How to trim the steering wheel with your own hands

The steering wheel is the part of the car that is most prone to abrasion. Usually the braid "nurses" up to two hundred thousand. However, this is not the case with all models of cars. In 3-5 years the steering wheel becomes flabby and scratched. Naturally, when selling a car, the buyer looks at the steering wheel braid. Therefore, it is important to preserve its factory condition as much as possible. Today's article will be useful not only for car owners, but also for those who sell cars on the secondary market. So, how to trim the steering wheel with your own hands? Consider below.

Material

The first problem that the owner faces is the choice of the material. There are many finishes. In this case, you need to trim the steering wheel. And its quality should be at a high level. Work on the recovery of the steering wheel is quite complicated. Our goal is to resume the former state of the material for the longest possible time.

The better to trim the steering wheel - skin or eco-leather? Everything depends on the owner's preferences. Of course, genuine leather will be worth much more than a substitute (that is, a material with the prefix "eco"). Note that eco-skin of proper quality is not inferior to the characteristics of natural leather. It is elastic and fits the steering wheel well. The material has a homogeneous structure. This steering wheel looks very organic and presentable. The main thing is to correctly draw a sketch. An important point! The most comfortable skin is perforated. It is the softest, elastic, pleasant to the touch material. It's very easy to work with him. Coverage takes any form (especially for those who want to cover the skin with a rudder complex configuration, with grooves).

What thickness to choose a material? The optimum value is from one to one and a half millimeters. The main requirements for the skin are resistance to temperature changes, mechanical damage and, of course, to abrasion.

There is still smooth skin. According to the characteristics, it does not differ from the previous one. Here, as they say, it's a matter of taste.

Instruments

Before you actually trim the wheel with your skin, you need to prepare a small set of tools and materials. We need:

• Rubber glue.
• Building scotch.
• Lekalo.
• Stationery knife.
• Marker.
• Pencil.
• Awl.
• Pliers.
• Nylon thread (for work required at least one meter).
• Two gypsy needles (it is recommended that they be semicircular).

The work should be carried out in a well-lighted room.

Getting Started - The First Step

First you need to dismantle the steering wheel. It is almost impossible to rub the steering wheel without removing it. This is a very laborious process. Dismantling will significantly shorten the time of the work being done. To remove the steering wheel from the column, use a special puller. It looks like this: Without it, dismantling will be quite difficult, especially if the steering wheel is removed for the first time. The nut of the fastening is also unscrewed (use the key "for 27"). Do not try to pull the steering wheel by force, and even more so use foreign tools. So you just damage the interior elements.

Note! Before removing the steering wheel, make a small mark with a pencil on it and on the column shaft. So at installation the element will not stand crookedly.

Step two - make a sketch

Removing the steering wheel from the car, we proceed to make a sketch, which will be cut out the material for further application. You can use building scotch as a model. We glue it around the perimeter of the handlebar and cut out the knife with a knife strictly along the lines. To make the sketch qualitative, apply scotch in several layers (three to five is enough). Now we remove the model from the steering wheel and transfer each marked sector to the material (skin).

Note! Cutting the skin is required with a small margin. Leave 1-1.5 centimeters from the edges of the sketch for allowance on the seams. Superfluous can then be trimmed, but it will be impossible to restore the missing piece.

Step Three - Fitting

Now apply the cut out material to the steering wheel. Having convinced that all lines correspond to the real sizes, we cut off the excessive edges. Then soak the material in warm water for 20 minutes. Using an awl, we make small holes every seven to eight millimeters.

Step Four - Mark

Now carefully add all the details in the order in which the mark will be made. For sewing the skin it is recommended to use nylon threads (since they are the most durable). Try not to make great efforts, so as not to tear the material. Skin, especially perforated, not only easily stretches, but also tears. Try not to leave wrinkles. Further we pull together the edges of our material. It is necessary to fix the wheel so that it is securely held on the surface when stitching. Leather steering wheel is not so simple. The detail strives to slip out of the hands. In advance, make sure that the steering wheel does not crouch from side to side.

Important point: before final tightening, check the condition of the material. It should be evenly stretched. Sags and creases are excluded. They strongly spoil the look of the steering wheel even with new skin.

How to draw a seam

There are three types of seams:

• Sports.
• Macrame.
• A braid.

To say that it is necessary to use only one of these types for the steering wheel cover is impossible. Everyone chooses to their liking. All the seams look very organically on the handlebars. The main thing - when tightening the edges, lubricate the steering wheel with rubber glue. So you prevent premature peeling of the material in the event of a break in the joint. Although the threads are strong enough.

Step Five - Installation

After the new material has been successfully applied, you need to wait until the glue dries. An hour later, you can put the steering wheel in place. Do not forget to put it strictly on the marks that were put up in pencil. The washer is put on the nut. Next, the steering wheel is assembled according to the standard scheme. If the car is equipped with an airbag, disconnect the terminal on the battery, otherwise the airbag can fire. Also connect all sensors so that the signal does not light up on the instrument panel at start-up. That's all. After installation, you can start using it fully.

Conclusion

So, we found out how to properly trim the steering wheel with leather. It is worth noting that the process is quite laborious and it can not be handled by everyone, especially if the steering wheel has a non-standard shape and wooden inserts.

There is always a big risk of improper fit of the skin. Therefore, many motorists trust this work professionals.

Where to trim the steering wheel with leather? Often turn to profile workshops. They also engage in a constriction of seats, door cards and other interior details. The price of works - from three thousand rubles (taking into account the material).