[G20NZ]

Originally Posted by G20NZ

I actually thought it was normal but after seeing this thread I'm definitely going to mention it when the car goes into the dealer later this week. Here's mine:

Heard back from the dealer this morning, claim has been approved by BMW and a new steering wheel is on order.

[Andy3661]

Mine is in now for same reason and dealer is replacing although 15 day delivery on parts

[alpinewhite3]

How do you guys get this stuff covered under warranty? What is the best approach? I emailed BMW customer care and the dealer about my rear Pirelli run flats basically disintegrating at the 10k mile mark and i was told to get lost lol.

(I know tires are obviously a wear and tear item but still-10k miles for an all season tire on a 50k car is just insane )

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by alpinewhite3

How do you guys get this stuff covered under warranty? What is the best approach? I emailed BMW customer care and the dealer about my rear Pirelli run flats basically disintegrating at the 10k mile mark and i was told to get lost lol.

(I know tires are obviously a wear and tear item but still-10k miles for an all season tire on a 50k car is just insane )

Like you said tires are really hard to get covered under warranty. You can never prove you didn't drive it so hard to wear them out, but it also seems a little ridiculous that they take the high road every time.

[murderedg20]

Originally Posted by alpinewhite3

How do you guys get this stuff covered under warranty? What is the best approach? I emailed BMW customer care and the dealer about my rear Pirelli run flats basically disintegrating at the 10k mile mark and i was told to get lost lol.

(I know tires are obviously a wear and tear item but still-10k miles for an all season tire on a 50k car is just insane )

I just brought it in for something else and asked if they could look at the steering wheel because it looked like it was wearing a lot worse than my other cars with 50k more miles.

[G20NZ]

Originally Posted by alpinewhite3

How do you guys get this stuff covered under warranty? What is the best approach? I emailed BMW customer care and the dealer about my rear Pirelli run flats basically disintegrating at the 10k mile mark and i was told to get lost lol.

(I know tires are obviously a wear and tear item but still-10k miles for an all season tire on a 50k car is just insane )

I mentioned it to my service advisor when the car was in for some other work and explained that I'd owned a few much older bmw's in the past which had perfect steering wheels after 10 years and it's just silly to say that's normal wear and tear for a car that's under a year old. (which he initially suggested). He then took some photos to send to BMW hq and it was accepted by them without hassle. Seems the hardest part might be getting it past staff at the dealer but just hold your ground.

[Andy3661]

So on collecting my car the steering wheel is different to the one they removed. It seems a lot thicker and more like Alcantara than real leather. Is anyone aware of the change on newer models?

[G20NZ]

Originally Posted by Andy3661

So on collecting my car the steering wheel is different to the one they removed. It seems a lot thicker and more like Alcantara than real leather. Is anyone aware of the change on newer models?

Interesting, have you got a photo of the new wheel? Wonder if they changed the material due to the number of complaints.

[Andy3661]

Originally Posted by G20NZ

Interesting, have you got a photo of the new wheel? Wonder if they changed the material due to the number of complaints.

I will upload one when I collect it later today.

They wouldn't let me drive it yesterday in case they had fitted the wrong one!

[Andy3661]

Here is a picture of the new replacement steering wheel. My old one had more of a smooth leather finish but this seems a lot thinker and was told once it wears in it will be like the old one.

Heated steering doesn't seem as hot either.

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by Andy3661

Here is a picture of the new replacement steering wheel. My old one had more of a smooth leather finish but this seems a lot thinker and was told once it wears in it will be like the old one.

Heated steering doesn't seem as hot either.

Looks like mine. I don't think it's any thicker (maybe your old one didn't have enough padding and that was the reason for the wrinkles in the leather?).

[murderedg20]

Originally Posted by Andy3661

Here is a picture of the new replacement steering wheel. My old one had more of a smooth leather finish but this seems a lot thinker and was told once it wears in it will be like the old one.

Heated steering doesn't seem as hot either.

Yes I notice this exact same thing. It felt weird when I first used it because it was more of a matte feeling instead of a smooth and also felt a lot thicker. I used my heated steering wheel the other day and could barely feel it.

[Amos91]

Originally Posted by Andy3661

Here is a picture of the new replacement steering wheel. My old one had more of a smooth leather finish but this seems a lot thinker and was told once it wears in it will be like the old one.

Heated steering doesn't seem as hot either.

Old one was smooth leather because of the oils in your hand transferring. These require regular cleaning with leather cleaner to keep on top of it.

[Andy3661]

Originally Posted by Amos91

Old one was smooth leather because of the oils in your hand transferring. These require regular cleaning with leather cleaner to keep on top of it.

Thanks.

Can anyone recommend a decent leather cleaner?

[Amos91]

Originally Posted by Andy3661

Thanks.

Can anyone recommend a decent leather cleaner?

Carpro Inside, agitate with soft brush then wipe off with a damp microfibre cloth.

You'll notice the wheel start to go shiny after just a few hundred miles where you commonly grip it, so worth keeping on top of.

[alpinewhite3]

My stitching on the steering wheel is coming undone- would that be covered under warranty?

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by alpinewhite3

My stitching on the steering wheel is coming undone- would that be covered under warranty?

Absolutely!