well my steering wheels is done!

[bahnstormer]

http://s.ddns.info:81/gallery/racing-ferrari/DSCN0269.JPG
american stitches in texas. they added 1/8" padding and recovered
it in leather. it looks oooo so good.and feels great! now i don't want
to shift cuz the wood knob is hard and cold compared to the leather
heheh :D

[Jason]

do you have a contact # for them? how long did it take? I waiting on a friend to re-cover mine in synthetic suede, like the E46 performance package, but it has been taking forever and i know he didnt even start yet.

[George M]

Impressive...looks very professional. Be sure to let us know how much and how long it took.
Congrats,
George

[DaCan23]

Very Nice... Ditto... I'd be willin to pay $50-75 plus S&H for dat!

[Jason]

I called these people earlier... they told me $75 bucks for the padding and $259 for the recover... and i told them i could supply the "alcantara" (i wanted the suede look of the e46 zhp) if they werent able to get it. They did say that it would be done in 5-7 days though.

[Phil M]

bahn, why no colormatch with the tan interior leather? i thinks that woulda looked great

[George M]

yeah Phil but it wouldn't be original looking...personally I like the black wheel which is a nice contrast with the tan interior. A subtle point is...check out the hue of the black wheel in the pic. If you notice, it is lighter than what typically comes on these cars. I think it is ok in a tan leather interior car but would stick out a bit in a black leather trimmed car like I have for example. If you wanted that wheel to match a BMW with black leather interior, one would have to refinish it with the thick dye used to dye the seats and the rest of the interior. The leather shown has more the look of a new car sold by many manufacturers with a different dye.
Still an impressive job. Since I work in the industry, I know how labor intensive it is to leather wrap a steering wheel to high standards...expensive as most are still done by hand.
George

[Phil M]

i agree, it wouldnt look original only to us e34 nuts :D to the average passerby or passenger.. i think it would look good. i also agree, the black shown is not so much black as it is a charcoal gray. it does flow with the tan interior too. i have black interior as well and this probably would stand out a lot in my car. although my mom owns a leather repair company here in town and she can dye any type of leather, suede, etc to any color. shes about to start repairing some scratches and scuffs on my rear seat that were there from the PO's dog. she did a wonderful job on my dad's jaguar recently (cream leather) and cant wait til she does mine. im really pondering this mod, esp since she can dye the leather more black. if you or anyone wants anything repaired/dyed, pretty much anything leather, she can do it :D

[George M]

what town are you in Phil?
George

[Phil M]

lex, ky

[George M]

a FED EX van will arrive first thing in the morning at your home to drop off a couple of front seats in need of dying from a 90 735iL.
Does your Mom's shop ever use crack filler on older leather?...curious what her or your opinion is of that practice?
Thanks,
George :-)

[Phil M]

Can definately do that. She's repaired numerous leather couches, loveseats, cushons, chairs. so many people have called wanting their cat piss stain and smell out.. she even repaired a cushon that a lady stabbed herself on and bled all over and that stain sat for over 10 years. i know she has before and after shots stored on her computer of most of her work (for insurance claims) so if you would like, i could hook you up with that. i can take a few shots of my dad's 94 jaggie too.

I havnt a clue what she uses on older leather though.. you can contact her on the business line if you would like: (859) 971-1545. dont worry about what time cause the calls are automatically forwarded to her cell when shes not around the phone. if you're really serious about getting those seats looking like new again.. just lemme know and ill give her the heads up.. and maybe i can get you a "lil bimmer discount".

[George M]

Thanks Bro...if you lived closer would take you up on your gracious offer. Will pull the seats at some point and refurbish the leather. Only the driver seat has some cracking in the bolster that can be filled.
Appreciate your comments Phil,
George

[Warren N.CA]

photographic process. Notice how the airbag cover also looks greyed-out, just not as much as the leather. I think it was the leather being shiny and reflecting light from the flash. I agree, a light color would be all wrong for a BMW steering wheel.



yeah Phil but it wouldn't be original looking...personally I like the black wheel which is a nice contrast with the tan interior. A subtle point is...check out the hue of the black wheel in the pic. If you notice, it is lighter than what typically comes on these cars. I think it is ok in a tan leather interior car but would stick out a bit in a black leather trimmed car like I have for example. If you wanted that wheel to match a BMW with black leather interior, one would have to refinish it with the thick dye used to dye the seats and the rest of the interior. The leather shown has more the look of a new car sold by many manufacturers with a different dye.
Still an impressive job. Since I work in the industry, I know how labor intensive it is to leather wrap a steering wheel to high standards...expensive as most are still done by hand.
George

[George M]

don't think it is an artifact Warren, believe it is the cast of the color. BMW black is distinctly black due to the opaque nature of the dye used. Most leathers are treated with a more translucent dye and hence create a less distinct black.
Warren...did you receive the radio OK?
George

[bahnstormer]

yeah they charged me 350ish
turnaround was 7 days
i went with black cuz if it were tan it'd get dirty too often

as far as the quality, well it feels like a million bucks! =]

the color is black, matches 100% to teh airbag, i used
a flash for some reason so its washed out in the pic =\

[George M]

Warren...if bahnstormer says it is a perfect color match to the air-bag, then I stand corrected.
George