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08-18-2016, 03:39 PM | #1 |
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DIY: Worn Steering Wheel Button Repair
This is a very quick, easy, and cheap DIY that can greatly improve the aesthetics of your car. It's very common for various buttons to become worn from years of use. In my case it was the M button the the steering wheel. I used a company that my parts department (I work at a Chevy dealership) uses called Button Topper. They make all kinds of replacement stickers for buttons on various makes/models. In this case, they actually custom made the M button for me because it's unique to the car and they've never made one before.
Button Topper sent me the button sticker, a small tool to use to place the sticker on the button, and a water based Sharpie to use for touch-up in case I removed too much of the original button. The entire process took less than 5 minutes and I am very happy with the results. First I took some painter's tape and isolated the M button so I wouldn't nick any of the other buttons with my blade. Next I used the edge of my SOG pocket knife (an EXCELLENT tool btw) to remove most of the black from the button, but most importantly to make sure it was smooth. Then I went over it very lightly with some sand paper to smooth it some more and give the sticker a good surface to adhere to. Next I wiped it with a wet paper towel to remove any remaining particles, dried it off, and then placed the sticker on the button. I did not end up having to use the Sharpie, as the sticker covered the white area perfectly. You can contact Tyler at Button Topper at 404-304-6937...tell him Johnny with the M3 sent you! I paid him though Paypal and he mailed me my stickers shortly thereafter. He will walk you through the process on the phone if you have any questions. They sell button kits to dealerships, so this is not some kid in his garage making these! Keep in mind that this is a band-aid fix, but in my case it has drastically improved an eye sore on an otherwise very nice interior. For $30-$40 I am very happy with the results. Hope this helps someone somewhere! |
08-20-2016, 08:04 AM | #2 |
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I don't understand how it got that bad to begin with... It's like you scraped it on the ground or something.
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08-20-2016, 11:08 AM | #3 |
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I just bought it a month ago with 82k miles, so it certainly wasn't from anything I did. It likely got that way the same way any kind of button, knob, or trim piece gets worn...from use! Sweat and oils from your hands (combined with extreme heat/humidity in this case) can wreak havoc on an interior over time. I see it all the time across all makes/models, although some are more prone to it than others.
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08-20-2016, 12:16 PM | #5 |
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Thank you! I chose this as an alternative to ordering a button set and having to take apart the steering wheel to replace them. It's probably not for everyone because if you look closely you can definitely tell it's not factory, but for $30 and 5 minutes it works for me. It makes it to where it's not an eye sore to anyone walking by my car or riding with me...which was my goal.
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