'99 V70 Steering Wheel is sticky and wood scratched

Julipan · Post by **Julipan** » 05 Aug 2021, 13:00

Unfortunately my trusted 1999 V70's red walnut soft leather steering wheel is in a bad shape.
This doensn't fit to the rest of the car which is in excellent condition.

The OEM part number is 8628369 but since it is no longer produced or shipped by Volvo it has been impossible to find a replacement so far.

The soft leather gets sticky when the hands are moist or when it is wet. Also the thin wood/plastic has scratches and chips missing, probably from a ring.

Do you have any tips on how to improve either of these issues? I've tried leather cleaner and conditioner (A1 by DR. WACK) but that hasn't really helped much. Thank you so much!

Post by **RickHaleParker** » 05 Aug 2021, 15:46

The sticky is body oils and dust. I have always use Ammonia and a rag to clean it off. Windex glass cleaner is Ammonia based it does well.

Post by **abscate** » 05 Aug 2021, 18:42

Isopropyl alcohol ( “ rubbing alcohol “) works well to clean the gum off too

Nicks in the wood are well-addressed with a furniture colour stick to hide them quickly. I found a hood matching one for Evita and will post

( ooops, ghosted Sveedy below)

Post by **Sveedy** » 05 Aug 2021, 19:22

A little stain touch-up like you might use for furniture, followed by a couple of coats ( maybe just one depending ) of clear gloss finger nail polish, will get you close on the wood end of things. You'll never notice with the burl pattern.

Post by **RickHaleParker** » 05 Aug 2021, 21:31

Looking at the chips on edge of the wheel ...damage from tapping a finger ring ?

Julipan · Post by **Julipan** » 09 Aug 2021, 01:24

abscate wrote: ↑05 Aug 2021, 18:42 Isopropyl alcohol ( “ rubbing alcohol “) works well to clean the gum off too

Nicks in the wood are well-addressed with a furniture colour stick to hide them quickly. I found a hood matching one for Evita and will post

( ooops, ghosted Sveedy below)

I tried using an alcohol based cleaner but it seems that it dissolves the rubber even more. The "leather" actually feels like rubber. After wiping the steering wheel the rag is full of black stuff and the steering wheel is super sticky.

The colour sticks are a good idea. I'll try that and report back - thank you!

Cookeh · Post by **Cookeh** » 09 Aug 2021, 07:36

Sand the leather back and re-dye. The plastic wood can also be sanded back, re-dyed if you desire, and then polished.

Post by **Sveedy** » 09 Aug 2021, 08:08

Stay away from the wax based furniture touch-up sticks. Unless your just fixing up to sell the car. It won't last due to the heat from the sun as well as from your hands. I wouldn't try sanding it either. The quickest and maybe the best way would be to find some color of nail polish that would kind of blend in with the browns of the burl. The acrylic polish will build up in the chip and is tough enough to last.

Post by **abscate** » 09 Aug 2021, 08:31

Keep cleaning it with alcohol and fresh cloth until all the human oil is removed.

Ick

Post by **amblerman** » 09 Aug 2021, 09:20

I don't have that kind of steering where so I don't know the answer to this.

Is there actually leather on that wheel? Or is it a combination of plastic over wood and model soft rubber grey material?