How do we clean steering wheels, gear knobs etc ?

Omega

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2008
Messages
166
Reaction score
1
Location
Cornwall
Hi guys,

Whats the best thing to clean steering wheels, gear knobs etc ?
I know it might seem a daft question, but I’m not 100% certain what they are covered with, and don’t want to over do it.

They started to get a bit sticky about 6 months ago,,,, but after someone left a window ajar in the rain yesterday, they got worse.

Is soapy water o.k ?

Is alcohol needed ?
 

Wighty

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2016
Messages
13,435
Reaction score
12,467
Location
Sunny Essex
Your Mercedes
W211/E320cdi/2009 and CLK200k 2009
Soap and warm water is what I've used in the past . Cheap ,quick and easy . Try that first
 

Craiglxviii

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2015
Messages
17,781
Reaction score
7,426
Location
Cambs UK
Your Mercedes
970 Panamera Turbo; W221 S500L AMG Line, C215 CL500, W251 R350L AMG Line, plus several more now gone
Soapy water works well. Fairy liquid and a nail brush or old toothbrush will also work. I use Gliptone cleaner and conditioner, which I'd fully recommend. It makes the car smell of rich new leather once it's been done, for about a week :D
 

alexanderfoti

MBO Forum Supporter
Authorised Forum Supporter
Joined
Mar 25, 2010
Messages
15,091
Reaction score
6,247
Location
Tonbridge
Your Mercedes
W221 S65 AMG - W204 C63 AMG + Various other MB's
+1 for gliptone leather cleaner. It's great.
 

A.J.

Senior Member
Joined
May 31, 2015
Messages
21,258
Reaction score
9,581
Location
Norwich. UK
Your Mercedes
UnMerc - 2020 VW Polo 2.0t GTi Plus, DSG. Flash Red, Traditional VW GTi Tartan seat trim.
Flash all purpose wipes, baby wipes. Surprising the amount of dirt and whatever they lift off no matter how regularly you do it. :)
 

John Laidlaw

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2013
Messages
26,373
Reaction score
9,163
Location
Wirral
Your Mercedes
Land Rover Discovery 4
Small amount of Ariel liquid diluted in bowl one
Micro fibre cloth damped in said liquid, use circular motions to clean off what will be revolting....
Bowl 2 with clean water and clean microfibre cloth damped to rinse off
Apply Gliptone as Craig and Alex suggest....
Mine differs slightly in that I have Alcantara grips
So no Gliptone but after the 2 bowls I use a hairdryer to dry the Alcantara whilst rejuvenating it with a Nubuck suede brush......
Obsessive, moi?:rolleyes:
 

ZZZZ

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2014
Messages
3,671
Reaction score
1,613
Your Mercedes
.
As above, and I also use covers for the steering wheel and gearshift handle, whenever the car goes in a garage, or when I'm working on one of my silly mods ... Oh, and unscented baby wipes, in between proper cleaning / Gliptone treatment.
 

CJD

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2017
Messages
89
Reaction score
41
Location
Bourne
Your Mercedes
C200 AMG Line, Premium Plus, S205 Estate, 2018
For cleaning normal leather covered steering wheels - especially ones that have gone shiny , I use a magic eraser sponge and a little bit of water.
The results can be very impressive - just take it gently and don't rub very hard.
 

Craiglxviii

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2015
Messages
17,781
Reaction score
7,426
Location
Cambs UK
Your Mercedes
970 Panamera Turbo; W221 S500L AMG Line, C215 CL500, W251 R350L AMG Line, plus several more now gone
Small amount of Ariel liquid diluted in bowl one
Micro fibre cloth damped in said liquid, use circular motions to clean off what will be revolting....
Bowl 2 with clean water and clean microfibre cloth damped to rinse off
Apply Gliptone as Craig and Alex suggest....
Mine differs slightly in that I have Alcantara grips
So no Gliptone but after the 2 bowls I use a hairdryer to dry the Alcantara whilst rejuvenating it with a Nubuck suede brush......
Obsessive, moi?:rolleyes:
You use a two-bowl method for your steering wheel?!

What flow rate do you fill the bowl with? :D I have a 900 litre per second outside tap and I fill the bowl for 5 minutes straight to remove any contaminants. Is this sufficient? ;)
 

JBell

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2011
Messages
14,845
Reaction score
7,186
Location
Torquey
Your Mercedes
C350 CDi Estate (GAD Edition)
You use a two-bowl method for your steering wheel?!

What flow rate do you fill the bowl with? :D I have a 900 litre per second outside tap and I fill the bowl for 5 minutes straight to remove any contaminants. Is this sufficient? ;)

John has professional Bowls that are bigger than everyone elses
 

JBell

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2011
Messages
14,845
Reaction score
7,186
Location
Torquey
Your Mercedes
C350 CDi Estate (GAD Edition)
I use baby wipes and Gliptone
 

John Laidlaw

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2013
Messages
26,373
Reaction score
9,163
Location
Wirral
Your Mercedes
Land Rover Discovery 4
You use a two-bowl method for your steering wheel?!

What flow rate do you fill the bowl with? :D I have a 900 litre per second outside tap and I fill the bowl for 5 minutes straight to remove any contaminants. Is this sufficient? ;)
2 bowls, 3 microfibre cloths,one hairdryer and one nubuck brush, I beg your pudding!
You’ll have to be in the region of 4 litres per minute Craig depending on the bowl size, however I would run the tap for several weeks before use and then ( and only then) run the water through a filter and additionally boil it until steaming, and allow to condensate back into the bowl
Also only use a clear or opaque bowl so you can see the contaminants and also the condensation process
Sure I’ve forgotten something here... :rolleyes:
 

keefysher

Senior Member
Joined
May 4, 2007
Messages
4,506
Reaction score
2,695
Location
Hampshire
Your Mercedes
W166 GLE350AMG Line 3.0 2017. BMW Z3 2.8 1998.
Prevention is better than cure. If you pick your nose don't wipe your fingers on the wheel, swallow the bogey ;):D:D
 

Frontstep

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2007
Messages
9,201
Reaction score
3,436
Your Mercedes
T210 320cdi
One should use driving gloves to save contamination, they are available at all good charity shops.
 


As a member of ourMercedes Owners' club, you will enjoy numerous savings on an expanding range of services including, Insurance, Parts and Servicing, RAC Membership plus much more.MBOmembers can save around £200.00 a year. You can join from as little as £30.00 and start to enjoy these savings immediately. You receive our monthly magazine and free classified ads when you decide to trade up a model.
Top Bottom