W126 Steering Wheel - First Mod

[Rose Chap]

Another chapter in my W126 saga!

As mentioned on other threads the car is less than 100% pristine. I'm absolutely happy with this as my intention is not to restore it to factory fresh condition, just to enjoy it for what it is.

One thing that did irritate me most though was the steering wheel. It had clearly not been looked after and one side of it (closest the door) was very badly worn.

Also, the stitching had come away in one area leaving the leather flapping about a bit.

Given replacement wheels aren't cheap and fitting one is beyond my knowledge, I looked for alternatives and came up with this...

It won't please purists, but for a total cost of about £11 delivered, I don't think you can't really argue with it. Compared with a pristine wheel it looks a bit lame, but compared with the wheel I have I don't think it's bad at all.

Comments welcome!

One last thing. Everyone knows old Mercedes-Benzes are known for their large steering wheels but look at what I had to order to find a wheel cover that would fit.

 

[SilverSaloon]

it looks ok from your pic. i'm not sure if i could live with it everyday though. but its 100% improvement

cant you find a replacement wheel cheap? i replaced my SL one with a MINT/brand new leather wheel and it cost me £55. its the same wheel in a 126 as the 107, early 124 and 123 so there are plenty available.

 

[Baron_Samedi]

As an aside, I find baby wipes do a good job of cleaning mank off of leather steering wheels....

 

[Rose Chap]

£55 is very good for a new wheel! Being a bit new to this I'm using eBay as a reference and you clearly have better sources than me.

Are wheels easy to fit? Mine has no airbag so at least I wouldn't get a face full of explosives when I **** it up.

By the way I was looking at your SL pictures earlier and it's a stunning car. Since I sold my Smart Roadster I do missing having access to a convertible and they don't come much better than a SL. Very nice indeed!

 

[JasM]

There's one on ebay for £50

LINK

 

[SilverSaloon]

very easy to fit. centre boss pulls off and then just use a large allan key and a lever (i use a trolly jack handle) to unbolt it. pull it off, new wheel on. job done

no airbag helps but even with one its still very easy and quick.

I got my as-new wheel from ebay - it was a bargain to be honest but you should be able to get a good 2nd hand wheel for that sort of price - even cheaper. you could also fit an airbag wheel and just not connect it up if you wanted.

 

[Rose Chap]

Okay, whilst I'm happy with the looks of the truck wheel cover on my S Class, the fact it's plastic does make it a bit sticky on a long journey.

Does anyone know if this would fit? It's cheap enough to appear on my "must not spend lots of money on my 20 year old car" radar...

MERCEDES BENZ G WAGEN STEERING WHEEL GOOD CONDITION!!!! on eBay, also, Mercedes-Benz, Car Parts, Cars, Parts Vehicles (end time 11-Jun-09 17:26:29 BST)

 

[Rob77]

I don't know if that one'll fit or not but I have a similar one to yours that's for a W124. If you're interested in buying it, I can check the fitment and measure it up for you. It's leather and in the spare room so the condition should be good but I can check that too and let you know if you want.

 

[MPG]

eBay & specialist breakers would always be a good source for these wheels. The wheel is indeed large with a diameter of 410mm. For anyone interested the Mercedes part number is B66268201 for which the inchcape site shows a shiny new one will set you back £187.30.

 

[219]

I know that Dave Collins , and our very own Jay Manek are both breaking W126's and may very well have a reasonably-priced wheel for you ?

There is also Rob Parker on eBay who is always advertising a lot of W126's breaking for spares .

 

[jaymanek]

Think im almost out of W126 wheels but do have some wooden ones kicking about..