My steering wheel's finish(?) is wearing off, and leaving me with the exposed foam, which is also wearing down. I'm curious to know if anyone else is getting this (Or do I have weird leathery hands that ruin steering wheels)? I had my Corolla for about as long as I've owned the fit, and never had anything like this happen. Planning on getting a cover of some kind when I find one I don't completely hate. Maybe a sew on kit?

 

I can't say I've heard of this happening specifically, though I have heard of people who for some reason have unusually potent skin oils or something that tend to cause more wear and tear on things like steering wheels.

I do have the Honda leather steering wheel cover on my (base) Fit, and overall it's pretty nice. It is a bit of an ordeal to stretch over the wheel and stitch on, so much so that mine got a little tear when I was installing it (that I decided to live with rather than go through the delay and hassle of returning it as defective). The feel and wearing qualities seem quite decent, and the leather color and stitching nicely match the rest of the interior.

Most cheap wheel covers from places like Wal-Mart don't fit well at all; the Fit's wheel is a little smaller diameter than most.

 

Any chance you get some bug repellant (DEET) or other similar chemicals on your hands from time to time? That can wreak havoc on a variety of surfaces and substances.

~ S.

 

I have the OEM leather cover on my base, it is in shambles. I was looking at aftermarket units but I think I may just stick with another OEM replacement. Maybe it is time to invest in some driving gloves!!

 

This is actually a valid option. I work in a pharmacy, and sometimes get things like diclofenac powder and hydrocortisone on my hands. Ethoxy Diglycol is pretty common, too.

Anyone have a picture of the leather OEM cover installed? We used a similar thing on the wife's ranger, but the steering wheel was really thin, so it fit kinda funny.

 

I've had the leather wear out and become dull and discolored on other cars, but so far the Fit's (sport steering) is doing good. I clean it down with interior cleaner (basically a alcohol/water blend) I clean it real good until it looks brand new. No shine = clean. You have to get the oils out, they ruin leather.

 

I hated the wear on this wheel

 

All the paint is coming off my cruise control toggle, but the wheel seems ok- I think Honda cheaped out here a little bit

 

They sell a Honda Insight leather steering wheel that should fit on our steering wheels. It's on ebay for around $50 shipped.

 

Yes I have the same problem! One cold morning I noticed that my hands felt very sticky and I looked at my hand and I can see the pleather flaking off.

 

I have the same issue, the top left corner of my steering wheel is faded bad. I'd say from the 10 o'clock to 12 o'clock position, the finish is flaking off slowly.

The other 3 corners of the wheel are close to new. I've been steering everywhere else with the wheel but it's hard not to use there, that spot is the sweet spot, hence the wear.

 

If its the one I'm looking at on there, it says Insight, but was pulled from a Civic? It has a bunch of other weird bits like audio controls, paddle shifters and some kind of built in bluetooth controls for phone calls?

 

Sorry, I meant steering wheel cover.

 

No worries. I have the part #'s for all the honda accessories, and when I get money for such things, I just look them up on Amazon & eBay and see who has the better price (usually for me its Amazon, because shipping is WAY cheaper to Canada from them than it is from anyone on eBay).

 

No I do not have this problem or anything closely resembling it.

I do not use interior cleaner on the wheel, only water.

I think the Civic, Insight, and Fit have the same basic steering wheel frame, I remember someone used the Civic Type R frame and just put the Fit airbag etc on it from their stock wheel.

 

Do you wear rings or other hand jewelry? And otherwise it could be a defective finish. How many miles?

 

38,500 kms. I do wear my wedding ring, but the wear is all over the side.

 

I have the same problem on my '09 base. The black is wearing off on the left hand side around 11oclock -- the part I apparently hold on to the most. My hands are pretty rough and calloused from working out though, so its not too surprising. Just another wear item for me.

 

There are all kinds of steering wheel covers available on ebay.