fastcar123 Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 I managed to get super glue on my steering wheel. In an effort to get it off, I used 91% rubbing alcohol and a paper towel. This made my situation far worse. This is my first at with leather anything so I don't know what to do here. Can this be repaired without wrapping new leather on the wheel? Or will I need to have the whole steering wheel replaced? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vtdog Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 It is hard for me to tell from the photo if your leather is torn, or if there is just some discoloration. If it is a color issue, I have had good success with Lexol which is a leather cleaner/conditioner. If a piece is missing, you can buy a leather repair kit on ebay, but only get one with a heating unit. I have repaired torn leather seats in a car with the kit. It is not perfect, but with time the repair looks good as it blends in with the surrounding material as the kits give you "patch" material and have small dye units which you blend to make the closest color. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ammcinnis Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 If it bothers you that much, you can buy a whole new leather-wrapped steering wheel (MY 2015-2016: 34312AL03AVH) for less than $40. "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." ~ The Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securityguy Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 NEVER use alcohol or any solvent on leather...sorry that you learned this the hard way. You will never get it to look right and best to replace as ammcinnis referenced above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoda_One Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 Alcohol, ethyl acetate, acetone will strip the color of the stain on leather and wood but if the substrate is still intact all you need to do is recoat/restained. If the glue is off enough and the leather is still intact you can purchase leather stain or just head to Big Box, purchase MinWax wood stain closest to the color of the steering wheel. The key to staining is put very light coats using a clean cloth( I always use old T shirts) allow to fully dry before applying another coat. I have repaired, restained, leather and wood for eons Laughing at Oneself and with Others is Good for the Soul [emoji847] Laughing at Oneself and with Other is good for the Soul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastcar123 Posted June 14, 2018 Author Share Posted June 14, 2018 It is hard for me to tell from the photo if your leather is torn, or if there is just some discoloration. If it is a color issue, I have had good success with Lexol which is a leather cleaner/conditioner. If a piece is missing, you can buy a leather repair kit on ebay, but only get one with a heating unit. I have repaired torn leather seats in a car with the kit. It is not perfect, but with time the repair looks good as it blends in with the surrounding material as the kits give you "patch" material and have small dye units which you blend to make the closest color. The spot in question has just lost all of it's shine compaired to the other parts of the wheel. It's not torn just looks very old and worn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastcar123 Posted June 14, 2018 Author Share Posted June 14, 2018 If it bothers you that much, you can buy a whole new leather-wrapped steering wheel (34312AL03AVH) for less than $40. Yea I did look that up. My thing is that I don't know know how to transfer it off of the steering column. I'd likely have a locol shop do it but I wouldn't know how much they would charge me for that sort of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastcar123 Posted June 14, 2018 Author Share Posted June 14, 2018 Do you guys have any tips for maintaining leather or getting stuff off of it for the future? As this is my first car with leather I don't know how to properly maintain it (obviously). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastcar123 Posted June 14, 2018 Author Share Posted June 14, 2018 Is this the part I need here? https://www.subarupartsdepot.com/oem-parts/subaru-steering-wheel-34312al03avh?c=Zz1zdGVlcmluZyZzPXN0ZWVyaW5nLXdoZWVsLWFuZC10cmltJmE9c3ViYXJ1Jm89bGVnYWN5Jnk9MjAxNSZ0PTItNWktcHJlbWl1bSZlPTItNWwtaDQtZ2Fz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capttris Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 The steering wheel may be $45 but the labor to swap would probably be 2 hours. You might be able to find a dealer who can get it down to 1 hour labor if you have a tech who has done this before. Every dealer should have a tech who has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vtdog Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 Apply "Occams Razor" here (the simple answer is the one to try). If it is only a discoloration, spend $ 10 on a leather cleaner/restorer. It will probably fix 80% of your issue and with time as you use the car the spot will blend from the oil & dirt on your hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastcar123 Posted June 14, 2018 Author Share Posted June 14, 2018 Apply "Occams Razor" here (the simple answer is the one to try). If it is only a discoloration, spend $ 10 on a leather cleaner/restorer. It will probably fix 80% of your issue and with time as you use the car the spot will blend from the oil & dirt on your hands. Yeah, that's true. You make a good point. Where can I purchase the recoating stuff? I am guessing just any auto parts store yes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ammcinnis Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 If it is only a discoloration, spend $ 10 on a leather cleaner/restorer. It will probably fix 80% of your issue and with time as you use the car the spot will blend from the oil & dirt on your hands. That's exactly what I would do. The leather wrap is going to fade and deteriorate with time anyway, due to sun and environmental exposure as well as unavoidable transfer of all kinds of stuff from the driver's hands. Light cleaning with saddle soap 2 to 4 times a year followed by light application of a leather conditioner like Lexol may slow the aging process considerably. But it's still a car, not a museum piece. "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." ~ The Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornichoe Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 If it bothers you that much, you can buy a whole new leather-wrapped steering wheel (MY 2015-2016: 34312AL03AVH) for less than $40. Good to know this is not an expensive piece of trim. I just scraped the side of mine either with my ring or the pocket knife while getting in and out. It chaffed the top smooth layer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ammcinnis Posted June 14, 2018 Share Posted June 14, 2018 Good to know this is not an expensive piece of trim. Considering the low cost and my personal experience with previous leather-wrapped steering wheels, I've already bought spares for our Legacy and Outback. It will probably be time to pull them off the shelf and use them in another 12 to 15 years. "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." ~ The Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
securityguy Posted June 15, 2018 Share Posted June 15, 2018 Do you guys have any tips for maintaining leather or getting stuff off of it for the future? As this is my first car with leather I don't know how to properly maintain it (obviously). Lexol and Mothers VLR are excellent https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=lexol+leather+cleaner&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=241887302799&hvpos=1t1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7153416237956358386&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9011488&hvtargid=kwd-16011066&ref=pd_sl_1afprnnvos_b_p37 http://www.mothers.com/02_products/06524_d.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwpIjZBRBsEiwA0TN1r3qlvP2ZUT1QoKhwjM2dZym7TgurhKYN914hzArRPGJsyJDtPYcyAxoCnR0QAvD_BwE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tornichoe Posted June 15, 2018 Share Posted June 15, 2018 Do you guys have any tips for maintaining leather or getting stuff off of it for the future? As this is my first car with leather I don't know how to properly maintain it (obviously). I've always used the leather wipes that come in a can. And they have kept things pretty good, leather jackets and car seats. I go over the car interior once a year before the summer heat picks up. The super glue in your case is a different story. It would have eaten through the leather and there is no easy/good way to clean it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rec630 Posted June 15, 2018 Share Posted June 15, 2018 Lexol and Mothers VLR are excellent https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=lexol+leather+cleaner&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=241887302799&hvpos=1t1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7153416237956358386&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9011488&hvtargid=kwd-16011066&ref=pd_sl_1afprnnvos_b_p37 http://www.mothers.com/02_products/06524_d.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwpIjZBRBsEiwA0TN1r3qlvP2ZUT1QoKhwjM2dZym7TgurhKYN914hzArRPGJsyJDtPYcyAxoCnR0QAvD_BwE I'm another that uses Lexol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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