Steering wheel becomes oily/greasy after sitting in sun | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Steering wheel becomes oily/greasy after sitting in sun

jhu8

Well-Known Member
Joined
March 23, 2018
Messages
479
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City, State
Maryland
Year, Model & Trim Level
2022 Ford Explorer ST
Any ideas why this is happening? Generally my explorer is in my garage so it rarely happens but now that’s it warming up, I’ve noticed it happening when I’m out and about. Weird thing is my steering wheel is otherwise is good condition. It’s not cracking, faded, or anything. Maybe it just needs a good cleaning. Any recommendations?
 



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“Oils” coming out. Unfortunately your wheel is substantially absorbent.
 






Any ideas why this is happening? Generally my explorer is in my garage so it rarely happens but now that’s it warming up, I’ve noticed it happening when I’m out and about. Weird thing is my steering wheel is otherwise is good condition. It’s not cracking, faded, or anything. Maybe it just needs a good cleaning. Any recommendations?
The only time I've noticed something similar is after using those hand disinfectants that seem to be in every store now around here. Hands tend to feel as though they are sticking to the wheel. Other than that, I've never had the issue.

Peter
 






Excuse my ignorance but is it leather, are all trims leather? If rubberized plastic it is breaking down.

If leather, I would only do a minimum cleaning off the excess as it is hard on leather to pull all the oil out.
 






Ditto, if it's leather than it needs some leather products applied to it. Use a high quality brand, the cleaner will most gently remove debris and bad chemicals/materials from the leather. The conditioner will be absorbed into the leather, and that will rejuvenate it and preserve it, much better than nothing or random cleaners.

I prefer the brands that have an dedicated conditioner, those are far better than products called cleaner and conditioner. I leave the conditioner on, I put it on by hand, smear it on thick and wet, let it set for an hour or more. Then wipe it all down with a clean rag. That puts more conditioner into the leather than scrubbing or wiping with a rag soaked with it.

I've been using Leatherique for about 15 years now, but it was around $80 for the two product kit then.
 






Thanks everyone. I’ll give it some leather treatment and see how it goes from there.
 






You need to strip away what’s there. Just adding conditions will probably make it worse.
 












You’re going to need to “clean” it with something first. Then condition the leather so it doesn’t dry out. I’m not sure what would be best to use. I had this happen in an Cutlass after it sat in the sun for awhile. I cleaned it a few times some something generic we just happened to have in the garage and it improved significantly.
 






I would first try to determine exactly what this material is. In recent years some automakers are now using a faux leather but it is quite a bit more durable than the bonded (shreds held together with vinyl) leather of yesteryear, and some use leather but with a synthetic top coating, and then there is chromium tanned leather which (arguably) should not have an oily conditioner put on, only a wax on top.

For example on some Ford pickups of the era, the owner's manual only states to use conditioner on the King Ranch which has top grain leather, not the rest which use something else even if called "leather" (Ford now uses the term "ActiveX" for synthetic leather but I don't know what year this started), and then the instructions are only to use Motorcraft Premium Leather and Vinyl Cleaner (ZC-56).

Granted this may be in reference to the seats rather than the steering wheel which could still be top grain leather, but I know on my '14 the owners manual states for seats:

• Remove dust and loose dirt with a vacuum cleaner.
• Clean spills and stains as quickly as possible.
• For routine cleaning, wipe the surface with a soft, damp cloth. For
more thorough cleaning, wipe the surface with a mild soap and water
solution. In Canada, use Motorcraft® Vinyl Cleaner. Dry the area with
a soft cloth.
• If the leather cannot be completely cleaned using a mild soap and
water solution, the leather may be cleaned using a commercially
available leather cleaning product designed for automotive interiors.
• To check for compatibility, first test any cleaner or stain remover on
an inconspicuous part of the leather.
• Do not use household cleaning products, alcohol solutions,
oil/petroleum-based leather conditioners, or solvents or cleaners
intended specifically for rubber, vinyl and plastics. These products
may cause premature wearing or damage to the leather.

So, what does that slash mean in "oil/petroluem-based"? Does it mean oil based conditioners that aren't petroleum based are okay, or does it mean don't use any type of oil based, nor any type of petroleum based? Paraffin wax is petroleum based...

For these reasons, I would start by wiping dust away and then rewiping with a damp cloth, and using a very mild cleaner if necessary with a brush to get gunk out of seams or stitching, not strip or recondition if it can be avoided, unless the material can be identified with certainty.
 






True, figuring out what the material is would help. A vinyl could be cleaned with many various common cleaners and not hurt it at all. Leather shouldn't have harsh cleaners used on it, those damage it and shorten the lifespan.

The Leatherique I suggested comes as two products, which is why I prefer it. It's not a combination product. There is a separate leather cleaner, and then the special conditioner. The special cleaner you can use as often as needed for leather.

Here's a link to Amazon for two 8oz bottles for $30ish;
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BXQXR3C/?tag=serious-20
 






Any ideas why this is happening? Generally my explorer is in my garage so it rarely happens but now that’s it warming up, I’ve noticed it happening when I’m out and about. Weird thing is my steering wheel is otherwise is good condition. It’s not cracking, faded, or anything. Maybe it just needs a good cleaning. Any recommendations?
I've used Simple Green wipes/moist towelettes with good results. It's amazing just how dirty a steering can get!

Craig R.
 






^ Simple Green is a bad idea if it is real leather. It contains alcohol, an acid, and multiple other chemicals whose reaction to the leather or oils in it, I cannot predict.

It might be better to use the wipes on your hands before you touch the steering wheel. If it is not a synthetic material breaking down then the oils most likely came from hands, or from some excessive amount of conditioner added by the owner or detailer.
 






I’m thinking baby wipes might be a good start. If it’s good enough for my kids bottom, it’s gotta be safe for my steering wheel lol at least to get an initial cleaning and than hit it with some dedicated leather conditioner.
 


















No wonder it cracked.
 












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