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      08-30-2010, 02:08 PM   #1
esqu1re
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DIY: Fix Peeling Plastic on Steering wheel

I got sick of looking at the flaking plastic coating next to the steering wheel controls. The previous owner lived in TX and apparently, the car has seen its fair share of sun. As a result, the plastic/rubber coating next to the steering wheel controls is all nicked up and peeling.

As an alternative to purchasing replacement plastic (160+ dollars---overpriced for plastic), I decided to remove the peeling rubber altogether and repaint the controls.

I apologize for not taking pictures, but the steps are pretty straightforward.

Tools needed: Allen key, 2000 grit sandpaper, Rougher sandpaper (500 grit?), Paint


Step 1: remove the screws from the back. There are a total of 4, and can be removed with a small allen key.

Step 2: Remove the back covers. The two on the side snap off pretty easily, but they're partially tucked behind the airbag cover, so you'll need to wiggle them out a little bit.

Step 3: Take off the controls. Remove the wire connectors (1 on the left, 2 on the right one) from the controls and then pull them out. A little wiggling is necessary. Don't worry if you have to drive when the controls are off...No warning lights come on and the car functions fine without them.

Step 4: Take off the remaining plastic pieces. Be careful as the left and right front pieces can be rather delicate and are tucked under the airbag cover.

Step 5: Sand off the offending rubber pieces. I went to Autozone and bought some automotive sandpaper. I made sure there was some 2000 grit sandpaper in there as well. You'll want to remove the rubber coating with the heavier grit. In fact, remove most of the plastic down to its unpainted beige color if you can. Then, go in with the 2000 grit paper and smooth everything out. You'll need to make sure that EVERYTHING is smooth. Any imperfections will show up when you paint.

Step 6: Cover the buttons with a piece of painters tape and use anx-acto knife around the buttons. Remove the tape around the buttons so that only the button surfaces are covered.

Step 7: Paint. I used a black Matte paint. You can use whatever color you want. Make sure you paint evenly. Give it one coat and wait until it dries. Examine the pieces to see if there are any imperfections. I didn't sand enough with the 2000 grit paper and the paint really brought out the imperfections. I had to resand. Do it right the first time and you don't have to worry. If you're happy w/ the paint job, you're done painting. I gave my pieces an extra coating of paint when it dried.

Step 7: Reattach the plastic in the reverse order and screw back together. Make sure the plastic pieces are snapped together perfectly before screwing them together.

Pictures of the finished product are forthcoming.
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      08-30-2010, 07:31 PM   #2
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Nice write-up.

It would be cool to see the finished product if you get a chance.
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      08-30-2010, 08:03 PM   #3
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2000 grit sand paper wont get you anywhere lol.. you'll wanna start with some 120, then work your way up to some 400. Then, if your really anal some 600 would be OK (but not necessary) before paint.

If you are sanding with 2000 grit sand paper you are making a surface that is less likely for paint to adhere to and last through the treatment of your fingers. 2000 grit is actually used for removing fine scratches in clear coat, not surface prep.



The rubber coating serves a purpose. Anyone that has heavily oily fingers, or uses lotion alot will notice the "rubber" coating peeling off faster, its not from the sun, trust me.


Look at any Audi that a woman drives, you can tell exactly which buttons she presses all the time!

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      08-30-2010, 09:52 PM   #4
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^^ Like I said, I didn't do it, so I don't know what caused the rubber to peel, but the rubber was very degraded when I got it. You're probably right though---it seems that the area with the most hand contact were the most degraded (rubber peels / sands off easily)

The 2000 grit paper was used to smooth out the plastic surface. I noticed that areas that were not smoothed with the finer 2000 grit would reveal small scratches showing the rougher sanded areas. Your mileage may vary. I'm just an amateur!

As with the paint coming off---we'll see. I figure repainting is cheaper than buying the pieces for $160+, even if the rubber does help prevent your hands from slipping.
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      08-31-2010, 01:27 PM   #5
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i think mine was a result from my finger nail (and they're not long, lol).
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      09-04-2010, 07:44 PM   #6
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Warranty won't cover this? BMW was replacing the alcanterra steering wheels of the m3 zcp when they started to get matted.
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      09-04-2010, 09:25 PM   #7
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They might. Some people are out of warranty.
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      01-25-2011, 10:39 PM   #8
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How is the painted steering wheel trim holding up? I was thinking of wrapping mine in CF fabric when I do the rest of the interior trim, but don't know if that would hold up well to sweat and moisture.
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      01-26-2011, 10:35 AM   #9
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The painted steering wheel trim is holding up fine. Still looks as smooth and piano black as the day I did it. I think as long as the edges of your CF wrap arn't at a place where you touch often, it should hold up.

The trim area isn't a place of constant contact; I just think that the original rubber coating is very susceptible to degradation. CF wrap should be fine.
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      01-26-2011, 01:54 PM   #10
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I was planning on doing something like this myself but my SA got everything replaced under warranty.
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      01-26-2011, 01:56 PM   #11
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Not covered under cpo warranty unfortunately.
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      01-26-2011, 02:21 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 45ACP View Post
Not covered under cpo warranty unfortunately.
I guess it's up to your SA really. I have read that some have gotten it covered under factory and cpo warranty and others haven't. I guess some of us get luckier than others. An odd fact... the controls section on both sides of the wheel is actually less expensive to replace than the trim pieces.
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      01-27-2011, 03:22 PM   #13
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great idea thanks...and I agree that the wear is often caused by lotions and such.

on a side note, kind of embarrassed to share, but I hate it when my steering wheel gets sticky and there's build up(to the point where I rub my steering wheel down daily w/cleaner/conditioner) So I swtiched hand lotions from vaseline to cetaphil and lo and behold no more buildup or sticky wheel. Told you it was embarrassing
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      03-14-2011, 08:57 PM   #14
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Thanks for the write up, I will probably take it apart and see what I can do.
Might wrap the pieces.

That rubber coating is crap.
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      03-15-2011, 01:19 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The__J__Factor View Post
Thanks for the write up, I will probably take it apart and see what I can do.
Might wrap the pieces.

That rubber coating is crap.

+1 Good idea, Matte black vinyl wrap or CF texture - fast and professional alternative
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      03-15-2011, 10:50 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The__J__Factor View Post
Thanks for the write up, I will probably take it apart and see what I can do.
Might wrap the pieces.

That rubber coating is crap.
Mine are wrapped in silver CF, looks good on the silver spokes of my 3.0i
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      07-31-2011, 02:04 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by esqu1re View Post
I got sick of looking at the flaking plastic coating next to the steering wheel controls. The previous owner lived in TX and apparently, the car has seen its fair share of sun. As a result, the plastic/rubber coating next to the steering wheel controls is all nicked up and peeling.

As an alternative to purchasing replacement plastic (160+ dollars---overpriced for plastic), I decided to remove the peeling rubber altogether and repaint the controls.

I apologize for not taking pictures, but the steps are pretty straightforward.

Tools needed: Allen key, 2000 grit sandpaper, Rougher sandpaper (500 grit?), Paint


Step 1: remove the screws from the back. There are a total of 4, and can be removed with a small allen key.

Step 2: Remove the back covers. The two on the side snap off pretty easily, but they're partially tucked behind the airbag cover, so you'll need to wiggle them out a little bit.

Step 3: Take off the controls. Remove the wire connectors (1 on the left, 2 on the right one) from the controls and then pull them out. A little wiggling is necessary. Don't worry if you have to drive when the controls are off...No warning lights come on and the car functions fine without them.

Step 4: Take off the remaining plastic pieces. Be careful as the left and right front pieces can be rather delicate and are tucked under the airbag cover.

Step 5: Sand off the offending rubber pieces. I went to Autozone and bought some automotive sandpaper. I made sure there was some 2000 grit sandpaper in there as well. You'll want to remove the rubber coating with the heavier grit. In fact, remove most of the plastic down to its unpainted beige color if you can. Then, go in with the 2000 grit paper and smooth everything out. You'll need to make sure that EVERYTHING is smooth. Any imperfections will show up when you paint.

Step 6: Cover the buttons with a piece of painters tape and use anx-acto knife around the buttons. Remove the tape around the buttons so that only the button surfaces are covered.

Step 7: Paint. I used a black Matte paint. You can use whatever color you want. Make sure you paint evenly. Give it one coat and wait until it dries. Examine the pieces to see if there are any imperfections. I didn't sand enough with the 2000 grit paper and the paint really brought out the imperfections. I had to resand. Do it right the first time and you don't have to worry. If you're happy w/ the paint job, you're done painting. I gave my pieces an extra coating of paint when it dried.

Step 7: Reattach the plastic in the reverse order and screw back together. Make sure the plastic pieces are snapped together perfectly before screwing them together.

Pictures of the finished product are forthcoming.
Esqu1re..this is exactly my problem and what I was looking for someone to have tried..and you have got it to work. One thing..what was the name of the matte black paint you bought? Thanks
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      07-31-2011, 03:10 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by doofus4000 View Post
Esqu1re..this is exactly my problem and what I was looking for someone to have tried..and you have got it to work. One thing..what was the name of the matte black paint you bought? Thanks
If you want to replace it with the painted parts, you can do what I did. They will fit, although the bottom spoke is different than the M rubberized one. The parts I chose are called "graphite", a little more grey than the "chromeline" ones, but match the brushed aluminum very well.
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      07-31-2011, 04:27 PM   #19
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Thanks for the reply. I'm going for the matter black colour to match the original M wheel. Thanks
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      07-31-2011, 04:37 PM   #20
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Antennahead, that looks real good! I'll have to add that to the list of mods in the future, as the previous owner scratched the heck out of the trim pieces and I think that color contrast looks good!

On a side note, I wonder if plastidip would yield a good and cheap alternative to a fix as well...
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      07-31-2011, 05:27 PM   #21
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FYI, those are the just standard spokes for the non-M steering wheel
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      07-31-2011, 06:14 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gferil View Post
Antennahead, that looks real good! I'll have to add that to the list of mods in the future, as the previous owner scratched the heck out of the trim pieces and I think that color contrast looks good!

On a side note, I wonder if plastidip would yield a good and cheap alternative to a fix as well...
Thanks. They are the spokes for the sport wheel. BMW sells them with the multifunction buttons as an aftermarket option "accessories and retrofittings", part # 65710304942. I liked the style of the M spokes, but didn't want to replace them with the factory OEM replacement, just to see the replacement spokes flake off like the originals. I also kind of like the contrast of the silver. The graphite option is cheaper than the chromeline, and I think it looks better with the brushed aluminum, YMMV.

John
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