Renovating steering wheel & leather gaiter - shoe shine!

Post Sat Jun 28, 2008 5:36 pm

Use some shoe "shine n wax" - black colour. Go for a good quality brand with the sponge applicator. Apply a small amount over the steering wheel, let it dry for 1 minute then buff. Covers any scratches and wear marks - really does work! Trust me. BE REALLY CAREFUL NOT TO GET IT OVER YOUR CLOTH INTERIOR.

Also, you can use black shoe polish on any geniune leather gearstick gaiter. Really does the job and protects the leather - instead of using that rubbish dashboard/interior cleaner from Hellfords.

Post Tue Jul 01, 2008 8:02 pm

+1

Used boot polish on an old leather steering wheel yesterday and it came up a treat (I did it off the car though, wouldn't want boot bolish anywhere near the rest of the interior!)

Post Tue Jul 01, 2008 9:46 pm

careful with the boot polish though, can rub off on your hands, more than the quick shine stuff..

but, it does do the job wonderfully

Post Mon Jul 07, 2008 10:27 pm

Yeah, I buffed like fury (never thought I'd say that!) to make sure none would ever come off on my hands. I've heard about 'Trampdrift', how about 'Trampdetailing' for folk like me who are too tight to buy pukka products?

No, thought not.

Post Wed Jul 16, 2008 12:49 pm

I must say I think you'd be better off avoiding the sponge applicator polishes. These are too liquid, which in the long-term makes the leather crack. Just normal black/neutral shoe polish (kiwi brand) is the best thing to use.

Post Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:13 am

Bought a slightly worn mtech1 steering wheel a while back. A single application of black Cherry Blossom shoe polish (carefully laid on quite thickly, left for about 10 mins and then vigorously buffed off to remove any residue) made a huge difference. Nothing comes off on your hands even with the recent hot sticky weather, which pushed inside temps up to more than 40C.