all unwanted excess oils, dirt and sweat residue, and mildly conditions the leather at the same time.

Don't forget, if you drive your car everyday, your hands will be on the steering wheel all the time, and depending on the conditions inside the cabin, and if you do actually have sweaty and oily hands, all this will accumulate on the leather and slowly degrade the material. All leather steering wheels are not "maintenance free", unless you don't drive it at all and leave it covered inside your garage.

Also it depends on where your car is located on the globe, if you are in a place where temperature is constantly over 30C and high humidity, this will have a large impact on the leather materials inside the car.

Most car owners in general, don't pay much attention to the care of the leather inside the car, especially the steering wheel, but it is in fact the one part of the cabin (besides the driver seat), that is used constantly every time you drive the car.

 

[jmc]

my “benz gloves” do the trick
and after so many years it feels funny to touch the wheel wheel with bare hands…

 

[mav238]

my “benz gloves” do the trick
and after so many years it feels funny to touch the wheel wheel with bare hands…

That's funny... In the winter time, I do use my driving gloves to hold the steering wheel while driving. but generally I don't for summer, spring and Fall seasons.

I find that, the monthly cleaning treatment with Lexol leather cleaner gel + magic sponge , does wonders. This Lexol stuff is simply amazing. I have used it for all my cars, and it is truly a top class product. Leaves the leather on the steering, smooth, matte and feels "new" to the touch. And one 500mL bottle has lasted over 7 years and still has about 25% left in the bottle. After 7 years of ownership, using both the Lexol cleaner and Nextzett Cockpit cleaner, my CLA cabin still feels and looks like I just picked up my CLA from the showroom.

Lexol leather cleaner

Nexzett cockpit premium cabin cleaner

 

[jmc]

yeah i have several versions of the -zett cleaners they do wonders to keep surfaces clean and new
my front section status is gauged against the back section … which is a helluva good reference since its essentially virgin

as for that lexol stuff … will give it a try soon on some older leather surfaces

 

[DrOzCLA]

And for those of us 'lucky' people with full Alcantara steering wheels, I highly (highly) recommend the Sonax Xtreme Upholstery & Alcantara Cleaner Foam, truly amazing stuff.

 

[jmc]

all these outfits owe us ad revenue

 

[Ralfie]

I’m having this issue at the moment my car was 8months old when it started now only 14months old. And only 13,000km. It is peeling at the top. And Mercedes are declining it through warranty. Any advise?

 

[mav238]

I’m having this issue at the moment my car was 8months old when it started now only 14months old. And only 13,000km. It is peeling at the top. And Mercedes are declining it through warranty. Any advise?

Legally, if your car is well within the warranty period (13K km seems and within 3 years?), then MB should cover the replacement or repair of the leather steering wheel, in principle.
However, we don't have the background information on how the peeling started. For MB to not want to repair or replace under warranty, may be related to them connecting this peeling with "abuse" of the use of the steering wheel. e.g. if I had long sharp finger nails, and if I'm not careful, and scratch the leather and cause a deep cut, or something else was accidentally used to rip the leather (not saying that yours is the case), MB will not honour the warranty claim.
If you can prove that the peeling of the leather is due to simply it naturally degrading and/or poor material quality that the leather by itself disintegrated on it's own, then you have a case.
So your only recourse, is to get the MB service dept to state clearly why they are rejecting your warranty claim.

 

[bobbyauto]

hi mines is peeling same as picture and the dealership denied the claim saying external damage in not covered what should i do? i can take it to another dealership

 

[jmc]

back in the day i said the leather on the center rear headrest was a tad winkley can they fix it stretch it etc
they just replaced it with a new one
granted the steering wheel needs a bit of r&r labor and isnt a cheap part
still surprised they dont just swap it out under warranty
unless of course you have finger jewelry etc then that aint covered

 

[bobbyauto]

back in the day i said the leather on the center rear headrest was a tad winkley can they fix it stretch it etc they just replaced it with a new one granted the steering wheel needs a bit of r&r labor and isnt a cheap part still surprised they dont just swap it out under warranty unless of course you have finger jewelry etc then that aint covered

I have 16,000 miles on it 2021 Mercedes glc is peeling they can say alcohol use or lotion but do thst on a Toyota Camry and it’s still brand new. (Not saying we used any lotion or alcohol on it) it’s still under warranty and dealership still said external damage they won’t say what causes it. Is the same way peeling started to form bubble maybe from the sun

 

[Knightrodrob]

Mine is the same! 6months and they tried to tell me I wear to much lotion!

I can some what agree with certain types of oils intereacting with leather. It can make leather soft. Especially if u are an aggressive driver gripping steering wheel and the sun beaming down on it, cooking the oil.36k on this 2019 and steering wheel is perfect.

 

[jmc]

looking back it does look like a leather sample defect and maybe you can escalate with another more sympathetic service manage
else get a leather cover solution sew it together and move on
some covers even are suede hybrid design looks quite pretty

 

[Northern Al]

There is another culprit to consider. I had this happen in the winter to one of my cars. The zipper on one of my bulky winter coats abraded the bottom of the steering wheel when entering and exiting. If this is the case it may happen again.

Your photo doesn't appear to have linear scrape lines but it could be a culmination of several instances taking little bites each time. Glad they replaced it for you though.

 

[bobbyauto]

I have 16,000 miles on it 2021 Mercedes glc is peeling they can say alcohol use or lotion but do thst on a Toyota Camry and it’s still brand new. (Not saying we used any lotion or alcohol on it) it’s still under warranty and dealership still said external damage they won’t say what causes it. Is the same way peeling started to form bubble maybe from the sun

 

[creastysomp]

I am! What did the dealership tell you? They don’t want to cover mine even though it’s only 8 months old .
hellodear.in

tea tv apk

 

[bobbyauto]

Hi they didnt specify as they can’t but external damage voided under warranty lotion or hand sanitizer or oil on had apparently damaged there cheap leather. I will contact Mercedes directly warranty department they told me to get second opinion at another dealership …

 

[mav238]

I am! What did the dealership tell you? They don’t want to cover mine even though it’s only 8 months old .

I don't think there is any verbiage in the warranty that says that "wear and tear" items like the steering wheel leather wrap are covered under normal usage. Same thing for leather seats, where folks can spill stuff on it that can lead to the the leather degrading. Or if I wear jeans with small metal spiky studs on the back-pockets, and the leather seats gets tears and holes forming in them, I can't go back and tell the automaker your leather seats suck.
What I am trying to say is, it can be really hard to prove that the premature wear and tear is a real factory defect. I know it's frustrating, but having driven cars which mostly have leather wrapped steering wheels, most of them don't hold up well (turning shiny, small tears , wrinkling etc), unless I put in the TLC it requires (learned the hard way). And I'm talking about real leather/cow-hide, not leatherette made from synthetic fibers that looks and feels like leather, and that is significantly more durable.
JMHO

 

[jmc]

… yeah … no skin has touched my steering wheel since i picked it up in sindelfingen
not even at the dealer … they were always kind enough to wrap in microfiber towels or use a wheel condom
lets see how long this one stays “untouched”