Lonky Leather Steering Wheel Cover, 12 month update.

A little over 12 months (installed in December 2018) and through a north Texas summer and the cover is holding up perfectly with no visible wear and no rips, tears, frays, etc. Best value for the money AFAIC.


Again, best money spent to upgrade the feel behind the wheel of your OEM non-leather steering wheel.
B

p.s. Here's a link to my original post from December 2018.
https://www.tundras.com/threads/wha...r-2nd-gen-tundra-today.68/page-94#post-928591

 

How’d you get one for a 2nd gen? Looking at Loncky’s website, they only have 2014+ covers...

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RXIQTBQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

hth,
b

p.s. it's Loncky, not Lonky...doh!

 

How long did it take to sew on??

 

Looks great!

 

Total time about 4 hours including removing and replacing steering wheel. Easily done in a day.

 

That looks really good.

 

They also do custom colors via their website. I'm extremely happy with mine as well and glad to see that it will hold up!

 

Maybe somebody needs to start a side business where they sew these things on for people who can’t sew on a steering wheel all day haha

 

I'll do it....$50 an hour. Oh, it's a 8hr job....lol. Really though, just put on your favorite tunes or video and get at it. It's not too hard, just tedious.....and your fingers will be sore for a few days.

 

Technically your lacing the covering onto the wheel, not sewing...;-)> Pretty simple if you follow the instructions (see their YouTube channel!).
hth,
B

 

any advice for those that will be attempting this when their package arrives in a couple weeks?

I’ve seen to not use tape in certain areas?
You used glue on the “spoke”(?) areas whereas their video shows a dude cramming the excess material into the crack with a plastic tool? Did you have to trim material?
I’m assuming the warmer the better for temperature, did you do anything drastic like use hot water or hair dryer, etc?
Any useful additional supplies besides glue?
Thanks for the info, yours looks great.
I’m going off this video...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uQQulN1n7S4

 

I did a different chinesium wrap on my 1st gen and what I learned about 2 hours in is that I should have removed the wheel. What a pain it was to try and do the area around the spokes without having a great angle or lighting. I need to redo it and I'm expecting now I can have the whole thing done in 3 hours with removal of the wheel. Maybe that's optimistic, but at least I know I'll make it look better with the freaking wheel off the vehicle this time.

 

I left my wheel on and used a lot of the double sided tape that it came with all over it. What I didn't do was use it enough on the backside of the spokes. This is probably why the OP used glue there, which is what I thought about after the fact. Possibly injecting some glue in that area to help hold the leather tighter on the back of the spokes (this may damage the leather underneath though). Overall, I am happy with the product. No need for any trimming, it's sized just right. No drastic tools or techniques...besides time. I think you guys are psyching yourselves out a little bit about the job, it's not too difficult. BTW, that video is the one I watched and followed. Good luck

 

Are you gonna throw the wheel in a vice or what?

 

Maybe, but I bet I can get it done just sitting on a table.

 

Would you have used the glue mid-install and then just waited a bit for it to cure?

 

On my table in my warm house sounds much better than in my garage in February. Think it’s possible?

 

For lighting alone I'd say yes. I had a couple lights in my truck going and I still had a hard time seeing around my spokes. The issue wasn't a bad lighting angle, the issue was that I needed ambient light. Not to mention trying to weave around spokes with only so many angle available was a pita. The flats areas were easy.

 

I wouldn't have used glue at all since it is too permanent. The double sided tape is more than enough, I just neglected to put it all over the back side of the spokes. The spokes have a bit of an indent on the back and without using some sort of adhesive or double sided tape it will be a little saggy....not bad though. Out of 10, I give my install a solid 8.

 

Are you given more than enough tape or would some extra 3m be worth it?

 

I had plenty of tape and thread left over. The tape is crucial on the spokes (front, back, and sides) and anywhere else that will sag despite tension (areas with a recess or indent). The rest of the wheel doesn't "need" tape but it is very helpful in maintaining proper placement as you are stitching. Hope this is clear....as mud

 

Take your time and have fun! It's cheap enough that if you totally screw things up you can just buy a second cover and begin again. Remember to degrease the wheel thoroughly before beginning. I used contact cement instead of any tape. Coat both sides of the part you want to glue down in small sections, wait for it to get tacky (read the directions on your bottle of contact cement) and then press the two surfaces together, rolling the leather down towards the inside of the spoke. I used no adhesive of any kind on the rim of my wheel. I utilized an old and dull bone folder (google) to help manipulate the leather into crevices and smooth as many wrinkles as I could (a facsimile of the plastic tool used in the video...you could use a plastic trim removal tool). I cut excess material that wouldn't be seen from under the airbag, after gluing. Mark the center of your steering wheel at the top and bottom and on the cover and pay attention to how your wheel's spokes orientate with the spoke "tabs" on the cover. Other than that, follow the Loncky video on how to lace the wheel on and have fun! I used no heat.
hth,
B

p.s. cechaflo on YouTube has some great auto upholstery videos showing tools and techniques

 

I put mine on almost 2 years ago (March 18) and 30k miles ago. I use Griot's leather cleaner/conditioner on it a few times a year and it looks pretty much the same today as it did then.

The only tip I have that hasn't already been mentioned is to use a spring clamp on the stitching as you go along. This really helped to keep the stitching tight during the install.
I just used the tape provided, no glue.

Overall, it's a great addition and well worth the effort it takes to install.

Here it is when I installed it. I'll take another pic tomorrow to show how it looks now.


Edit: Here's a pic from this morning. Other than the thread fading a little I'd say it's holding up pretty good.

 

Thanks for the pointers guys, really was an easy job, especially with the tips. I taped the crap out of the spoke areas. So much so I ran low on tape near the end, but just on the flat parts that really don’t even need taped. Couple imperfections, my fault, but I’m super impressed with it. Feels just as nice as the wife’s qx80 steering wheel, looks waaaay better and more proportional (being fatter) in the enormous belly of the beast (interior). If we only had 2 chances to do this, my next will be perfect but that better be a long time down the road.

 

Mine is polished on the left side where i spin the wheel with my palm. Not too happy. I realize it's not factory leather, but it's only been a year... I've never had this happen on factory leather wheels before.

 

Looks stock, great job! Huge upgrade!!