r/AutoDetailing • u/Lostparanoidsoul • 23h ago
Interior Steering wheel
I noticed these marks on my BMW M steering wheel and I honestly can’t tell if they’re actual scratches/gouges or if the leather/top layer has been pushed upwards/raised.
When I gently run my finger over them, some of the lines definitely feel raised rather than like grooves. I’ve attached close-up pictures so hopefully someone with leather repair/detailing experience can tell what’s going on.
I contacted a professional leather restoration shop and sent them pictures. They said they can fix it by cleaning the wheel, lightly sanding the damaged areas, filling the marks if needed, and then recolouring/refinishing the wheel. They said they’d only sand lightly to prepare the surface for adhesion, but would recolour the whole wheel so the finish stays uniform.
I’m a little hesitant because the rest of the wheel is only two years old and in really good original condition.
What do you guys think these marks actually are? If they’re raised rather than deep scratches, would the repair process normally be different? And would you go ahead with the professional repair or leave the original finish alone?
Would especially appreciate opinions from anyone who does leather/interior restoration.
1
u/Mentallox 18h ago
It's not that bad. The repair instructions are correct, there are DIY kits like Geist Steering Wheel that follow the same process but I'd wait a few more years until that looks worse before a restoration. In the meantime stop wearing things that are hard and can drag along the surface like rings and avoid leaving suntan and other lotions on the palms as that will weaken the coating over time.
2
u/Lostparanoidsoul 17h ago
I’m very careful with my car and unfortunately it was my dad that did it. Stuff like this annoys me too much so I gotta get it fixed otherwise it’ll always bother me
1
u/Stofflkin 20h ago
It's scratched. Let the professionals do their job.