Mr Steering -stitched on steering wheel covers

[greenstripe]

I've always thought that the plastic steering wheel in my Fabia is a bit nasty. I could buy a replacement Skoda leather wheel for about £100 and then presumably pay about the same again for fitting, but can't really justify the expense.

Having a look around the internet, I've come across these kits and they don't look half bad as they are sewn on and don't look tacky like a regular cover and have had positive reviews on other forums -I've just bought one on eBay for under £13 from them http://stores.ebay.co.uk/mr-steering

Anyone on here used them?

[Liverpool-Lad]

Not seen these but post a few pics when done and a mini review..!

[greenstripe]

Well it arrived today and I've put it on -I think it looks very discreet and as good as I could have hoped for. Fitting took just under 2 hours as I'm quite a cautious person when doing stuff I'm not familiar with. I will post an update when I have had it a while to see how it fares over the long term.

Here's some photos:

There's a couple of videos on YouTube by the seller showing how to put them on -I also looked at fitting guides for an American made product which is a little similar and is called Wheelskins

[Jonny5ive]

That looks quite tidy. Is it actually leather? or genuine synthetic leather?

[greenstripe]

Real leather

[Jonny5ive]

Interesting. Been looking for a replacement wheel to swap for the Poverty spec one that is fitted in the Touran. This may well be the answer. I'll await your 'roadtest' updates.

[greenstripe]

Update:

2 months on and I'm still very happy with it. Time and money well spent.

[dakar]

I dont think that looks to bad tbh

[fabia55]

Looks tidy and not like those cheap aftermarket covers.

I can't tell from the photo but what colour did you go for, dark grey, black, carbon?

[Chris_VRS]

Good job! & a good solution to either a plastic wheel or high mileage wear.

A friend did the same to his 148k Peugeot wheel & it's still going strong a year later. If done properly you'd have to look hard to see its been done.

[robk1]

Looks a very smart finished job

I use a normal protector on mine, themed to yellow leather but it does tend to slip which tbh is a pain.

[greenstripe]

Looks tidy and not like those cheap aftermarket covers.

I can't tell from the photo but what colour did you go for, dark grey, black, carbon?

Black -however it's just about the same shade as the steering wheel plastic.

[clamberer]

How much do you find it shifts around, for example if you hold the top firmly and twist your grip?

I'm looking at getting an Octavia Ambiente, but I don't like the plastic wheel - particularly as it looks like it's been driven by someone with sandpaper gloves...

I'd consider a wheel swap to a leather one from an Elegance, but that looks to be quite an expensive way to do it, particularly if these covers are a half decent alternative.

[KBPhoto]

Changing the steering wheel yourself isn't too much of an issue (although its probably too late to hear that now) to do yourself.

Two clips, one bolt. A few safety precautions with the airbag as it does contain explosives... But all common sense.

[Its me]

Looks very good, nice one

Regards all

Juan

Sent from my iPhone using my thumbs

[clamberer]

Not too late, as I am looking at probably buying the car at the weekend.

I haven't yet made a direct visual comparison between the Ambiente plastic wheel and the Elegance leather one of the same age to see if they share the same airbag unit.

If the airbag isn't shared, then the whole unit will be quite pricey I would've thought?

I haven't had a good look yet, but would ebay be the best place to source one?

Cheers

[greenstripe]

How much do you find it shifts around, for example if you hold the top firmly and twist your grip?

It doesn't slip at all, it's stitched on pretty tightly and the suede side of the leather grips the textured plastic quite well.

KBPhoto -out of curiosity -do you need to worry about the slip rings if a car is fitted with the full ESP package? I know next to nothing about this so I dismissed the idea of a replacement wheel and DIY fitting, which is what started me looking for a cover.

[KBPhoto]

I haven't yet made a direct visual comparison between the Ambiente plastic wheel and the Elegance leather one of the same age to see if they share the same airbag unit.

If the airbag isn't shared, then the whole unit will be quite pricey I would've thought?

The pre-FL steering wheels share the same air bag as long as the wheel has the same number of spokes.

I have a pre-FL Ambiente with standard 4-spoke plastic/rubber wheel and have bought a leather 4-spoke MFSW (but not fitted it yet).

As you say, going to a pre-FL 3-spoke will require an airbag and loom while fitting a FL 3-spoke will require new airbag & steering controller and loom as well.

I'm still toying with a FL one (hence why mine isn't fitted yet).

[KBPhoto]

KBPhoto -out of curiosity -do you need to worry about the slip rings if a car is fitted with the full ESP package?

If all you are doing is replacing standard with leather, then no. Just be careful not to move the slip ring while swapping wheels over.

If you are adding a MFSW then still no, but you'll probably need a new steering controller (I have two of those as well) that matches the slip ring type you have (hence why I have one of each).

A scan with VCDS will reveal which steering controller you have and a check on the Ross Tech website will show which slip ring type you have.

[KBPhoto]

Standard pre-FL four-spoke steering wheel in situ:

And brand new pre-FL leather MFSW awaiting fitting using old airbag:

Although I'm not 100% convinced the leather is of exceptionally high quality, but it is a lot better than the current plastic one that is falling apart.

[Chronicbint]

Looks pretty good to me for such a low outlay.

[KBPhoto]

Can't argue with £13 against the cost of a new wheel.

[clamberer]

Standard pre-FL four-spoke steering wheel in situ:

And brand new pre-FL leather MFSW awaiting fitting using old airbag:

Although I'm not 100% convinced the leather is of exceptionally high quality, but it is a lot better than the current plastic one that is falling apart.

Thanks for your replies.

Just looking at your photos, it seems as though you have a few bits of kit that aren't standard at Ambiente trim. Did you fit the cruise control, Columbus stereo etc. yourself?

I'm curious, as I'm torn between buying an Ambiente trim Octavia this weekend, or holding out until an Elegance or above comes along in my price range. I'm after the 1.8TSI so there aren't that many choices about.

If some of the options can be fitted without huge difficulty, that would probably swing me in favour of the Ambiente.

[KBPhoto]

Thanks for your replies.

Just looking at your photos, it seems as though you have a few bits of kit that aren't standard at Ambiente trim. Did you fit the cruise control, Columbus stereo etc. yourself?

I'm curious, as I'm torn between buying an Ambiente trim Octavia this weekend, or holding out until an Elegance or above comes along in my price range. I'm after the 1.8TSI so there aren't that many choices about.

If some of the options can be fitted without huge difficulty, that would probably swing me in favour of the Ambiente.

The Columbus and CC as well as the (not in picture) updated CAN Gateway, arm rest, MDI and Bluetooth were all fitted by me - and I'm no car mechanic or engineer, but I do have VCDS.

The big difference between the Ambiente and higher specs whcih, for me, would have swung the choice had I known was the auto air conditioning controls (Dual Zone Climatronic). This is one of the few things that is cost prohibitive to retro-fit.

If you want more info on the requiremnts of retro-fitting any of the above please PM me your specific questions, but I'd suggest gettings a VCDS scan of your car done first as this will clraify what controllers are fitted and whether you will need to upgrade these as well.

[clamberer]

Well, I've now bought said Octavia Ambiente, and have ordered one of these covers. Will post an update once it's installed.