Steering Wheel Restoration - Import Tuner Magazine

A few weeks ago I picked up a Civic steering wheel at the local salvage yard. The wheel was in decent condition and cheap at $50. The only drawback was its condition, which had a number of scratch marks. This left me with the options of either leaving with a scuffed-up steering wheel or restoring it back to near new condition. Can you guess which route I decided to take?

Repairing a damaged hard plastic or rubber steering wheel is a lot easier than you might think. To get started, you'll first need to remove the steering wheel, and clean it with dish washing detergent mixed with some warm water. After you've thoroughly washed the wheel, be sure to completely dry the part before moving onto the next step.

Spray with PRE Painting Prep to remove oily residue or contaminants to prep the wheel prior to spraying your first coat of adhesive promoter.

It's important to use a plastic and adhesive promoter prior to any primer or paintwork as it promotes adhesion to problem plastics such as PP or TPO repair materials and topcoats. Adhesion promoter also works well on most flexible or rigid plastics and on painted surfaces. Begin by applying several light coats to smooth the surface. Once it dries, you're ready to apply your topcoat.

Dupli-Color Vinyl & Fabric Coating paint is different from your typical spray paint. Formulated with a maximum adhesion promoter, the Vinyl & Fabric Coating won't crack, peel, or chip, which made it ideal for our steering wheel restoration. Applying a few light and uniform coats is all you need to cover up those unsightly blemishes.

If you noticed, the gray paint we initially sprayed was too dark in color. Dupli-Color's Charcoal Gray (HVP111) didn't match our OEM color, so we purchased a lighter color, Medium Gray (HVP109), that proved to be the perfect match. Here is the finished product shot five months after our repairs on the car and still looking good!