Steering wheel re-wrapping

The steering wheel is the one part you touch for the whole drive — and it shows it faster than anything else in the car. The leather where you grip it goes slippery, darkens from sweat and hand cream, and after a few years it starts to get tacky and peel off in flakes.

Re-covering it in new leather costs less than a new steering wheel, and is often the only option: in cars with an airbag and controls on the wheel, replacing the rim is a separate problem in itself.

How we do it

• Removing the wheel, or working on it in place, depending on the model.
• Stripping the old cover and preparing the rim.
• Cutting the pattern from leather matched to the vehicle — thickness matters, as it changes the grip circumference.
• Hand stitching on the wheel, thread in the original colour or contrasting.
• Refitting and checking that nothing interferes with the airbag or the buttons.

Worth thinking about

You can change the character of the grip at the same time: perforated leather on the sides, smooth at the top and bottom, a thicker rim, a twelve o'clock marker. These are things to agree on before stitching, not after.

We also do the rim alone with the airbag and controls left in place — the most common option in cars out of warranty.