Steering Wheel Repair - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

cheeba · 06-15-2009, 08:39 AM

Howdy!

I just ordered a wheelskin for my gen 4 camry's steering wheel, but while most of it is in good condition, a small part of my steering wheel is torn and the softness/sponginess is gone -- it's down to the bare metal. Is there a way to repair this before I put on my wheel skin as I tried putting on the skin but the wheel feels funny in the areas that are damaged.

Thanks guys.

cheeba · 06-21-2009, 05:17 PM

anybody?

***eyeball96*** · 06-21-2009, 05:37 PM

Pics of the damage would help.

cheeba · 06-21-2009, 06:23 PM

Here ya go.

felpz123 · 06-21-2009, 06:37 PM

i dunno, maybe try ripping all of it off?

***eyeball96*** · 06-21-2009, 06:42 PM

Damn what happened to it?

You could try wrapping with black electrical tape or even Duct very tightly. I'd do electrical myself because of the stretch it has. Then put the wheelskin on and see how it feels.

If that doesn't work, Junk yard replacement would be my next move!

felpz123 · 06-21-2009, 07:56 PM

scratch my idea, electrical tape should work good

roy7777 · 06-21-2009, 11:09 PM

How about filling in some silicone before wrapping the electrical tape?

KevinACrider · 06-21-2009, 11:15 PM

If I were doing it, I would purchase a big sponge, one of the yellow bone shaped ones used for washing cars, and I would cut a little sliver off in the shape of what is missing and wrap it with electrical tape. Once the cover is on, you should have the same give or "softness" to it all around the wheel.

cheeba · 06-22-2009, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinACrider

If I were doing it, I would purchase a big sponge, one of the yellow bone shaped ones used for washing cars, and I would cut a little sliver off in the shape of what is missing and wrap it with electrical tape. Once the cover is on, you should have the same give or "softness" to it all around the wheel.

Thanks for the ideas guys. I didn't think about the electrical tape. I was trying to keep the spongy feeling of the steering wheel. As for how this happened -- that's where I grip the wheel and it just wore down after 9 years of driving I guess. Seems kinda severe for normal usage.

As for the silicone idea, does that dry sticky or will it be at a point that I can sand/trim it down afterwards to an even consistency?

Thanks.

roy7777 · 06-22-2009, 01:09 PM

Silicone will be soft like jelly after it dried.
I don't think sanding it is a good idea.
Normally we use a stiff plastic card or fingers to scrape/trim it when it still wetted.