Steering wheel cleaner - avoiding dye removal?

[ps2cho]

Hi all-

So on my older Mercedes, I used some leather cleaner on it, and noticed that it immediately started pulling the leather dye off. I ended up replacing the steering wheel (it did have 170k worth of wear...)...but I learned my lesson to be cautious.

I have since purchased a newer BMW with a sport wheel and I want to keep it clean. I got some P&S Express Interior cleaner, diluted it 3:1 (water to product, bottle says 1:1 or full strength so I went conservative) and I gently cleaned the wheel. I know the steering wheel isn't that dirty as I cleaned it a month ago, yet the microfiber still came off a little dark.

Should I be worried that each time I clean the wheel the leather is losing a little dye, or is that really dirt coming off?
I'm just scared to death of pulling the dye off like my prior experience...

Any suggestions or pro advice?

[dgage]

Obviously you need to be cautious but you’d be surprised how much dirt is on a used steering wheel that P&S Express can clean off, especially if you have a Scrub Ninja type scrubber. So I wouldn’t necessarily think it were dye initially but using a white microfiber will help you determine the color better. Like I said, the scrub ninja scrubbers are amazing and come in white. That is the primary scrubber I use now but don’t SCRUB with it as that would be too abrasive. Between this and a leather brush, I can get most of the interior done with only a detail brush for more intricate areas.

[DFB]

I the Carpro Inner Scrub on steering wheels to great effect, really lifts grime that has bonded to the leather.

https://i.postimg.cc/TPV697kG/IMG_2134.jpg (https://postimg.cc/HJkRW2DP)

https://i.postimg.cc/SNPkNz20/IMG_2129.jpg (https://postimg.cc/2VnP0y7T)

I would also have a look at The Rag Companies VLB brush, deep cleans but is pretty soft.

https://i.postimg.cc/Cx8CL6bz/IMG_4359.jpg (https://postimg.cc/871fZ4KS)

[PA DETAILER]

I always just used a MF towel with BF Leather complete AIO on the steering wheel and seats. Never had an issue. I did pick up 2 of the Cobra interior mitts. They are ok. But I prefer the MF towels.

Cobra Interior Mitt (autogeek.net) (https://www.autogeek.net/cobra-black-blue-interior-mitt.html)

[chilly]

Obviously you need to be cautious but you’d be surprised how much dirt is on a used steering wheel that P&S Express can clean off, especially if you have a Scrub Ninja type scrubber. So I wouldn’t necessarily think it were dye initially but using a white microfiber will help you determine the color better. Like I said, the scrub ninja scrubbers are amazing and come in white. That is the primary scrubber I use now but don’t SCRUB with it as that would be too abrasive. Between this and a leather brush, I can get most of the interior done with only a detail brush for more intricate areas.

^^^ This ^^^

The first time I used P&S Express and a Ninja scrubber on my old 4Runner steering wheel the scrubber turned black, literally, and that was after years of wiping the wheel down with a MF towel and usually an interior dilution of ONR or some other dedicated interior cleaner

I was worried it was dye but after it had a chance to dry and I hit it again there was no bleeding or transfer to my final wipe off towel so I am convinced it was simply years worth of grime and crap that the other processes had always left behind

I tried the same process on my 2020 Lexus with very low use and there was zero color transfer so I gotta think this combo is safe on Toyota products anyway

I attribute the massive cleaning effort to both Express and the scrubber, they are a potent combination

[oneheadlite]

I, like you prefer to stay conservative on wheel cleaning. Have run into trouble in the past where the wheel ended up sticky, which was no fun.

I've settled into using an interior detailer (I like the Griot's) on a standard microfiber (half the time I just use the deep pile side of a Kirkland). Works well to freshen up the wheel but doesn't leave it sticky or act too aggressive where I'm worried about pulling dye like you mention.

I tried the Scrub Ninja on my wheel, but even using it gently I thought it was a little aggressive - I could see a small spot where it looked like it pulled dye so I quit and went back to my usual method. Granted, like your Mercedes, my Audi's wheel has seen a lot of use ('06, 280k miles), but prior to that I've never had an issue. I'll still use the Scrub Ninja for plain interior panels and seats, but will likely stick to a horsehair interior brush for steering wheel stitching/sensitive things if they need it. For my personal vehicles, it's really more maintenance than deep cleaning. I've been curious to try the little VLB brush DFB mentioned.

For 95% of interior cleaning I've found interior detailers to get the job done just fine, so I avoid going heavier if I don't have to.

[Desertnate]

I was worried it was dye but after it had a chance to dry and I hit it again there was no bleeding or transfer to my final wipe off towel so I am convinced it was simply years worth of grime and crap that the other processes had always left behind

This was my experience with a BMW I bought used a few years ago which came equipped with the sport wheel and the really soft leather. There was one small spot on the wheel I initially thought was the dye wearing off. The rest of the wheel was shiny.

As I started doing my first detail job on the interior I hit the steering wheel with a mild APC dilution and a soft MF towel. The towel turned dark black, but as I cleaned I could see the natural matte look of the leather returning. It was the heavy grime and maybe some horrible interior dressing the previous owner used, and not the leather dye wearing off.

On that car I think I went thought two or thee towels before I had the steering wheel, shift knob, and the brake lever handle clean enough to move on to my leather cleaning/conditioning product and even then I was still lifting a little grime off those leather surfaces. In the end, those leather areas looked totally different.