Ceramic Coated My Steering Wheels

[Tony Prodigy]

Hi gents. Been waiting for an opportunity to be able to ceramic coat the steering wheel on my new Colorado, a replacement Leather steering wheel for my Prodigy and a re-manufactured steering wheel for my E36 M3. So today was the perfect day for it.

The present steering wheel in my Aurion is ok but I prefer the leather and grain they used in the Presara. I found one online from a wrecked 2017 Presara and the price was irresistible. I will wait until the existing one degrades to a point, then I'll swap it out and then have it re upholstered in a nicer more quality leather. For now this is the best option.

The steering wheel in my M3 is good but has worn to a point where the grain has noticeably gone smooth. It was pretty much like this when i purchased it. It was during a time when there was really no real leather protection for leather other than the ones that left the leather greasy and so not good for a steering wheel. The steering wheel is always going to cop a beating from the dirt, grime and acid in your fingers, hence that inevitable shiny, smooth appearance that develops over time. It's not practical to wear driving gloves to negate this issue, but periodic cleaning can help preserve the leather with the application of some type of protection. My replacement came from a guy in Germany who is famous for refurbishing ///M steering wheels and I had to get one for my car. It finally arrived a few days ago and this meant  GO time for the ceramic coating job.

Now with the proliferation of ceramic products for not only paint and glass, there is one also for leather as you already know. I recently did my new leather lounge and had some 15ml left in the bottle which I was going to reserve for this very job. Made sense to wait till I had the other two in my possession and hit all three while I had the coating system going.

First up, was a mild clean with the Gyeon leather cleaner with the leather brush to remove any finger grease, acids  etc from general handling. Wipe off with a damp microfibre cloth and allow to dry.

Second, I wrap the applicator with the suede cloth and add the product to one half of the applicator. I then apply the coating evenly to the entire leather parts front and back, allow to dry and then buff off with a dry microfibre towel.

I chose to do two coats, so after 20 minutes I re applied the second coat and that was it. Buffed off when it dried. You will see in the pics when it goes on it's a wet look and as it penetrates the substrate it will dry to a matt finish. You don't see a change in the leather which exactly what you want. It shouldn't change the look of the leather, but put down an invisible barrier to contamination. 

On the 2nd coating on the Aurion wheel i decided to go over the control pods and plastic centre surround to see how the ceramic coating affects plastic as this is a leather product. It turned out to be ok. No funny discolouration and it wiped off nicely as the leather did. So now the whole steering wheel has a coating.The last four pics show this.

Here are some pics of the before and after process

[Tony Prodigy]

Just an update. As this is my first time applying a ceramic coating to steering wheels and be able to do a real world test, I was keen to see the result after the product had had time to cure properly, so the best example I can use for this would be that of the Colorado steering wheel as it's my daily vehicle. The other two wheels have gone back into storage. So following up from yesterdays steering wheel treatment I have observed the following this morning on the way to work.

The steering wheel felt smooth to the touch with a sense of slickness, not too slick that you lose grip and slips in your hands, but it does actually feel like there is a barrier there. Previous to this, even with clean hands and a clean wheel, your hands would quickly develop a degree of stickiness, even with the A/C on. This is due to the oils in the skin trying to bond to the leather. I had to occasionally hold a hand in front of an A/C vent to "dry" them to keep from feeling sticky.

During my trip this morning, gripping the steering wheel felt really nice without the stickiness, it was like a layer of air is between your hands and the steering wheel. It's hard to describe it any other way. I am genuinely impressed by this and it makes a good case for anyone looking to do the same.

I can highly recommend it.

 

[KAA]

Thanks Tony..always informative and interesting comments..i will certainly look at doing our Presara steering wheel as it is still in good condition and want it to stay that way

Keep Safe and Strong

KAA

[Tony Prodigy]

2 hours ago, KAA said:

Thanks Tony..always informative and interesting comments..i will certainly look at doing our Presara steering wheel as it is still in good condition and want it to stay that way

Keep Safe and Strong

KAA

If you lived nearby, I would happily do it for you mate. I still have enough to do a few more.

[KAA]

Thanks for the offer..I know you would help out and it is appreciated..just knowing you have found it works well is good enough..i have seen some videos showing it but first hand knowledge is always way better

Keep Well My Friend

KAA

[ZZT86]

Nice report Tony, it reminds me that I have my CarPro Leather kit still to use on my Aurion which is full of leather but need warmer weather & some motivation. The ceramic coating may not give the softest result but it should give the best protection. Your wheels look great.

[KAA]

Hi Tony..Meant to ask you did you buy and use Gyeon Q2 Leather Shield Hydrophobic Ceramic Nano Coat Coating ?

was looking on ebay and after a few reviews and checking other sites the product got good reviews

Keep Well

KAA

[Tony Prodigy]

7 minutes ago, ZZT86 said:

Nice report Tony, it reminds me that I have my CarPro Leather kit still to use on my Aurion which is full of leather but need warmer weather & some motivation. The ceramic coating may not give the softest result but it should give the best protection. Your wheels look great.

Thanks mate. I suspect you haven't used ceramic coating yet ? If not, I can say that Ceramic coating will not affect the look or the feel of the leather and will also keep your leather soft and will be super hydrophobic which means liquids and harsh chemicals will bead up and roll off instead of soaking and damaging the leather. The leather will feel exactly the same.

The Main Benefits of this type of coating:

Excellent Durability

Easy Clean

Super Hydrophobic Effect

Excellent Weather Resistance

UV Resistance

Factory look & Feel

Prevents colour transfer from clothing.

Leather creams are really not that good in doing the above-mentioned and can be ok for older dried out leather that needs some revitalization. The prevention is always better than the cure in most cases. Get to it while it's still good. If you ceramic coat your leather according to the manufacturer recommendation, you'll never have leather issues in my opinion. 

[Tony Prodigy]

22 minutes ago, KAA said:

Hi Tony..Meant to ask you did you buy and use Gyeon Q2 Leather Shield Hydrophobic Ceramic Nano Coat Coating ?

was looking on ebay and after a few reviews and checking other sites the product got good reviews

Keep Well

KAA

Hey Robert. Yes Sir, It certainly was. It's GYEON Q2 Leather Shield. If I recall I purchased it from Car Care Products. It's priced very competitively and does an amazing job. It goes a long way too. It's only 50ml right, and I was able to a large 3 seater, a 2.5 seater and 2 single recliners with 2 coats not 1  and these 3 steering wheels and I still have some left, probably enough to do another ten steering wheels 

Regarding the cleaner, It's pretty cheap so I just used the same branded cleaner. I got the "strong" cleaner because you can always water it down if you don't need it to be that strong and it will go a lot further. The same cleaner I have I also used to clean my above lounge suite etc and it's just over half way still. I would recommend watering it down if you do get the strong cleaner. You can dispense a third or half in another sprayer and fill it water and shake. That will still clean very well. If you don't want to go this route, you can always use a mild mix of APC (all purpose cleaner) start with a 10 % mix and try it on a small spot before diving in.

I think I've covered everything here, hopefully. Let me know if you need anything else.

 

 

[Tony Prodigy]

I knew I forgot something. Get yourself a decent leather cleaning brush If you already don't have one. Typically some purchase the rectangular ones, but these are no good for getting into the tight spots. These ones pictured are from Gyeon also and the tapered points are very handy indeed.

I highly recommend these over the plain rectangular ones.

 

[ZZT86]

Purchased it early this year when on special, yet to use it. Will do so soonish. As you state, I expect very good performance from it especially the UV block which is what I'm after the most, given the car gets pretty hot during the summer months & the leather is going to get some punishment, although I do use an interior windscreen cover & the there's the electric rear sunshade which helps.

[KAA]

2 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

I think I've covered everything here, hopefully. Let me know if you need anything else.

Thanks Tony I did think you had mentioned the product so was checking..I am fortunate enough to have about 8 different size brushes from wheel and arch ones to alloy wheel ones and 2 i use only for leather,gained over the years when we did the garage cleanout i found 4 i had lost somewhere were all the lost socks go..so they are still in packaging and have the points and good quality brushes so they will now be used to replace the used ones that are near the end of their lives..have ordered the ceramic now from Car care and yes good pricing from what others want for it

Thanks again mate appreciate it

KAA

[Tony Prodigy]

Quick update. It's been nearly four weeks and the steering wheel that's getting the daily test is obviously the Colorado. (The other two are in dry storage).

I am happy to report that the wheel still has that "airy" slickness despite daily use and I haven't even wiped it over as yet. I always try to ensure my hands are washed before driving so the wheel can stay as clean as possible but sometimes I forget, so the ceramic coating goes to bat for me shielding the leather from hand contamination.

I'll probably wait another month and report back before I give it a wipe with microfibre cloth. ( preferably soaked in warm water). I'll use a bright cloth to see how much gunk I remove.

Cheers everyone 

[Tony Prodigy]

Another quick update to report that the ceramic coating is still holding up very well despite continuous use. I have given the wheel a wipe with a warm, water soaked, microfibre cloth and it still retains its slick feeling. Your hands don't get clammy while driving, which is quite nice actually.

[ZZT86]

@Tony Prodigy Do you find the leather don't breathe like it used to ? Would make sense after coating yeah?

During our recent 5 day lockdown I thoroughly cleaned & ceramic coated my leather interior with CQuartz Leather like I said I'd do. Days after drying/curing I drove it down the coast a couple times on very warm humid days & noticed my tanktop sweat a little & stick to the back of the seat & thought hmmmmm ceramic ? CarPro Inside works real good, smells great.

I also took the wheels off & did a good correction/polish & CQuartz them also with 2 coats. They look good, should be much easier to keep clean also.

[Tony Prodigy]

4 hours ago, ZZT86 said:

Do you find the leather don't breathe like it used to ? Would make sense after coating yeah?

Leather doesn't breathe actually, unless yours has perforated leather. It's just the nature of the skin regardless of coating. If you're experiencing sweating, it's more likely due to the high ambient temp/humidity where the A/C has to work extra hard to combat but can't.  My M3 doesn't have anything on the leather and I have experienced a bit of the old sweating down the back occasionally. I like to place a large towel over the seat on extended drives. This helps a lot and gets a little protection from the sun thrown in too.

4 hours ago, ZZT86 said:

I also took the wheels off & did a good correction/polish & CQuartz them also with 2 coats. They look good, should be much easier to keep clean also.

One of my favourite things to do too. There's a huge sense of satisfaction having the wheels cleaned inside and out and then coated. This will definitely help keep the brake dust from biting into the surface. You won't need to use wheel cleaner either. Doing so will degrade the coating much quicker and it's not necessary. Just a good dose of snow foam, or a very mild all purpose cleaner. Agitate with a wheel woollie/ microfibre cloth combo or similar and your golden.

[ZZT86]

I guess your right, it was very warm/humid & I had just popped into the car without it cooling down. The leather is definitely not perforated/ventilated like the Lexus cars. Alcantara would certainly fix this problem though. I might investigate the cost to cover the face (not bolsters) of the front seats, although I suspect it won't be cheap.

Yeah the wheels will be far easier to clean that's for sure. I used one of them cheap conical polishing attachments on a cordless drill which worked a treat 😉 using the medium pad first then finishing with the soft with the appropriate polish.

 

[Tony Prodigy]

Another update to inform you all that the coating is still holding up very well. The wheel still has a slickness to it after all these months. I clean the wheel with Meguiars interior cleaner monthly to remove any contamination and I must say I am impressed with the staying power of the Gyeon Leather ceramic coating.

I'm going to do a feature on another ceramic coating for trim real soon. I've been trying out my Cera Trim product on various items and am also very impressed with the it's performance. Cera Trim is more for harder plastics and trim moulds. The piece of trim that cops a hammering is the plastic scuttle where the wipers are. This tends to fade pretty quicky if you don't treat it. My Colorado is still quite new and it is already starting to fade. I'm going to treat this and the Aurion's scuttle panels and show a 50/50 comparison.

The beauty of this product is that not only does it restore the blackness in the plastic but puts down a strong sealant by virtue of the SiO2 component. What a great product.

I look forward to sharing this with you all.

[KAA]

Looking forward to the updated information Tony, always appreciated

KAA