A general FYI for the common steering wheel wear problem:<P>I looked long & hard and finally found a FANTASTIC steering wheel cover that looks darn close to the original. It's manufactured by a company called Superior Industries:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.superiorindustries.com/products" TARGET=_blank>http://www.superiorindustries.com/products</A> <P>The product is the "Extra Wide Superskin" leather steering wheel cover. See the website for colors...I just installed the grey and it's very close match to the Reatta grey interior.<P>It's a thin, high quality leather sheeth that you stitch on similar to the way the orignial leather is stitched on right over the original. This is far better than any of those cheezy things you see in the auto parts stores. It also just happens to fit the Reatta wheel PERFECTLY. It's not cheap, and it'll take about an hour to stitch on if you're doing a conscientious job, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better soultion than this one.<P>If I can borrow my friend's digital camera I'll post a photo so you guys can see, but believe me it looks fantastic.<P>--Dalton <P>------------------<BR>Dalton Perras <BR>"Sell crazy someplace else...we're all stocked up here"<BR>--Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson) in "As Good As It Gets", 1997

Are you certain the original cover is leather? I was thinking of redying mine and couldn't tell for sure if it was vinyl or leather.

The original on both my 89s is leather..one is maroon and the other is tan. I have kept mine treated with LEXOL leather conditioner about twice per year, and they both still look as good as new. I also use the LEXOL leather cleaner to clean them. It is available at NAPA and other auto parts places. <p>[This message has been edited by Dave Buchanan (edited 07-08-2000).]

I hereby corroborate Dalton's testimony about <BR>the cover-- I found the one he mentioned at Pep Boys for 15 bucks. I really had to wrestle it over the original, and it took me about 3 hours to stitch it on (using the 2 needle method) and get it tight and even, but as he said it is "Superior" to everything else that's out there. I saw gray, black, and tan ones at the store.<BR>

Sulafool, what color did you install?...was it a good match? <P>I put the grey one in my 90 Riviera...a near perfect match.<P>I also just ordered the blue one from the website, but don't know how close a color match it'll be to my 91 Reatta's navy blue interior. Will let you kno.<P>Also, n.b. that your Pep Boy's price of $15 is cheaper than the manufacturer's website price of $23 total:<BR> <A HREF="http://www.superiorindustries.com/products/aftrmkt/leather.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.superiorindustries.com/products/aftrmkt/leather.html</A> <P>I looked at several auto parts stores and could only find the black...so had to order online.<P>Yep, it's a bear to install, but isn't it worth it? Although I hesitate to offend the purists out there, I actually like the cover better than the original...as my originals have gotten so smooth they're slippery...whereas this leather cover has a subtle texture to it. Also, wrapping over the original gives the wheel slightly more girth without looking too big.

That's it. I'm buying one.<BR>Once again, you guys have<BR>convinced me to do something! I love<BR>this site! Great information. I<BR>truly appreciate it, and you guys are<BR>great!<BR>Jim Houston<BR>Charleston, SC

I guess I should have mentioned... I got a gray one, and while it doesn't match the original color it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. I may have lucked out, as I usually see only black ones in stock, too.<BR>Good Hunting!

If you need to repair a leather steering wheel, take a look at Leathermagic. In addition to obtaining fantastic results on leather seats, I have used it on Cadillac Allante' leather steering wheels with great results. Afterwards, you will think the wheel is new. I live in south Florida, and it is common for steering wheels to get sunburned and torn up from sweaty hands. Their website address is <http://www.leathermagic.com>. They can custom mix colors from your trim number, or match a swatch. They offer both a repair kit and a recoloring kit. If you are only dealing with discoloration, the recoloring kit would be all you need. If you have some filling to do, get both. I have no connection to the company. I just LOVE their product line. One caution: be very careful of overspray. The material is water soluble. But afterwards, the same characteristics that make it stand up and wear very well in normal use make it dang near impossible to remove after it has dried. Any questions, feel free to e-mail me.

The URL did not come out in my previous post. <A HREF="http://www.leathermagic.com" TARGET=_blank>http://www.leathermagic.com</A> The products work great on leather seats and arm rests. I used it to fix my seats, and had some product left. So I experimented on my steering wheel and couldn't believe the results.