Steering wheel improvements/refurb

[romainh]

Hi,

My Z4 is 14 years old and the steering wheel has started to show signs of wear. It's getting quite shiny at the top, and is scratched in some places. It's also not as comfortable to use as I'm sure it once was, probably due to the materials hardening with time. I'm keen to give it a new lease of life without breaking the bank, or to swap it for a new one if it can be done at a reasonable cost.

It's a non-M Sport steering wheel, and I am quite happy with keeping the same as long as it looks newer. I'd also consider swapping to a M Sport model, which is meatier and looks more comfortable. Swapping to the more modern shifting paddles would be a plus - the original silver ones never made much sense to me - but not a necessary change.

What is your experience doing some or all of these changes? Do you have any particular parts, products, garages, individuals on the forum to recommend which can help to do any of the above? I've seen a few topics here and there, but the information has been scattered so it would be good the thoughts from a few of you who've gone through the process.

Thanks a lot!

[Zed Baron]

Hi, I managed to buy an MSport steering wheel with the revised paddle shifters and then sent it off to Royal Steering Wheels for a refurbishment, they did an excellent job (like lots of other here have done) makes a big difference compared to the standard SE one. Bought the wheel from a breakers (prices are all over the place), took me a while to get it, finally when I did I got it for £100. Worth checking out a few breakers online and see if they have any E89's in.

20200603_215243.jpg (163.39 KiB) Viewed 528 times

[Deepseaskateboard]

The wheel should be leather coated, the good news is that leather can be somewhat restored even with no skills what so ever.

You will need:

Woolite water mix 7:1 ratio
A brush, or magic eraser
Bmw black leather touch up stick, or black leather dye.
Microfibre towels

Method:
Mix the woolite with water at a 7:1 ratio
Apply to steering wheel, can be on a brush or with a towel, or spray bottle
Agitate leather with a brush, nothing too harsh
Give it all a scrub
Wipe off the woolite
Wash down with water
Apply leather dye to scratches but best to get an even covering
Leave to soak in for a few mins
Wipe off any excess dye with towel
Leave overnight or 24 hours ideally

Results:
Steering wheel looks great

[Silverstar]

I'd also consider swapping to a M Sport model, which is meatier and looks more comfortable

The M sport certainly looks meatier but this might not mean more comfortable, it might be a bit too thick. For me something in between the standard wheel and the M Sport would be ideal. Depends where in the world you are but lots in the UK have used Royal Steering wheels who seems to do a great job at a very reasonable price for reupholstering your old wheel.

[B21]

Plus 1 for Royal..they can re-invent your wheel whichever way you want…

[Marcoose]

Control Customs for me. Radek re-wrote the customer service book. Proper bloke. (Yes, I posted from San Francisco to Newton Abbot.)

https://controlcustomsuk.com/

[romainh]

Great, thanks for your responses and recommending Royal Steering Wheels - I will be sure to check them out!

[matsmith749]

Another +1 for Royal.

Also - you can swap out the paddles for the newer style (plug & play) no coding needed. I see the paddles come up on ebay sometimes, but quite expensive from a dealer.