How To Get A Steering Wheel Cover On

A steering wheel cover is a great partner to keep your steering wheel longevity. However, after a while, your cover gets damaged and cannot do the work.

You want to remove it for replacement but don't know the way. How to remove the steering wheel cover? We shall know from the article below. Keep on reading to find out.

Why Should You Remove Your Steering Wheel Cover?

Your steering wheel cover always comes in touch with dirt, dust, food grease, and many other things else. You may think it is impossible as you always take care of your steering wheel cover, yet let us remind you.

Think back on the times you ate food in your car. While eating in the car, you unintentionally touched your steering wheel with those oily eating hands.

That was when you left the oil grease stains on your steering wheel cover – those dirty and hardly – washed off stains.

Or, when you fix your car, you touch the wheel with your filthy hands to check if it worked; all of the unintentional things you did will eventually harm your steering wheel cover.

Therefore, after a time, the cover will get dirty, crack, dry out, and deteriorate. That is when you need to remove it for replacement as it cannot do its duty anymore.

A damaged wheel cover will never provide complete protection for your wheel. So as the unclean one, you may get sick by all the bacterias grown in your wheel cover.

How To Remove Steering Wheel Cover? - To Do It At Ease

How To Remove Steering Wheel Cover? – To Do It At Ease

In preparation for the removal process, you need to take your steering wheel off to prevent any damage to the front interior during the removal.

Here is how you can detach the steering wheel:

Step 1: Before you take any action, remember to turn off your vehicle completely. Withdraw the key from the ignition so it won't connect to any source of electricity.

Step 2: Open up your car's hood and look for the battery. Take a wrench that fits the hex screw on your power unit, gently detach the screw until you remove the cable on the negative terminal (often is a black cable). Then, continue with the positive one. Note that removing the whole screw is not necessary; loosening it is good enough.

Step 3: On the steering wheel, you will find the trim that protects the bolts underneath it. The steering wheel trim may vary in shape and size according to the car model and brand.

To remove the trim at ease, use a flat tip screwdriver for popping out the trim gently without causing damage to it and locate the two bolts attached to the steering wheel.

Step 4: The bolts holding the steering wheel are installed backward, so you have to use a socket wrench to unscrew these bolts. Select the right head that will fit the screw; usually, the screws are hex-shaped, but you have to use the star-shaped head in some models.

After removing the bolt, you now have to pull out the airbag and take it off.

Step 5: You must disconnect all the wires and harnesses before removing the steering wheel. Look carefully for all the wire connections; if the steering wheel has buttons for other functions or cruise control, there will be extra wires that you must disconnect.

Step 6: Finally, there is the last bolt located at the center of the steering wheel. Unscrew the bolt counterclockwise and take out the bolt so you can remove the whole steering wheel.

For some steering wheels, you can only remove them with a puller (a special tool for cars). So, check if your steering wheel has two slots on both sides of the shaft; if yes, you certainly need to have a puller.

Remove Genuine Leather Steering Wheel Cover

Removing the steering wheel is one thing, but taking off the leather cover is another story. In the aesthetic view, the leather is always tightly attached to the steering wheel, so it is quite challenging to get this leather covers off.

But don't worry, you can pull it off using a ratchet or a pair of scissors.

If you use a scissor, find the two ends of the string and cut it. The leather cover will come off easily, so no need to use vigorous force.

And if the cover attaches to the steering wheel with a bolt, use the ratchet to unscrew it counterclockwise. Again, when the main thing that keeps the cover onto the steering wheel is removed, you can take off the cover effortlessly.

Remover Other Types Of Steering Wheel Cover

For other types of steering wheel covers (rubber, thermoplastic elastomer, fur, etc.), there are three options for you to choose to remove your cover effortlessly.

Technique one: Utilize alternative force
The theory for this technique is based on the work of alternative-force – you can loosen a tight thing if you try to move it in opposite directions repeatedly many times. As the cover comes tightly attached to the steering wheel, this method will be a good choice.

All you have to do is turn the steering wheel cover towards you first and then turn it against yourself. Repeat the process until you see the cover has loosened up and is easy to take off. You can alternate the movement to detach it faster.

It might take a while to do the job. So if you easily get bored, this one is not for you; try the two others instead.

Technique two: Use a blow dryer
This method aims to use the blow dryer to heat the cover so that it will get softened and easily removed. Therefore, what to do is turn on your blow dryer at the highest temperature and blow into each segment for 10 seconds. Then, you can take off the cover with ease.

Technique three: Cut the strings
The final way to remove the wheel covers is to cut off the connecting strings. Using a scissor to cut all the strings, and then manually take the steering wheel cover off as a piece of cake. This process is the easiest way to catch up and get it done in the least amount of time. However, be careful while using the scissors, or else you will hurt yourself.

In Short

All in all, we hope you have gained enough knowledge about how to remove the steering wheel cover. And then, with the instructions, you will be able to follow and easily take off the coverings.

You might have to put a little more force while removing since the cover sticks tightly to the wheel, yet it will not be that hard work. So don't worry.

Best luck with it. Thank you for reading.