DIY: Clean Alcantara Steering wheel

[EJT86]

I figured Id write up a DIY guide for cleaning Alcantara steering wheels. This project should cost about $1. Since a lot of people feel the need to buy special alcantara cleaner Im writing this to show its not necessary. I also figured id write up a DIY since I just swapped from the M performance wheel back to the OE wheel. On a side note its well known that the performance wheel is noticeably thinner but after doing top to bottom comparison which I forgot to take pics of, the Performance wheel also has a larger circumference. So back to the task and what you'll need which isn't much at all. you'll need water, dish soap, a clean towel and most important a medium toothbrush with a "tongue scrubber" on the other side of the brush. Here are a few shots of my wheel before:


FOR M PERFORMANCE WHEELS DO NOT USE THE TOOTHBRUSH AT ALL ON THE BLUE STRIPE PART. Any abrasive material on the wheel will rub the dye off. For the not so soiled parts take the bristle end and use small circles using low to medium pressure along the entire wheel
For the heavy soiled areas use the "tongue scrubber" and make small circles using medium pressure. The grime will ball up and you can brush away with the bristle end. Its not a super comfortable process because its takes a while and is very repetitive. Took me maybe 30min to do the whole wheel which has been cleaned about twice per year. Some pics to show the progress

This shows half done on one soiled side:

The grime will ball up like this:

You can see the difference from just using the scrubber side:

When scrubbing the soiled areas be patient since you don't want to go to hard and rub away the alcantara and take a close look after scrubbing a little because the new sheen of the alcantara can appear to be more grime. Run your finger along it and feel if the material is back to being raised like it was originally. After scrubbing away all the heavy grime use the bristle side and make small circles with lighter pressure on the entire wheel to raise the fabric. After this portion take 1 cup of water with 2-3 drops of dish soap. Its important not to use much dish soap at all because you don't want a foamy wheel. When you stir the soap and water with the toothbrush you should see almost no bubbles. If you've take the wheel off of the car completely and aren't in a rush to get it back on then no need to worry about how wet the wheel gets. If you've chosen to leave the wheel on the car while doing this id recommend swirling the toothbrush in the soapy water and again using small light pressure circles with the bristle end on the wheel so its slightly damp since you won't want to have a wheel thats too wet to dry in a reasonable amount of time. I personally take the wheel off to clean it, I can remove the wheel in about 5min and can have it cleaned and put back on within the hour. If you choose to take the wheel off then no need to worry about how wet the wheel is although it won't need to be very wet at all. Dip the toothbrush in the water and again using small light circles coat the whole wheel in the soapy water. Again do not use the brush on the blue stripe at all. After cleaning the wheel dip the towel in the soapy water and very lightly wipe the blue stripe clean. After you've done the whole wheel it should look like this:

Next take a clean dry towel, I used microfiber, and lay it on sections of the wheel and using your hand grab the wheel over the towel and give it a light twist. Make sure not to be too rough. You can go around the wheel a few times

After doing this the wheel will still be damp. If you left the wheel on then it shouldn't be very damp at all and should be completely dry soon as long as you didn't use too much soapy water. If the wheel is still dirty repeat the process. If you've take the wheel off, which i recommend for ease, then the wheel will still be pretty damp. If you're in a hurry borrow the Misses hairdryer, set it on low, and prop it in front of the wheel for about 20min rotating the wheel once in a while. If your not in a hurry then just let it air dry where is circulating. After all is said and done the wheel should return to its original luster

[Amirsm3]

Awesome! The wheel looks almost brand new!

[spoolin]

Good write up! I just did this to a friends SLS AMG steering wheel and he was amazed. He wanted to buy a new wheel!

[EJT86]

Originally Posted by Amirsm3

Awesome! The wheel looks almost brand new!

Thanks! Yea "almost" damn sun beats on that blue dye on the stripe

Originally Posted by spoolin

Good write up! I just did this to a friends SLS AMG steering wheel and he was amazed. He wanted to buy a new wheel!

Thanks. yea its not that much to cleaning it. just some elbow grease. The toothbrushes with the scrubber make a ton of difference on the greasy oily matted part of the wheel. I can only imagine what a new SLS wheel costs

[Amirsm3]

Originally Posted by EJT86

Thanks! Yea "almost" damn sun beats on that blue dye on the stripe



Thanks. yea its not that much to cleaning it. just some elbow grease. The toothbrushes with the scrubber make a ton of difference on the greasy oily matted part of the wheel. I can only imagine what a new SLS wheel costs

I'm almost afraid to look it up on google, lol

[briancl]

Any advice on how to restore a blue faded stripe?

I wrapped mine in vinyl, but hoping for a more OEM fix.

[EJT86]

Originally Posted by briancl

Any advice on how to restore a blue faded stripe?

I wrapped mine in vinyl, but hoping for a more OEM fix.

I don't have a good solution for this. If I'm not mistaken the blue stripe is dyed leather. If thats correct and if you could somehow find a color match shoe polish that might work