My leather wheel has a small blister, just below the 9 o'clock position, which just
broke. Is this normal wear and tear for a '03 with only 10,000 miles on it? Should I inquire about warantee issues during the 10,000 mile check up?

Thanks-
Jim

 

Absolutely you should bring it up with your Mini dealer. Don't wait too long either beacuse that problem sounds like it's the kind of problem that will only get progressively worse over time. If you wait too long the dealer might have grounds to complain that you let the problem get out of hand. :smile:

 

I have not had this problem at all, but one thing I know is that keeping the steering wheel leather cover cleaned and conditioned frequently has contributed to its longevity.

I use Meguiar's Leather cleaning/conditioning wipes. It is amazing the amount of hidden dirt on the steering wheel cover and dirt and sweaty palms do cause blistering of the leather as reported by others.

I have 2 MINIs. One has the "classic" MFSW 2-spoke steering wheel with the "smooth" leather cover. The other one ('04 MCS) has the 2-spoke Sport MFSW with thicker perforated leather cover. I suspect the perforated leather in the steering wheel cover will make it easier to maintain and will be more resistant to peeling versus the old "smooth" leather cover. But like I said, no problems with either.


Get it replaced under warranty, but do get in the habit of keeping the steering wheel clean to prevent this from happening in the future.

_________________
'02 Cooper CVT PW/B, MFSW, CD Boost, 15" 8-Spoke silver wheels.
'04 MCS CR/W, UJ Roof Flag, Aux Input, HK, Sport MFSW, Rain sensing, Auto dim mirror, 16" silver V-spoke wheels, Chrome grille, Chrome mirrors, OBC, front fogs.

 

I live in AZ (where there's lots of hot sunshine), and I haven't experienced any blistering and none of any of my other MINI owners I know of have either. I haven't paid much attention to detailing my MCS's steering wheel (I think I've wiped it off with water three times in 14months/33000 miles). So for the steering wheel to not blister, even in the hot arid temperatures of the Sonoran desert, it's a safe bet that you just happened to get a wheel cover with a slight defect. Hopefully they will be able to replace yours under warranty.

 

I would not wait ,tell your dealer about any issue,s with the car,when they happen.
Why wait till you get there.So far with my MC ,the service guys say they will order in the new part ,when it arrives they phone ,we make a time to get the work done.
Now, from what I gather here on NAM, not all dealers are the same with warrenty stuff.

 

Mine has a 'broken' blister roughly at the 9 o'clock position which just showed up in the last couple weeks. Arrrgh. I guess it's one of the several little problems I am adding to a list to have dealt with under warranty.

 

>>Mine has a 'broken' blister roughly at the 9 o'clock position which just showed up in the last couple weeks.

You must have got to close to the Dragon and it breathed on the side of your steering wheel. :smile:

 

Thanks all for your advice, the strange part is that when I drive my hand doesn't
rest in that location. So I'm thinking its probably a problem with the leather. It will be my first visit to the dealer since purchase and to date this has been my only problem in 18 months and 10,000 miles (other than a few sqeaks).

Jim

 

I don't think the problem is the leather, the problem is with the adhiesive they used to bond the leather skin to the wheel foundation. The only way to fix this problem is to replace the wheel, I doubt the dealer techinicians are capable of reskinning the steering wheel. :smile:

 

>>I don't think the problem is the leather, the problem is with the adhiesive they used to bond the leather skin to the wheel foundation. The only way to fix this problem is to replace the wheel, I doubt the dealer techinicians are capable of reskinning the steering wheel. :smile:


Yeah, he will definetely get a new steering wheel.

 

>>You must have got to close to the Dragon and it breathed on the side of your steering wheel. :smile:

The blister broke while at the Dragon, in fact. I didnt think much about it, but being that I had my hand in that position on and off during the 'spirited' driving, I am sure that coupled with my rough hands did it in.

 

My steering wheel blistered and peeled at about 12,000 miles. By 16,700 large pieces came off at both the 9,12, & 3 o Clock. Once it starts peeling, it will only get worse. My next servicing is coming up in 6,000 miles and with dealer service times being a month in advance, I'm in no hurry to schedule an appointment.

In fact, I've solved my problem with an inexpensive steering wheel cover. I think it looks pretty trick. My wheel is thicker and stickier now. Makes my car feel even MORE like a go cart.

Even better, while it's solved my problem, it's also preventing further damage, so I can get it repaired when I'm ready, yet still enjoy the "new" wheel. Cost me all of $12!


_________________
Octane Guy

c3:Lets Motor for a Worthy Cause :::
Or Find a MINI Motorer near you!

 

Our '02 had the blistering problem as well. When it went in for its "25000 mile" inspection they replaced the wheel, the dealer even had the parts in stock. Leads me to believe that it is a common problem. The new wheel has a different covering, it seems to be thicker.

 

I had the blistering problem as well. In fact, it turned into a peeling problem. I'm going to bring it up when I take my car in for it's 25K checkup, and I'm confident that they will take care of it

 

>>My steering wheel blistered and peeled at about 12,000 miles. By 16,700 large pieces came off at both the 9,12, & 3 o Clock. Once it starts peeling, it will only get worse. My next servicing is coming up in 6,000 miles and with dealer service times being a month in advance, I'm in no hurry to schedule an appointment.
>>
>>In fact, I've solved my problem with an inexpensive steering wheel cover. I think it looks pretty trick. My wheel is thicker and stickier now. Makes my car feel even MORE like a go cart.
>>
>>Even better, while it's solved my problem, it's also preventing further damage, so I can get it repaired when I'm ready, yet still enjoy the "new" wheel. Cost me all of $12!
>>_________________
>>Octane Guy

mine also started at the 9 oclock position.. having it swapped on the 20th.
and I also looked at covers at both Pep boys and autozone (saw a thicker one that looks like yours (grey with padding on teh side??) at autozone.
just wondering.. are our steering wheels between 14.5 and 15.5"?? <smile>

oh also called MINI USA Customer Service... and they acknowledge there is a problem.. but said "that there hasnt been any problem with the replacements.."

 

Hi Rob, sorry for the delayed reply. Yep, don't worry about the size. It stretches to fit. Actually I asked the guy at Autozone if I could return it if it didn't fit, and he asked if I had the car in the lot, which I did. So he told me to go install it and see how I liked it.

Took a bit of stretching, and it was on.

Great to hear that MINIUSA acknowledges the problem. Gotta get mine replaced on the next service.


>>mine also started at the 9 oclock position.. having it swapped on the 20th.
>>and I also looked at covers at both Pep boys and autozone (saw a thicker one that looks like yours (grey with padding on teh side??) at autozone.
>> just wondering.. are our steering wheels between 14.5 and 15.5"?? <smile>
>>
>>oh also called MINI USA Customer Service... and they acknowledge there is a problem.. but said "that there hasnt been any problem with the replacements.."
>>

 

I measured the wheel and found it slightly more than 14".. making it a bit small for the cover.. I also found one at AutoZone.. the fat grey (looks like the one you got) but when I took it out to the car... it was bigger in diameter than the wheel was...

getting a bit worried if it will fit..

(also.. if I say get it today.. and then take it off for the exchange.. will it stretch beyond the ability to re-use it??)

Rob

 

Those are all good questions Rob. My cover had the same dimensions as you say--14.5 to 16.5. I was glad to find the cover didn't slip on very easily, meaning it would still have a tight fit. You just need to work it on a bit. One thing is, center the cover before you put it on, because you can't easily readjust the position of the cover to align those cloth sides. They are not lined up in my pic for that reason.

Price was less than $15. I remember seeing some as cheap as $8, but they didn't have the right feel or look.

The interesting thing is that everytime you grab the wheel, it actually holds even more firmly to the wheel. I find that it fits snugly at all points except at the spoke corners where it's a bit loose. I'm actually thinking of sewing it or attaching some velcro wraps here.

I plan to keep the cover even after I get the wheel fixed. I haven't tried removing it and replacing it yet, though I don't think it would cause any irreparable damage since it's made of a pretty stretchable rubber. At less than $15, it's not that I couldn't buy another one should it be too stretched, but somehow I doubt that would happen.

 

This happened to me and it only fot worse. Mini replace the wheel

 

Has anyone with an '03 or that has had their wheel replaced have this issue? Could everyone with the issue post thier year. From what I have heard so far it sounds like it was fixed for '03.

PS I'm glad to hear it was fixed under warrenty, because mine just started to peel. The wheel felt sticky in that spot before it happened.

 

>>Has anyone with an '03 or that has had their wheel replaced have this issue? Could everyone with the issue post thier year. From what I have heard so far it sounds like it was fixed for '03.
>>
>>PS I'm glad to hear it was fixed under warrenty, because mine just started to peel. The wheel felt sticky in that spot before it happened.

Mine's on 03 (built July 2003). That's exactly what happens---starts sticky, then it peels. I kinda liked the sticky feeling.
But I didn't like the peeling!

 

I too have had a problem with blisters on my 2003 MCS steering wheel. In fact I'm on my third steering wheel and it now needs to be replaced. In my case the blisters show up initially at the 12 o'clock position and the peeling spreads quickly in either direction. The dealer has been real good about replacing the wheel each time so far. I am getting close to the 47K mark now, so it appears that this will be my last new wheel.

It looks like BMW uses a standard split cow hide to make the wheel covers. This split cowhide is embossed with a vinyl covering with a pretty leather grain. This thin covering is what is blistering. No one at the dealership can tell what is causing the problem. On this last wheel I went out of my way not to put my hands on the wheel at the 12 o'clock position. I also used leather conditioner on a regular basis. My dealer also told me he had never seen another Mini with this problem, but he also told me that the dealership had never changed a windshield out when mine broke at the top center. I found out that at least eleven cars had been in for replacement just before I went in.

 

I guess we have been lucky. Our '02 MC with 30K miles still has the original 2 spoke leather cover intact. No blisters, no problems. However, you can tell the leather used in early production cars is not the ultimate in durability.

I had a 2004 MCS with the 2 spoke sport steering wheel and thick perforated leather which was a cut above to the leather used in the standard 2 spoke wheel.

Although the leather in the 3 spoke wheel of my new MCS is not perforated, the leather feels a lot nicer to the touch and you can tell it is of much higher quality, I would say more akin to BMW quality standards. We'll see how it holds up in the long term.

 

My 03 has a blistered steering wheel. Dealer has the new part in and I just need to get it scheduled.

 

My 2 spoke wheel began peeling in LESS than a year of ownership, and it began with a few small blisters at the 12 o'clock position. It was replaced at one year of service, after just 7453 miles when it was in for the low mileage oil service. No charge, under warranty. I think that the new wheel is of a better quality, since it has been perfect since then. The car has always been garaged, and I never use hand lotion right before driving. I agree the wheel was stickier once the "leather" peeled off, but it was uglier. I posted on this issue back in late 2003, I think. The "leather" is as thin as human skin.

By the way, I have a 12/6/02 build ('03) with MFSW (non-S).