Tired of your Hyundai Sonata steering wheel peeling?
Nothing can ruin the appearance of your vehicle’s interior than a peeling, worn or cracked leather. Not only does it look less than perfect but it can also impact the overall feel when you turn the wheel as you drive your car.
Do you need to go to a professional to have it restored?
Thankfully, this can easily turn out into a DIY project with just simple tools and techniques. You also need a few basic steps, so you can make sure your steering wheel looks brand new once more!
Hyundai Sonata Steering Wheel Peeling
First of all, let’s talk a bit about the reason behind the wheel peeling.
As you drive, the grime, dirt, and debris on your hands tend to build up on the vehicle’s steering wheel. Hence, all of these things get right into the crevices and cracks, which will then form and collect on the wheels. Over time, cracking may arise.
While it is unavoidable, you can easily do something to restore the aesthetic appeal of your steering wheel. A simple restoration is all it takes to make it looking nice and smooth once again.
Here are just some of the things you need to do when you notice your Hyundai Sonata steering wheel peeling:
1. Get the materials ready.
For this project, you will need a towel to cover the interior and make sure the other components are protected while you restore the steering wheel’s quality.
Moreover, you need a tape to cover up some areas on the steering wheel that are not made of leather. Then, you need a sandpaper to scrub away scruffs and bumps, a leather filler to fill out missing chucks, and a dye that will help to restore the original color of your wheel.
2. Cover up the interior.
This whole wheel restoration project may end up being a bit messy, so it is best to start by protecting the interior with a towel, sheet, or tarp.
Simply cover everything except the wheel, so no dust and dye can ruin your interior. If you need to add tape, then go ahead and do so to keep the cover in place.
3. Clean the wheel.
Before you start working on the wheel, you need to clean it up a bit. There are leather cleaner products out there, which you can use, along with the right brush. Remove the peeling and old stuff, so you can make the surface smooth for when you start applying the dye and filler.
4. Fill in the cracks.
With the foundation all laid out, you can now start filling big crevices or cracks on the wheel. You want to use a good-quality leather filler, which is suitable for restoring your brittle leather and make sure it looks like new.
You may find a sponge quite helpful when applying the filler. Just a little goes a long way, then you can level it all out once applied onto the leather.
5. Smooth the leather out.
After letting the filler dry, you can then smooth the leather out with a sandpaper. I use a 600 to 1200 grit type of sandpaper as this is really effective for smoothing out the leather.
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Finishing Touches To Your Wheel Restoration Work
With everything all nice and smooth, you can now apply the dye to make it appear as it used to be – when it was still brand new.
Not only does the dye enhance the aesthetic appeal of your wheel but it also serves as protection to the leather from getting damaged too quickly.
At this point, your steering wheel looks amazing, smooth, and free from any signs of peeling. You can now uncover the interior, do a bit of cleaning up if needed, and admire the wonderful job you’ve done to your steering wheel!