Leather on Steering Wheel Rubbing Smooth

[palmettorover]

Has anyone had the leather on the steering wheel start to wear down? Mine has been replaced once and now the second one looks and feels rubbed smooth. I know it has been hot as hell here these past two summers, but ***?

 

[kwlr3]

I had my first wheel replaced under warranty, the leather was literally disintegrating. Mine is a 2005 and I think this was an issue with all LR's around that time period. The replacement wheel is holding up well but the leather is starting to loose the texture of the grain. I wouldn't call this a defect, just normal wear. It looks like I would expect for a vehicle with just under 100,000 miles and seven years old.

 

[CMGRover]

Did it get replaced with the smooth one?

 

[kwlr3]

I think it was the same pattern. I don't recall the first wheel as having a very grainy feel to it. Certainly the steering wheel and the dash cover are two of the cheapest looking attributes of the LR3 interior. They replaced the plastic dash with a leather dash pad in the LR4 and the center section of the wheel is different, I don't recall if the actual wheel itself is different.

 

[Houm_WA]

I wonder if that leather dash pad can be retro-fit into an LR3...???

 

[churious]

I have the original wheel in my 05 and the top is rubbing all smooth like this as well.

 

[kwlr3]

Re: Leather dash pad

It certainly looks like the leather dash would fit. Most of the LR4 dash is very different from the LR3 but the dash pad looks the same. Of course the part numbers are different so the only people who would know are the guys in a shop that have changed out both. I have already replaced the dash pad under warranty and no doubt it will happen again and I'll look at the LR4 part.

 

[toddjb122]

I had my first wheel replaced under warranty, the leather was literally disintegrating. Mine is a 2005 and I think this was an issue with all LR's around that time period. The replacement wheel is holding up well but the leather is starting to loose the texture of the grain. I wouldn't call this a defect, just normal wear. It looks like I would expect for a vehicle with just under 100,000 miles and seven years old.

Ditto.

They also replaced my steering wheel center cover (airbag cover) because the top was drying out and curling away from the steering wheel center. Replacement has done the same thing...so in that case it was an issue of replacing with the same bad part.