Had my steering wheel re-trimmed today...

leshkin

leshkin

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I love the flat bottom steering wheel on my S3, but hate the fact that it is so thin and on spirited drives it can get a quite slippery in my hands. After a few searches and a mention on this forum, I gave Jack at Royal Steering Wheels a call and given that he is not too far from where I'm based, decided to go and see him in order to check out the materials and quality of work. I was very impressed with what I saw and took his advice on not adding foam padding under the leather in order to make it thicker, because it makes the wheel softer and dulls the already lacking steering feel. He suggested to stretch the new leather over the original, which will add a 1mm all around the wheel while keeping things nice and firm :) We talked about available leather options and various combinations and I made my choice...

This was a couple of weeks ago and today I paid a visit to pick up my new steering wheel, which was re-trimmed in high quality alcantara leather. I know this is not to everyone's taste, but he does offer options for all tastes. It feels great to hold and really improved the grip you have on the wheel when maneuvering the car. If you had doubts about doing this - don't, it's not as expensive as you think and the difference this mod makes is huge!

The stitching is spot-on and makes the overall effect feels very OEM.

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Jack's a great guy and get's my recommendations for a top job!
 
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Wow that's a great idea, go on tell us how much was it and does he need the car for two weeks?
 
Haha, everything can be done by post if you swap the wheels yourself. Check his website out for full details.

The price was £130, but I went for the fitting option so it cost a total of £145. I think it was worth it, especially as it is the one control you are always touching while driving.
 
Looks like a great job :)

Bargain at that price - he'll have a queue out the door.
 
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Lovely work...must feel great.
 
Very nice indeed. :) x
 
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Nice work , will it go bitty like Audi alcantara seats ?

Don't forget to wash your hands after using KY jelly .
 
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I'm not an expert, but Jack assured me that it will last for a long time as long as some minor effort is made to keep it clean using a slightly damp microfibre cloth and occasional maintenance using a good fabric guard. Obviously driving with clean hands is beneficial :)

He does have other leather options available, which are more resistant to wear and less maintenance-intensive.
 
S3Alex said:
Lovely work...must feel great.
Click to expand...

Definitely! I drove from W. London to Whitstable for the Oyster Festival and then back yesterday. It felt great to hold on to a wheel that had a bit extra thickness to it and the added texture for that long. Can't say a bad thing about the product or the service so far!
 
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Wow that looks fantastic! I know what I'll be asking for as an anniversary present! I do like the leather I have now but agree that it can get quite slippery. The way you've had it done looks just perfect. I think I'd also kinda want that little yellow line on the top you get aftermarket wheels, dont know why but I think they are cool.

And for that kind of price...wow.

EDIT: And he is only in Aylesbury!! Like 20 min drive form me. Ok, this is happening :p
 
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I thought about the top stripe too, but decided on something a bit more understated. It's funny - the original reason I started to look to get this work done is because the OEM wheel just felt too skinny/slippery in the hand after driving a rental BMW with a very chunky M-sport wheel for a couple of weeks. Wanted nappa leather, but once I saw and felt the alcantara option, that was that... You do have to look after it a bit, but it feels just right.
 
Did he have an exchange wheel ? Coming from an M sport I find the wheel very skinny as well . I looked at getting my mini wheel done by him and he had an exchange one so you didn't have to garage the car for 2 weeks ?

Looks spot on ...
 
Looks great that, I feel the standard FBSW is also a bit thin and slippery so this is something I may look at myself in the near future..
 
Bainie said:
Did he have an exchange wheel ? Coming from an M sport I find the wheel very skinny as well . I looked at getting my mini wheel done by him and he had an exchange one so you didn't have to garage the car for 2 weeks ?

Looks spot on ...
Click to expand...

Yeah, all details are on the site, but basically it's your typical deposit exchange system. You pay a fee and he makes a wheel that matches your current one and sends you the finished item. Once you send your wheel back, you get the deposit back. Changing the wheel took 15 minutes for him, but I would have probably spent an hour. It's not difficult, just got to know where to pull/push the trim and having the right tools.
 
Had mine done by Jack a few months back after he did the one in my 1series. Quality is very good and his prices are very reasonable. I had him add some thickness and extend the bottom leather section slightly as I always thought it looked slightly odd being so short. Looks so much better!
 

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That looks sweet too @Gilbs What material is that? Looks awesome with the perforated bit.
 
audi upgrades
Just leather - i went for smooth top and bottom sections with perforated sides and white cross stitching. I wanted to replicate the RS6 wheel without spending serious money!

Really changes the look of the interior.
 
Wow i really like that! must feel great!
although you could have upgraded to the newer style A4/A5 flat bottom which comes chunky anyway and is a direct swap... wouldn't come in alcantara though :hearteyes:
 
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Ash187 said:
Wow i really like that! must feel great!
although you could have upgraded to the newer style A4/A5 flat bottom which comes chunky anyway and is a direct swap... wouldn't come in alcantara though eyes:
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Yeah, I could have gone for a different wheel, but the alcantara option wheel for rs4 is something like 800 to the best of my knowledge and after trying it out nothing seemed to feel as good

It is very nice though - feels like a much more high end car now and the extra grip is a nice bonus!
 
Would prefer the one Gilbs got done if I'm honest. That one of yours looks like it would be too high maintenance leshkin! Both seem top quality jobs.
 
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@leshkin would be interested to know how it is in 6 months and how you clean it. The current leather is fairly easy to clean. Like @s3_trev said it looks high maintenance but does look awesome.
 
Yega said:
@leshkin would be interested to know how it is in 6 months and how you clean it. The current leather is fairly easy to clean. Like @s3_trev said it looks high maintenance but does look awesome.
Click to expand...

Yeah, alcantara definitely requires a bit extra maintenance to keep it looking and feeling nice, but it isn't as delicate as many make it out to be. I mean, high-end car manufacturers use it very often and with just a bit extra care it's worth the effort for the feel and grip. In my opinion anyway :) Like I said originally, not to everyone's taste but boy does it feel good! Jack has other options available to cater for all tastes.

Maintenance wise, here is what Jack sent to me:

Daily cleaning:
It is sufficient to dust Alcantara using a soft brush, a dry cloth, or a vacuum cleaner.

Regular/Weekly cleaning:
After having dusted Alcantara using a soft brush; a dry cloth or a vacuum cleaner, run a slightly moistened white cotton cloth over it. Avoid the use of printed absorbent cloths/papers as they can release ink onto the material

Yearly cleaning:
Dust the material with care; moisten a soft cloth or a sponge in clean water, wring it thoroughly and run it over the whole Alcantara material, making sure not to wet it excessively; rinse the cloth or sponge and repeat as necessary. Leave to dry (overnight). Once dried, in order to restore the material, brush it delicately with a soft bristle brush.




Good Alcantara/fabric cleaners:
http://www.bmw.co.uk/en_GB/topics/owners/accessories/accessoryDetail.accessoryId=8027.html
Sonax Xtreme 206141 Upholstery and Alcantara Cleaner - http://goo.gl/Xz7WNy
 
Looks amazing im definitely considering this has anyone taken the steering wheel off themselves easy job to do it tricky
 
I'm obviously the only one that doesn't like it then. It certainly looks well made but I can't help thinking it just looks like one of those cheap pound shop steering wheel covers.

Might have looked better if the leather looked leather, and not suede.
 
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