The wood on my steering wheel looks foggy (like a milky layer) and I was wodering if anyone else has experienced this? Can this be fixed by using some kind of after market product? If so, could you please point me in the right direction?

Thanks in Advance,

 

Sounds like a problem with the lacquer finish probably due to UV exposure from sunlight. Depending on how old the car is, Lexus may be willing to fix this problem. Otherwise, you could sand it down and refinish or send it to someone like American Stitches for them to refinish it for you. I don't think you can change the color back without removing the cloudy finish and replacing it with new lacquer or acrylic finish.

I see from your profile that car is 2001 so outside of warranty. Can't hurt to ask the dealer, they may or may not be willing to adjust the situation for you.

 

Thanks for the info, I called the dealer and lexus Customer service and they will not replace/fix it as it is out of warranty :

 

I have been dealing with a "cloudy," foggy wood steering wheel for a couple years now. I think it is finally at that point where I am sick of looking at it. How common of a problem is this with Lexus wood steering wheels? Is this an issues Lexus resolved on later years? Does anyone know whether or not a 2010 SC430 steering wheel is the same as my 2002 GS430 wood wheel? Any solutions on how to fix this, or why this even happens to begin with? My car does not sit out in the sun, so in my case, it is not due to UV rays.

 

Look at this:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...hing-pics.html

 

The cloudyness is caused by lotion transfer from hands. Repeated use soaks into the clearcoat and permanently damages it. The only recourse is refinishing of the steering wheel. Either DIY or contracted out. I want to tackle this myself, but I could not find anywhere that sells a stain that will match my factory wood. The only other option for DIY is trial and error. That is what has me procrastinating. Do you mind posting a picture of your clouded wheel for comparison?

You also can get a replacement steering wheel on e-bay for a lot less than dealer cost.

 

I don't believe that the cloudyness is caused by loation. I have read where people have suggested that before. If it were the case, I should have a discolored wood shift **** as well. In addition, all 3 wood sections of my steering wheel are cloudy...even areas where I don't put my hands to drive. I have factory wood steering wheels in both our 2000 and 2006 Lincoln LS's and they are still perfect looking with no flaws or discoloration. I personally think this was a Lexus screw up during certain model years as you never hear about this on other, newer Lexus products.

Anyway, I think I will end up taking the wheel off and shipping it to Craft Customs to have them refinish it. I had them redo my leather steering wheel in my 85 Supra a few years ago and it still looks perfect today. This might be the only logical option as I don't want to buy another wheel from Lexus only to have the same thing happen again $2,000 later.