LS - 3rd Gen (2001-2006) Discussion topics related to the flagship Lexus LS430

Installed a genuine leather steering wheel wrap

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Old 05-29-18, 07:47 PM
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jpv7774
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Default Installed a genuine leather steering wheel wrap

So I have always liked the look of the LS430 steering wheel but I prefer the feel of a leather steering wheel vs wood. I was always intimidated by the thought of stitching a wheel wrap on....I have zero sewing skills. I ordered a wrap on line will include link later....it was inexpensive approx $20....came from over seas somewhere.......but it was perfect to experiment with. When it arrived I was pleasantly surprised with the quality......this thing was real leather! Matching the color in our cars is tricky...to be honest mine is a little off...but close enough for me. I was trying to match the color of the wood portion of our steering wheel.......its like a orange brown Nobody seems to sell the mushroom color of the leather portion of my wheel. Anyway I watched a few Youtube vids...drank a large coffee and jumped in head first. In the end it was easy. It takes a little common sense but u need no skill to install a wheel wrap. I am sorry to tease you with no pics right now.....I will include pics in the next day or so.......but the feel is soooooooo much better. It really improves my driving experience.
Link for the wrap and pics soon.......sorry bout the tease...
Old 05-30-18, 02:16 PM
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imdking
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Yeah yeah yeah! Show us already!
Old 05-30-18, 02:19 PM
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metaleckz
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i did this to my IS and it turned out okay. i would like to redo it sometime and fix the small problems im having.
Old 05-30-18, 02:56 PM
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05ls430518
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Pics or it didnt happen lol
Old 05-30-18, 05:36 PM
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jpv7774
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Sorry...sorry...sorry.....knew I shouldnt have done that tease thing........here is the link

Amazon Amazon

Like I said.....the product is cheap.....and it feels like its actual leather......I assume it came off of a real cow but who knows?????

Sooooooooo as u can see in the link they sell limited colors.....my steering wheel color is taupe or mushroom - ish.......I cant seem to find that anywhere. So dont give me a hard time about my orange looking leather wrap ......

Here are the pics.........!!!!!!!!
Old 05-30-18, 05:43 PM
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So truth be told the bottom one third isnt finished yet.....thats why it isnt seen in the pics. As u can see in the pics the only tricky part is stitching around the spokes....I did good with 3 and a little too tight on 1.....I will adjust that one so it lays flat. I dont drive my car very often because I have a work vehicle so I was just taking my time finishing the rest.
Old 05-30-18, 06:42 PM
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imdking
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Nope! Not genuine leather. 3D printing has gotten so good! Can't get anything made of hide anymore.
Old 05-30-18, 07:11 PM
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jpv7774
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Uhhhhh so just nope??? I mean it was so cheap u would think there is no way it could be real. But it did come from Amazon.....and over seas......so its possible. Sure looked and smelled like leather on the under side. The bottom line is that if it smells like leather...looks like leather...and feels like leather.......I am fine with whatever it is....because it feels great!
Old 05-30-18, 07:18 PM
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jayclapp
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Sorry, the color is wrong.
Old 05-30-18, 07:33 PM
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No doubt.....the color is off.....its darn near orange but what color of what is available would you choose? If u look at my pics at least the color is in the same color group as my birds eye maple wood.........believe me....I would love a matching color.....Just cant seen to find it yet.
Old 05-31-18, 07:51 PM
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Well my OCD tendencies are kickin in.......Still cant find taupe color anywhere......Wheelskin co charges $59.00 for 1 wrap. I am buying these for 10 bucks and I would bet my bottom dollar they are the same quality. Tonight I ordered Tan and grey........so all in at $30 to see which one will be tolerable. None will match my steering wheel color.....but I love the feel so its just a matter of which one wont cheapen the look of my interior. Is cheapen a word??? Anyway the two left over wraps will go to other family vehicles so no big deal.
Old 05-31-18, 08:37 PM
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jimbosr1
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I put Wheelskins in a couple of cars and i believe it is hide or was years ago.There stuff use too be top shelf..
well i look it up and they still are leather http://wheelskins.com/

Last edited by jimbosr1; 05-31-18 at 09:07 PM.
Old 06-01-18, 04:23 PM
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Yes I looked at their site.....$59.00 for a wheel wrap. I would certainly pay that if they had my color but they dont. They do claim genuine leather and have been in business for a long time so I believe Wheelskins is in fact leather. In my case I am getting to try a wheel wrap and see how I like it for $10 dollars. My seller also says genuine leather but I doubt anyone is holding them accountable for their quality. However as I stated the wraps that I bought feel great. I will just have to pick between orange....tan...or ...grey. I hate to call it orange but my brown color is closer to an orange ......it still doesnt look that bad.....in the right light that is.
Old 06-01-18, 04:31 PM
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e60bmw
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Actually looks nice, however that gap in the middle would bother me a lot. I don’t know why they didn’t extend it a little more so it could be tucked in.
Old 06-01-18, 04:45 PM
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ya u have to sort of make a decision of function over form here. This add on wont make our cars look classier....it will just make the driving experience and the feel of the wheel much much better. Even the pro's on Youtube that do the install .....their finished product doesnt even look that good to me. They need to come up with a real clean way of stitching over the spokes. If you were talking about the gap on my right spoke that is easily adjusted to lay flat....I have just left it that way for now because grey and tan are on the way in the mail.....will give it my absolute best work once I figure out which color I can live with.


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