Hey guys,

Does anyone know how easy/difficult it would be to recover a stock leather steering wheel?

I was thinking the leather off it, getting it cut/copied at a trimmer and then stitching it back up.
The stitching might be tedious but from youtube videos it doesn't seem too difficult.

Why don't you just buy a nice-looking leather steering wheel cover? Most of the time it is only the rim which becomes cactus on a steering wheel and I'm assuming that's the case with your car. Just go along to Autobarn or Supercheap and have a look at their cover selection. Heaps of different designs to choose from but avoid the vinyl ones...they're crappy. Stick with leather. Even KMart has a black leather cover for about ten bucks. Heaps cheaper and less time consuming for you.

The steering wheel is in good condition, but the leather is shiny and I'd prefer the matte look (I assume it must have been matte when new).
Just want to make it look new again. Don't like how covers look

An auto upholsterer would be able to replace the leather for you, and would be able to customise it virtually anyway you like - the texture, colour or perforation of the leather, as well as any colour stitching you want. But I'd imagine the cost would be far more than just getting another wheel that's in better nick off eBay or a wrecker. Or as stroppy says, buying a leather cover for it from Supercheap/Autobarn.

I'm going to have to get my wheel done for the RWC of the KL soon and I'll be getting an upholsterer to do it.

What I was thinking is getting the upholsterer to supply the leather bit already cut to size + holes put in for stitches which should cost much, and then stitch it myself as I think the bulk of the cost of getting the trimmer to do this is the stitching, which is time consuming but I think probably not hard to DIY?

I disagree with stroppy - Forget steering wheel covers, they are tacky pieces of crap! I had an expensive leather wheel cover on my Commodore years ago. It lasted all of 1 month before I removed it & binned it.
At best they are for Nan & Pop who like to extend the sheep's wool experience from the seats to the steering wheel.

You can DIY for a fun & challenging project like you said. Be prepared to be patient & don't rush. Leather working is fun, requires attention to detail to get the best result to give that professional look, otherwise it's not worth the effort.

Alternatively, There are still some MOMO magna ralliart leather steering wheels kicking around ebay but nowadays they are getting a bit expensive. They are the best ones in terms of feel & looks for any magna IMO and if you don't like the red inserts, you can get them dyed in black. (Prefer these to the Nardi Torino leather/wood that came out in the GTVi).

Yeah definitely agree that wheel covers are cheap and nasty. They can be a cheap quick fix but that's about it, don't expect years of life or a quality feel.

Saw a silver and black leather wheel on U.S. ebay the other day, was tempted to get it but I recently spent a bit on a TW wheel

Despite what ADM says, there is one good leather steering wheel cover that I know of.
I've used three of them over the years, and the original is still going strong after 6 years, 3 years on my 380 then 3 years on my GF's car. I put a two-tone one on my GF's new car 18 months ago and it still looks like new.
Wheelskins, see here: https://www.wheelskins.com/

Despite what ADM says, there is one good leather steering wheel cover that I know of.
I've used three of them over the years, and the original is still going strong after 6 years, 3 years on my 380 then 3 years on my GF's car. I put a two-tone one on my GF's new car 18 months ago and it still looks like new.
Wheelskins, see here: https://www.wheelskins.com/
+1! The charcoal wheelskin I put over my leather wheel when the surface started to deteriorate is still looking good after 3 years. They do take a bit of attention to detail to install and lace properly though, and slightly increase the thickness of the rim (which I actually prefer)...

+1! The charcoal wheelskin I put over my leather wheel when the surface started to deteriorate is still looking good after 3 years. They do take a bit of attention to detail to install and lace properly though, and slightly increase the thickness of the rim (which I actually prefer)...

Tell me about it! I've laced four of them up now, average time about 2 hours. But worth the time & effort to do it properly. Also agree with preference for the thicker rim.

Don't like the look of those wheelskin steering covers. They don't look stock enough.

My opinion is the same as ADM, I don't like those GTVi steering wheels (wood on a steering wheel?).

My idea was to get something like the KW GTV steering wheel but reupholster it to make it like new as I don't expect to find a good condition one after 10 years of use.