Steering wheel retrim - alternatives to Royals?

Soul_Glo · 02-06-2019, 11:16 PM

I was in the store searching for my steering as he couldn't remember. The workshop had no activity. Can't find the photos on phone. Sent a video to wife of self on bike then said we should get one.

Junebug85 · 10-15-2019, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t5pilot

Relax people, LOL. Check these out.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/MEWA...4a7c4c4ddG9jhK

Scroll to the bottom of the listing, there's more choices, but they'll basically make you any combination you want.

I have one, just not fitted it yet. When I first saw the idea, I thought, no, that'll be crap. But a mate's got one (who provided me the details) & his looks the dogs!

For £30/£40 if you don't like the end result, it's not a great loss really...

That's quite good!

I'm guessing you would have to remove the steering wheel trim and buttons for the leather to go behind them? Just concerned about taking the wheel off and then not knowing what to torque to tighten it back up to.. but i'm sure that info can be found on here or online.

t5pilot · 10-16-2019, 03:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Junebug85

Quote:

Originally Posted by t5pilot

Relax people, LOL. Check these out.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/MEWA...4a7c4c4ddG9jhK

Scroll to the bottom of the listing, there's more choices, but they'll basically make you any combination you want.

I have one, just not fitted it yet. When I first saw the idea, I thought, no, that'll be crap. But a mate's got one (who provided me the details) & his looks the dogs!

For £30/£40 if you don't like the end result, it's not a great loss really...

That's quite good!

I'm guessing you would have to remove the steering wheel trim and buttons for the leather to go behind them? Just concerned about taking the wheel off and then not knowing what to torque to tighten it back up to.. but i'm sure that info can be found on here or online.

I don't believe you do, no. It finishes where oem does. For F** series sports steering wheels anyway.
I'll try & make the effort this week to get mine done, and will take photos as i do.

Junebug85 · 10-16-2019, 04:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t5pilot

Quote:

Originally Posted by Junebug85

Quote:

Originally Posted by t5pilot

Relax people, LOL. Check these out.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/MEWA...4a7c4c4ddG9jhK

Scroll to the bottom of the listing, there's more choices, but they'll basically make you any combination you want.

I have one, just not fitted it yet. When I first saw the idea, I thought, no, that'll be crap. But a mate's got one (who provided me the details) & his looks the dogs!

For £30/£40 if you don't like the end result, it's not a great loss really...

That's quite good!

I'm guessing you would have to remove the steering wheel trim and buttons for the leather to go behind them? Just concerned about taking the wheel off and then not knowing what to torque to tighten it back up to.. but i'm sure that info can be found on here or online.

I don't believe you do, no. It finishes where oem does. For F** series sports steering wheels anyway.
I'll try & make the effort this week to get mine done, and will take photos as i do.

Ah cool!

Looking forward to seeing it. Much appreciated

t5pilot · 10-17-2019, 10:22 AM

So. Finally done this cover on my wheel. It's taken just short of 4 hours.
It's easy enough, just faffy.
This is one of the "MeWant" offerings, obviously in the finish & trim I wanted.
I've had it a few months, cost back then was £27 delivered.
It does have a great feel. It's also nice to have a slightly thicker wheel now.
There are a couple of small "ruffles" which actually look far worse in the photos than they are.
Im hopeful that with a bit of use, these will smooth out. Time will tell. The wheel heating comes through great.
All in all I'm quite pleased. Don't get me wrong, it's not as oem as a proper wheel retrim, it's just impossible to get all the stitching uniform.
But for less than £30 I just can't complain really, compared to £000's as the alternative.
If it gets too much for my ocd, or it doesn't wear well, it'll be a doddle to remove. And I can live with a £30 loss.
So in conclusion, I'm quite happy with it.
I couldn't be bothered to remove the wheel or paddles. Should you do so, I'm certain the end finish would be better.

shoestring · 10-17-2019, 11:16 AM

Good effort.
However there doesn't look to be that much wrong with the original leather on the steering wheel. What exactly was wrong with it?

t5pilot · 10-17-2019, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shoestring

Good effort.
However there doesn't look to be that much wrong with the original leather on the steering wheel. What exactly was wrong with it?

Absolutely nothing wrong with it. I just fancied trying an alcantara finish thats all, and retaining my heated wheel.

Junebug85 · 10-18-2019, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t5pilot

So. Finally done this cover on my wheel. It's taken just short of 4 hours.
It's easy enough, just faffy.
This is one of the "MeWant" offerings, obviously in the finish & trim I wanted.
I've had it a few months, cost back then was £27 delivered.
It does have a great feel. It's also nice to have a slightly thicker wheel now.
There are a couple of small "ruffles" which actually look far worse in the photos than they are.
Im hopeful that with a bit of use, these will smooth out. Time will tell. The wheel heating comes through great.
All in all I'm quite pleased. Don't get me wrong, it's not as oem as a proper wheel retrim, it's just impossible to get all the stitching uniform.
But for less than £30 I just can't complain really, compared to £000's as the alternative.
If it gets too much for my ocd, or it doesn't wear well, it'll be a doddle to remove. And I can live with a £30 loss.
So in conclusion, I'm quite happy with it.
I couldn't be bothered to remove the wheel or paddles. Should you do so, I'm certain the end finish would be better.

Great job!

Was it easy enough to push the new cover in behind the buttons and trim pieces?

t5pilot · 10-18-2019, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Junebug85

Quote:

Originally Posted by t5pilot

So. Finally done this cover on my wheel. It's taken just short of 4 hours.
It's easy enough, just faffy.
This is one of the "MeWant" offerings, obviously in the finish & trim I wanted.
I've had it a few months, cost back then was £27 delivered.
It does have a great feel. It's also nice to have a slightly thicker wheel now.
There are a couple of small "ruffles" which actually look far worse in the photos than they are.
Im hopeful that with a bit of use, these will smooth out. Time will tell. The wheel heating comes through great.
All in all I'm quite pleased. Don't get me wrong, it's not as oem as a proper wheel retrim, it's just impossible to get all the stitching uniform.
But for less than £30 I just can't complain really, compared to £000's as the alternative.
If it gets too much for my ocd, or it doesn't wear well, it'll be a doddle to remove. And I can live with a £30 loss.
So in conclusion, I'm quite happy with it.
I couldn't be bothered to remove the wheel or paddles. Should you do so, I'm certain the end finish would be better.

Great job!

Was it easy enough to push the new cover in behind the buttons and trim pieces?

Yes it was. The kit comes with everything, including a plastic trim tool for squeezing the leather behind the button pods.

Panchoa · 10-19-2019, 03:49 AM

Had my S5 steering redone at royale and its brilliant. Looks completely oem but slightly thicker as that’s what I asked for. Well worth £160 and the drive down there to get it fitted.

SW6Steve · 10-19-2019, 04:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panchoa

Had my S5 steering redone at royale and its brilliant. Looks completely oem but slightly thicker as that’s what I asked for. Well worth £160 and the drive down there to get it fitted.

Same here!
Couldn't be happier!
Better than oem, pure class!

Rasco · 08-29-2020, 05:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SW6Steve

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panchoa

Had my S5 steering redone at royale and its brilliant. Looks completely oem but slightly thicker as that's what I asked for. Well worth £160 and the drive down there to get it fitted.

Same here!
Couldn't be happier!
Better than oem, pure class!

I want to get my f36 done In The future, I want as thin a wheel as possible so I would not want the alcantara to be placed over the leather, is there an option to get a thin (or no thicker) wheel?

Digidick · 08-29-2020, 08:13 AM

This is my effort with a Mewant AliExpress cover.

john lummis · 08-29-2020, 01:36 PM

That looks OEM to me, nice job

haagm58 · 08-29-2020, 03:07 PM

The DIY kit from MEWANT is very cost effective and a good bit of fun, if you enjoy DIY. I'm very happy with the outcome (wrapped over existing leather).

sensible · 08-30-2020, 04:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Digidick

This is my effort with a Mewant AliExpress cover.

That looks like a very tidy job.

dizzy619 · 08-30-2020, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haagm58

The DIY kit from MEWANT is very cost effective and a good bit of fun, if you enjoy DIY. I'm very happy with the outcome (wrapped over existing leather).

Just ordered on for my track e82.. Based on this

haagm58 · 08-30-2020, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dizzy619

Quote:

Originally Posted by haagm58

The DIY kit from MEWANT is very cost effective and a good bit of fun, if you enjoy DIY. I'm very happy with the outcome (wrapped over existing leather).

Just ordered on for my track e82.. Based on this

Have fun! The photos are from the install day, some of the wrinkles went away after a few days. It looks quite nice. I recommend seeing the cover with the wheel removed and using a curved needle.

If you aren't familia with removing the airbag, there's a much easier way than going through the wheel slits. I can provide more detail if anyone would like.

Digidick · 08-30-2020, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sensible

Quote:

Originally Posted by Digidick

This is my effort with a Mewant AliExpress cover.

That looks like a very tidy job.

Cheers pal. Feels great but after 4hrs of sewing my fingers were sore.

Abzynthe · 08-30-2020, 10:57 AM

I bought my heated alcantara wheel on eBay from Lithuania. All works fine

Was £430 though.

vadimo · 08-31-2020, 02:47 PM

I did retrofit of heated steering wheel, so purchased such wheel and got it send straight to Jack, it came back nice and thick and no problems fitting the trim on top of it

I learned he leaves the old leather in place due to the fragile heating element.

So its nice, it works in all areas but it gets warm but not enough, i suspect its down to the double leather.

Squirtydog · 02-27-2021, 02:04 PM

Interesting thread. Think I've been tempted into the MEWANT DIY approach. I love a challenge.

I'm only finding them at around the £80 mark for alcantara though.

Seems that Royal is still the place to go to if you want a good job at a sensible price. He did my Volvo V70 R in a really nice blue (to match the dials) and perforated black, probably about 9 years ago now.

EDIT: so never used Ali Express before. But, got a 'suede' and grey stitching on the way for £37.
I'll aim to post some pics.

02-06-2019, 11:16 PM	#23
Soul_Glo Major General 13344 Rep 7,484 Posts Drives: G20 Join Date: May 2013 Location: Manhattan, NYC iTrader: (1)	I was in the store searching for my steering as he couldn't remember. The workshop had no activity. Can't find the photos on phone. Sent a video to wife of self on bike then said we should get one.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-17-2019, 10:22 AM	#27
t5pilot Colonel 978 Rep 2,068 Posts Drives: M4 CP & S1000 XR Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Yorkshire - UK iTrader: (1)	So. Finally done this cover on my wheel. It's taken just short of 4 hours. It's easy enough, just faffy. This is one of the "MeWant" offerings, obviously in the finish & trim I wanted. I've had it a few months, cost back then was £27 delivered. It does have a great feel. It's also nice to have a slightly thicker wheel now. There are a couple of small "ruffles" which actually look far worse in the photos than they are. Im hopeful that with a bit of use, these will smooth out. Time will tell. The wheel heating comes through great. All in all I'm quite pleased. Don't get me wrong, it's not as oem as a proper wheel retrim, it's just impossible to get all the stitching uniform. But for less than £30 I just can't complain really, compared to £000's as the alternative. If it gets too much for my ocd, or it doesn't wear well, it'll be a doddle to remove. And I can live with a £30 loss. So in conclusion, I'm quite happy with it. I couldn't be bothered to remove the wheel or paddles. Should you do so, I'm certain the end finish would be better. Attached Images __________________ /// BM3 + M-Power ///
	Appreciate 1 Junebug851613.50 Quote

10-17-2019, 11:16 AM	#28
shoestring Private First Class 50 Rep 114 Posts Drives: 2017 F31 320D Sport Auto Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: East Midlands iTrader: (0)	Good effort. However there doesn't look to be that much wrong with the original leather on the steering wheel. What exactly was wrong with it?
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10-19-2019, 03:49 AM	#32
Panchoa Major 659 Rep 1,487 Posts Drives: BMW F30 330d M Sport Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: Leicester iTrader: (0)	Had my S5 steering redone at royale and its brilliant. Looks completely oem but slightly thicker as that’s what I asked for. Well worth £160 and the drive down there to get it fitted.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

08-29-2020, 08:13 AM	#35
Digidick Captain 142 Rep 626 Posts Drives: F30 330d M Sport Join Date: May 2017 Location: Derby iTrader: (0)	This is my effort with a Mewant AliExpress cover. Attached Images
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08-29-2020, 01:36 PM	#36
john lummis Second Lieutenant 142 Rep 267 Posts Drives: BMW F30 320D Xdrive M Sport Join Date: May 2020 Location: Oldham,UK iTrader: (0)	That looks OEM to me, nice job __________________ I don't eat raw meat unless it's wearing red stillettos
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08-29-2020, 03:07 PM	#37
haagm58 Captain 810 Rep 919 Posts Drives: F30 328d Sport Line Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: South Carolina iTrader: (0) Garage List 2014 BMW F30 328d [0.00]	The DIY kit from MEWANT is very cost effective and a good bit of fun, if you enjoy DIY. I'm very happy with the outcome (wrapped over existing leather). Attached Images
	Appreciate 0 Quote

08-30-2020, 10:57 AM	#42
Abzynthe Colonel 1373 Rep 2,118 Posts Drives: BMW 440i Gran Coupe LCI Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	I bought my heated alcantara wheel on eBay from Lithuania. All works fine Was £430 though. Attached Images __________________ Previous: 2010 F01 740d M Sport \| 2015 F36 420d M Sport Current: 2018 F36 440i M Sport (Stage 1 BM3, xHP stage 3)
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08-31-2020, 02:47 PM	#43
vadimo Major 310 Rep 1,338 Posts Drives: 2014 F30 320D X-Drive Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Surrey UK iTrader: (0) Garage List 2020 M340i [0.00]	I did retrofit of heated steering wheel, so purchased such wheel and got it send straight to Jack, it came back nice and thick and no problems fitting the trim on top of it I learned he leaves the old leather in place due to the fragile heating element. So its nice, it works in all areas but it gets warm but not enough, i suspect its down to the double leather. __________________ Current Ride: 2020 G20 M340i in Metallic Black Sapphire with Individual Full Merino Ivory White and Piano Black Trim Previous Ride1: 2014 F30 M Sport 320D X-Drive Auto, Dakota Beige Leather, M Sport Brakes, Adaptive M Suspension, Paddle Shifters, 19" 403 Alloys, Folding Mirrors, Pro Sat Nav & Harman Kardon Surround Sound. Previous Ride2: 2004 E46 M Sport 320CI Auto, Montana Beige Leather & 18" 135M Alloys.
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02-27-2021, 02:04 PM	#44
Squirtydog Private 17 Rep 52 Posts Drives: F36 420i 2018 Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: Wirral UK iTrader: (0)	Interesting thread. Think I've been tempted into the MEWANT DIY approach. I love a challenge. I'm only finding them at around the £80 mark for alcantara though. Seems that Royal is still the place to go to if you want a good job at a sensible price. He did my Volvo V70 R in a really nice blue (to match the dials) and perforated black, probably about 9 years ago now. EDIT: so never used Ali Express before. But, got a 'suede' and grey stitching on the way for £37. I'll aim to post some pics.
	Appreciate 0 Quote