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      08-23-2019, 09:26 PM   #1
Kelse92
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Changing the Color of MPerformance Steering Wheel Stripe

This is for those who have an MPerformance or other Alcantara steering wheel with a leather stripe! if you’ve owned it for awhile, you’ve probably had the issue of the leather on the blue center-stripe, like on mine, may have worn/faded with use. Or maybe you’re just bored of the basic blue and want to switch it up and try something different. I did mine this evening after planning it out a couple weeks ago and it turned out really well so figured I’d share for anyone else who may want to do the same.
For the materials, I personally had a lot of prior experience custom dying leather and have done a lot of research in the past on what to use, so rest assured these are proven long-lasting hug quality products that have been used by artists around the globe on designer handbags, Jordan’s, etc.

Materials needed:
Angelus Leather Preparer and Deglazer
Angelus Acrylic Leather Paint in the color of your choice (they sell over 50 colors and you can even mix them if you really wanted a specific shade)
Angelus Acrylic Finisher (can also use the matte or satin options on their site)
Painters tape
Plastic/paper towels etc.
Flat and fine-detail acrylic paintbrushes
If not removing the steering wheel, a compact mirror.
A steady hand
About an hour’s worth of time
Total cost: approx $20

I left my steering wheel on because I wasn’t in the mood to mess with the extra steps to take it off, but honestly, it would be much easier if you just removed it.

The process itself is pretty simple.
Mask off around the stripe so you don’t accidentally get paint on the alcantara, I used paper towels to cover the steering wheel beyond where the tape was, but plastic wrap etc would work too.
Use a paintbrush and do a quick once-over with the deglazer to prep the stripe for painting.
Give it a couple minutes to dry and then use the paint, best applied in Very thin coats. I used a flashlight to make sure I got full opacity after about 4-5 thin layers. I used a small mirror to reach and see the back side. And then lastly after giving it about 10 minutes to dry. Finish off with a thin layer of the finisher of your choice, and Done!

Photos attached. I personally wanted to a Royal Blue that would be darker than the original light blue, but if you’re looking to color-match the original and just freshen up your stripe, I’ll lookup the color that would work best.
Attached Images
    
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      08-24-2019, 09:39 PM   #2
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Not trying to thread jack, but I had done this instead:

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      10-21-2019, 12:00 AM   #3
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Nice work. I did something similar to you with my old wheel. The top of the stripe had faded pretty severely for whatever reason, so I taped it off and used a leather dye kit to bring back the original blue. Worked well and held up for 2 years before I sold the car.
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      11-19-2019, 06:46 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grip Addict View Post
Not trying to thread jack, but I had done this instead:


Very tempting. I just can't do the blue.
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      11-19-2019, 07:20 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by //steve\\ View Post
Very tempting. I just can't do the blue.
The tape comes in a bunch of different colors.
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      12-06-2019, 12:10 PM   #6
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Chiming in: The tape is very easy to apply and looks surprisingly great, IMO better than a DIY repaint. In both cases you cover the stitching, which is a bummer, but the tape is cheaper/easier/reversible. The only asterisks on the tape is that when I removed mine (to slightly adjust/perfect it), it pulled up some more of the original blue paint. My blue was fading a bit anyway (awful paint quality by BMW!) which is one reason why I mixed it up with tape in the first place, but now it's even worse. I'm not sure if there's anything you could do before applying the tape to prevent this, maybe a clear coat of some sort? Regardless, I think I could touch it up with the Angelus light blue paint if/when needed pretty easily (easier than painting a complete color change).
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      12-06-2019, 02:10 PM   #7
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^ I would think that could be an issue for sure but it seems that the blue the use doesn't hold up well anyways.

My big complaint on all these "painted" solutions is the stripe looks far to glossy. I want a matte type of finish like perfectly new/clean leather typically has.

I'm still also here to say I'm annoyed that BMW doesn't have an OE M Performance option with red....and of course it's available for the newer cars.
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      12-07-2019, 10:59 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by //steve\\ View Post
^ I would think that could be an issue for sure but it seems that the blue the use doesn't hold up well anyways.

My big complaint on all these "painted" solutions is the stripe looks far to glossy. I want a matte type of finish like perfectly new/clean leather typically has.

I'm still also here to say I'm annoyed that BMW doesn't have an OE M Performance option with red....and of course it's available for the newer cars.
There’s a matte finish that could be applied over the paint. I chose a satin one.
Also I think the angelus light blue would be an easy thing to mix and do a touch up
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      12-24-2019, 09:42 PM   #9
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angelus light blue with a touch of white is what I used to refinish my v2 wheel on my f80, perfect match. and yes, use the matte finisher for that oem finish.
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