Xuji steering wheel cover install/pics (1 Viewer)

[sPaulp]

So, first a shout out to John @lcgeek for posting the original pic of this mod which gave me the inspiration to pull the trigger.

I have never been a fan of wood steering wheels, much less ones that have scratches from rings that constantly stare at you when driving My '11 LC was owned by an elderly women who had to be the female equivalent of "Mr. T" and thus my steering wheel has many nicks/scratches that I have unsuccessfully tried to rub out with compound. Therefore, when John posted a picture of his recent Xuji steering wheel install, I was super excited to (1) get rid of the unsightly scratches, and (2) hide the wooden steering wheel that I have hated since day one. Here is a link for those interested in ordering:

Amazon.com: Genuine Leather Steering Wheel Cover for 2008-2015 Toyota Land Cruiser / 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Toyota Tundra / 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Toyota Sequoia: Automotive

First, I was pleasantly surprised at not only the packaging, but the quality of the leather. When I first opened the box, there were two little black boxes that contain the cover and needle/thread/tool. I felt as if I had opened a package that contained a Ferrari wheel cover replacement . My advice to those who choose to move forward with this project is to buy a 6 pack, or 12 pack of your favorite poison and be PATIENT. Also, there are several youtube videos of the Xuji install that I highly recommend watching as the instructions included was let's say hard to understand for an old stupid country boy like myself.

Pics of the scratches:

Pics of the package, and test fit:

Pics of the bottom finished:

The back plastic piece of the steering wheel can "pop" off and be moved backwards enough to allow tucking the leather under the spokes. I will finish the install later today and will have final pics up. I was only able to finish the bottom portion as I am OCD and the sun went down. But, as you can see, it looks factory and I am really pleased with how it turned out. Oh, you can choose the color of your thread and obviously I went red to match my red TRD start button

 

[EPUro2019]

Looks great. I am also not a fan of the wood. How difficult is the sewing? Any impact on the heated steering wheel?

 

[sPaulp]

Looks great. I am also not a fan of the wood. How difficult is the sewing? Any impact on the heated steering wheel?

Thanks! The sewing isn't bad at all. Just tie a knot at the end, and then criss cross your way until the other end of the section you're working on. Tie a knot and use a lighter to burn off the excess which also melts the tip of the thread to secure it. I can't comment on the impact it has on a heated steering wheel as my '11 doesn't have that feature. However, many heated steering wheels on the market are full leather, so other than the heat maybe not being as intense, I can't foresee any issues. Maybe others will chime in.

 

[1MAC]

Nice. How long do you think it took you?

 

[sPaulp]

Nice. How long do you think it took you?

Well, I started around 4pm yesterday and finished the bottom portion around 7:30. However, I had to take several calls, bathroom breaks, and really took my time lining it up. If I was able to work straight through with no interruptions, I could see this job not taking any longer than 2-3 hours. This could end up being my favorite mod as it really does look stock and the quality of the leather is amazing. Plus, it gives the steering wheel a little more thickness which I really like and felt it needed. Let me know if you have any other questions

 

[Ali FJ80]

that looks amazing, good job! 100 series guys should be all over this. I had to replace the wheel on my old one as the leather on all of them wear badly.

 

[sPaulp]

that looks amazing, good job! 100 series guys should be all over this. I had to replace the wheel on my old one as the leather on all of them wear badly.

Thanks a bunch! I agree it looks amazing, and I can't emphasize enough how it looks and feels like OEM. If I still had my 100, I would definitely install the cover immediately. I need to ping my good friend @landylover21 as he may be interested in doing this mod.

 

[lcgeek]

Look awesome, great work!

 

[Oakleyguy]

More pictures!

 

[sPaulp]

Finished Very satisfied and soooo much better than the wooden steering wheel that gets hot or cold. I highly recommend this $55 mod (well actually $65 if you include the beer).

 

[kreiten]

Finished Very satisfied and soooo much better than the wooden steering wheel that gets hot or cold. I highly recommend this $55 mod (well actually $65 if you include the beer).

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Damn that looks really good, nice work man! I'm gonna order a couple of those for my 100's series rigs!

 

[sPaulp]

Damn that looks really good, nice work man! I'm gonna order a couple of those for my 100's series rigs!

Thanks! I appreciate it. The leather still needs to "settle" in and should smooth out in a couple of small places. Overall it's a nice tight fit and to anyone other than a Mud member, it looks factory. It's def one of my favorite mods.

 

[bjowett]

Wow... things have come a looooong way from Wheelskins. That looks great!

 

[lcgeek]

Credit where credit is due, it was not I but @-uhuru- who first posted up on these xuji covers.

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

@PaulLx470, looks great man, in fact, this is exactly what I need to do for mine, so thanks for sharing.

I do have a question, we have the same year and interior color. Since the interior darker pieces are really a super dark brown, do you like the black steering wheel better, or do you think it would match a little better in a super dark brown like the original?

I felt the same way about that TRD shifter, I thought the black would look bad against dark brown.

I can only go off of pictures though, haven't seen those accessories in real life.

 

[KLF]

That does look really nice. I would like the stock wheel more if it was real wood, but to me it feels cheesy since you can tell it's fake. I might go for one of these.

I wonder if you hit it with a little steam it would stretch then shrink to remove the last wrinkles at the sharp bends? Not that they are bad. It really does look like factory. Nice work!

 

[sPaulp]

@PaulLx470, looks great man, in fact, this is exactly what I need to do for mine, so thanks for sharing.

I do have a question, we have the same year and interior color. Since the interior darker pieces are really a super dark brown, do you like the black steering wheel better, or do you think it would match a little better in a super dark brown like the original?

I felt the same way about that TRD shifter, I thought the black would look bad against dark brown.

I can only go off of pictures though, haven't seen those accessories in real life.

Thanks! I actually love the black steering wheel and if you look at the stereo/ac surround, it appears to have a very dark brown color with black accents (the brown is almost black looking). The TRD shifter is the same way and the metallic finish matches almost identical to the door handles and metallic accents throughout the rig. The red stitching on the TRD shifter matches the red stitching on the steering wheel and TRD start button so it just all meshes. The minor difference between the black/brown is hardly noticeable. Oh yeah, don't forget all the steering wheel controls are black as well. Go for it, you won't regret it.

That does look really nice. I would like the stock wheel more if it was real wood, but to me it feels cheesy since you can tell it's fake. I might go for one of these.

I wonder if you hit it with a little steam it would stretch then shrink to remove the last wrinkles at the sharp bends? Not that they are bad. It really does look like factory. Nice work!

Thank you! I agree with the steering wheel feeling cheesy, and I hate even the real wood feel. Steam could definitely make a difference, and certainly couldn't hurt if you go this route. I am hoping the heat and the leather "settling" in eventually removes the minor wrinkles. If not, I am more than happy with the way it looks now as it's light years better than it was before.

 

[Oakleyguy]

Awesome! How does it feel in hand? I imagine the wheel feels meatier?

 

[sPaulp]

Awesome! How does it feel in hand? I imagine the wheel feels meatier?

Thanks! It feels AMAZING...seriously, I am not over exaggerating. Not only does it feel new, but I actually wanted and now have a thicker steering wheel. The difference isn't huge, but just enough to give it a premium feel. The stock wheel just felt uninspiring IMHO.

 

[Fasternfaster]

that looks pretty nice!! i did something similar to my dad's old corolla before selling it. took me about 45 minutes.

Yours looks much better! this one is also from Amazon and i think it was around $10.

I used one uninterrupted piece of thread. I just started at the top and went in opposite directions with two needles.