Sticky Steering Wheel, Cleaning Tips

[Leroy819]

I've had the Performance 6MT for over a year now and noticed the steering wheel starting to feel 'sticky' in the last month or so. I've seen people posting about the shifter material breaking down if they use hand sanitizer but my shifter is not sticky. I've only noticed the steering wheel becoming sticky after 5 minutes of driving. I tried wiping it down multiple times with a paper towel, a wet paper towel, a paper towel with some dish soap soaked into it and with a damp cloth. It solves the problem for a few minutes and then it comes back after holding onto the wheel for a few minutes.

Has anybody noticed an issue with the steering wheel 'leather' becoming sticky? It's not super sticky, just sticky enough that it's noticeable. I am wondering if I got into the car without washing my hands one time and brought some kind of chemical/oil onto the wheel and now it's permanently sticky. If I drive with the A/C blasting through the vents directly onto my hands then it's not an issue as far as I can tell. It's also weird to me that no other material in the car feels sticky so I don't know what the root cause of this issue is.

Let me know if you have any cleaning tips or if you have noticed the same thing and just deal with it. I think eventually I will go with an aftermarket flat bottom steering wheel but that won't be for a while.

 

[KrackaC8]

I use Meguiar's leather wipes on mine, but I'd start with some leather cleaner then do a protectant/conditioner.

Meguiar's makes all of the above and available from just about anywhere.

 

[50thZ]

I use a steering wheel cover , looks good too.

 

[FSUZ33]

Sounds like you've got sweaty hands. If so, no way to avoid the stickiness other than constant maintenance or covering it with something. The oil and sweat break down the leather over time. Continuous cleaning and conditioning can prolong this, but if you have naturally juicy hands it's gonna be a long battle to the inevitable.

You know how some guys have some flair they go for, like "the fedora guy" or "the velcro shoes guy"... maybe you could be "the driving gloves guy"...?

Edit: Making a joke (or my attempt at one) but not making a joke out of the situation, whether that's the issue or not. I don't have excessive sweating in my hands, but thank God I don't have to drive with my armpits.

 

[takemorepills]

Sounds like you've got sweaty hands. If so, no way to avoid the stickiness other than constant maintenance or covering it with something. The oil and sweat break down the leather over time. Continuous cleaning and conditioning can prolong this, but if you have naturally juicy hands it's gonna be a long battle to the inevitable.

You know how some guys have some flair they go for, like "the fedora guy" or "the velcro shoes guy"... maybe you could be "the driving gloves guy"...?

Edit: Making a joke (or my attempt at one) but not making a joke out of the situation, whether that's the issue or not. I don't have excessive sweating in my hands, but thank God I don't have to drive with my armpits.

When my son first began driving a few years ago, his hands sweated profusely, made the steering wheel nasty. After 2.5 years of driving he no longer has the sweaty hands problem, I guess it was anxiety or nervousness causing it

 

[Wangan_Z]

I hate sticky and shiny steering wheels! One of the reasons why I avoid Alcantara ones especially. I've been using leather driving gloves for years...a $20 pair of Amazon driving gloves have saved many of my ride's steering wheels and has helped on whenever I trade in my cars. The steering wheels don't look nasty and worn.

 

[ED-NWI-Heritage]

I put a <$20.00 slip on steering wheel on my '24 Heritage because I will make it a mess without it.

 

[Leroy819]

Sounds like you've got sweaty hands. If so, no way to avoid the stickiness other than constant maintenance or covering it with something. The oil and sweat break down the leather over time. Continuous cleaning and conditioning can prolong this, but if you have naturally juicy hands it's gonna be a long battle to the inevitable.

You know how some guys have some flair they go for, like "the fedora guy" or "the velcro shoes guy"... maybe you could be "the driving gloves guy"...?

Edit: Making a joke (or my attempt at one) but not making a joke out of the situation, whether that's the issue or not. I don't have excessive sweating in my hands, but thank God I don't have to drive with my armpits.

I honestly am a very 'sweaty hands' type of guy and was considering getting some fingerless driving gloves on my way home today. I think it might just be my hands since the first 5 minutes of driving is relatively smooth and not sticky. Angling the AC vents directly at my hands kept the wheel dry for most of my drive this morning.

In my old car I noticed the smooth plastic materials turning sticky after 6 years of ownership and I was able to scrub the hell out of it to get rid of the sticky film. I was hoping this would be something similar but visually the wheel material looks fine.

I did have some Meguiar's interior cleaning products and tried it on the wheel but it didn't seem to make a difference. For now I will keep a cloth in the storage tray and keep my hands dry.

Fingers crossed....

 

[Tranzor Z]

I use a steering wheel cover , looks good too.

Welcome back to 1994

 

[50thZ]

 

[funnyman850]

Lexol step 1 and 2, a brush, and a microfiber rag are your best friends. If it's feeling sticky it's gonna take some time. You can also try soaking the rag with leather cleaner and then let it just soak on there for a bit

 

[takemorepills]

Any time spent on PornHub before driving your Z?

 

[KrackaC8]

Put that duck on a JEEP!!!

 

[FSUZ33]

Any time spent on PornHub before driving your Z?

Nah man!…just…nah…

Add one more reason to the “only buy new” list.

 

[ED-NWI-Heritage]

I believe the Rolling Stones have an album entitled Sticky Fingers ...