Guy's- my steering wheel has the funk. Right at about 11 o'clock it's worn a bunch. Bad thing is it feels gross to the touch, so I can't put my hand there. Truck is an 01 w/ 30k miles on it- pretty crummy quality if you ask me..

Anything I can do to make it better?

 

Just buy a steering wheel cover

 

My 96 got the funk too and best thing I could do for it was scrub it with a scotch pad but that didnt last all that long before it became shorter and shorter between scrubbings then went out and bought a nice quality cover end of problem. In fact on my 01 that I have now I just put a cover on it about a month ago before it got bad.

 

same thing with mine........just got a cover

not sure what else you could do........I highly doubt any dealer would cover that under warranty

 

What brand/kind of cover have you had good luck with?

 

My '01 developed the same problem right at that same spot...says something for our driving habits huh? I found a cover made with that firm space age springy kind of foam stuff in it, hides the worm out spot and feels comfy Actually i think i found it at WallyWorld for about $10. Its been the for about a year/40K and is starting to break down in the same spot...time for a replacement.

 

There is a common vendor that has a cover that actually laces up like the factory cover and isn't bulky like the slip on ones. I am unsure if I can post who they are but if you get me at moparman_02@msn.com I will e-mail you the info.

Mark

BTW I think it runs 30 bucks or so.

 

Mine wore through too. I put a leather cover on. I used black plastic coated Dacron ice fishing line to lace it up. Been on for over a year with no problems.

 

The best leather steering wheel cover I have ever had is Wheelskins. Fits perfectly and lasts forever.

 

On my 96 I used a super grip, ultimate grip something like that it is the kind that laces on. I really liked it. On my 01 I used a slip on type but I personally found it to make the wheel too large. So just last month I purchased another one of those super grip or whatever it was in their extra wide version laced it up and like it much better than the previous slip on type. That whatever grip brand had several different widths, thicknesses and colors to choose from.

 

Same problem on my ’97. Bought the oversize leather wrap (not sure if it was a Wheelskins. I got it at Pep Boys) and added two 16-inch bicycle inner tubes underneath the cover to make the wheel a bit fatter and then laced on the cover. I cut out the valve stems and split the inner tubes to get them on. The tubes were a couple bucks each at Wally World. I like the fatter wheel and the leather wrap is holding up well.
T-Bone

 

For the commercial use I give it, the leather did not work out too well. For my use I needed something a little tougher. I get in and out with wet, and/or dirty hands. Load in pouring rain and then handle the wheel. I went to a non leather and am happy with it. The cheaper Rams have them or the Dakota's have them. Mine is from the '98 Dakota SLT and is not leather covered. Looks about the same but is plastic. It is a bolt on, no differences. The two areas that I have trouble keeping up with are the drivers arm rest, cracked and warn out, and the steering wheel, now changed.

 

I don't have a solution but know a common cause - dealer mechanics.
They get the steering wheel greasy then wipe it down with hand cleaner,
eats them right up.

 

With all the "I never take my truck to the dealer" comments here I don't think that theory holds much water. True oily hands don't help things as well as harsh cleaners but you also have to take into account things like natural body oils, perfumes and cologne and any other harsh things that our hands come in contact with. I had my 95 for six years/100K miles and when I got rid of her the wheel was still in good condition. My 01 presently has 50K on it and the wheel looks new. The trucks I most often find with badly worn wheels are work trucks that come in for service. One of the nicer covers I had seen came from Geno's garage. A customer of mine has it and it's a black leather looking cover, but fits really nice. Didn't get a brand name though.

 

Mine gave up the ship at about 190,000 miles. Ended up with a 3 inch hole in it.