About the service
Work starts with an honest look at the rim. I feel for the bald patches at the ten and two positions, the thinned grain where thumbs rest, the split seam along the inner edge, and the soft places where the foam has been crushed by years of gripping. The old wrap comes off with a flat blade, dried glue is scraped back, and dents in the foam are filled and sanded so the new skin follows a true shape instead of repeating somebody else hollows. Only then do I take the pattern: paper pulled tight over the rim, cut segment by segment, transferred to card and given honest seam allowances. Too little and the halves will not meet on the inside; too much and a ridge grows right under your palm.
For the cover I choose hide of the right thickness and grain - smooth and quiet on the top of the rim, lightly textured or perforated where the hands actually sit, so the grip stays sure in summer. I sew by hand: a whip stitch over the edge when the seam should disappear, or a crossed baseball stitch when you want it read as decoration. The leather is drawn on warm and tensioned in stages around the spokes, so there are no wrinkles at the joins and no bunching where the rim meets the hub. Edges are skived thin, folded and bonded with an adhesive that survives sun and hand cream. The dashboard and the soft pads get the same treatment: pattern taken from the part itself, seams placed where the eye expects them, edges wrapped without a lump.
One limit I state before any quote: parts with airbags and their deployment zones are never retrimmed privately. A wheel carrying an airbag module is removed and refitted only by an authorised workshop following the proper procedure, and the tear line on a dash pad stays clear - the material must not hold the cover shut or change the way it opens. Where a panel hides a deployment seam, I either hand that part to the authorised service or work strictly outside the zone.
What is included:
— assessment of rim wear, foam condition and old seams;
— removal of the old wrap, glue clean-up, repair of dents;
— pattern taken from your own part with measured allowances;
— hide selection: thickness, grain, perforation, contrast inserts;
— hand stitching, edge skiving, folding and bonding;
— fitting and a final check of every seam.
A wheel alone usually takes about a week; a wheel together with dashboard pads takes a little longer. The car itself is needed only for the handover, so you are rarely without it for more than a day.
For the cover I choose hide of the right thickness and grain - smooth and quiet on the top of the rim, lightly textured or perforated where the hands actually sit, so the grip stays sure in summer. I sew by hand: a whip stitch over the edge when the seam should disappear, or a crossed baseball stitch when you want it read as decoration. The leather is drawn on warm and tensioned in stages around the spokes, so there are no wrinkles at the joins and no bunching where the rim meets the hub. Edges are skived thin, folded and bonded with an adhesive that survives sun and hand cream. The dashboard and the soft pads get the same treatment: pattern taken from the part itself, seams placed where the eye expects them, edges wrapped without a lump.
One limit I state before any quote: parts with airbags and their deployment zones are never retrimmed privately. A wheel carrying an airbag module is removed and refitted only by an authorised workshop following the proper procedure, and the tear line on a dash pad stays clear - the material must not hold the cover shut or change the way it opens. Where a panel hides a deployment seam, I either hand that part to the authorised service or work strictly outside the zone.
What is included:
— assessment of rim wear, foam condition and old seams;
— removal of the old wrap, glue clean-up, repair of dents;
— pattern taken from your own part with measured allowances;
— hide selection: thickness, grain, perforation, contrast inserts;
— hand stitching, edge skiving, folding and bonding;
— fitting and a final check of every seam.
A wheel alone usually takes about a week; a wheel together with dashboard pads takes a little longer. The car itself is needed only for the handover, so you are rarely without it for more than a day.
