Wheelskins wheel covers

TP, it's not really sewing, more like lacing, like on a baseball. It is best done with gloves and a strong arm.

That's a good price for Wheelskins. I just ordered a two-tone (burgundy and black, not a PIAA horn) cover locally to match the interior of my Silver Cloud. I got the smooth cover for $45.

BTW, when I went to eAutoWorks and clicked the link for Wheelskins and picked Prius from the models, it came up blank. I know the Wheelskin for Prius is a special order.

 

Good Price!

[font=Comic Sans MS:3a5acd8563]Thanks, rookie. That's a good price, as I said before. If I had wanted Europerf it would have been $50 from my local shop.[/font:3a5acd8563]

 

I have it sitting in my garage but have not had the time to install it. Do you folks like the feeling of the wheel after you've installed it? I love my Prius but I just wish the steering wheel was fatter. That is why I ordered this product.

 

If you want a fatter wheel you'll love the wheelskins.

I thought the wheel was fat enough and now it's more so with the wheelskins. But I like the feel of leather more so I'll live with it.

I'm hoping my next Prius (2009 maybe?) will have all of the current Japanese bells and whistles...like the folding signal mirrors and the leather wheel. I like the parking thingie too although if they don't redesign the body too much I'll already be used to it. The one thing I hope they never change is the hatchback. I LOVE my hatchback.

 

I just ordered an all black, all perforated wheel skin from Auto Works. Once it arrives and I install it I will post some pictures and let you know how it looks, feels and installed.

 

OK I am pretty disappointed in the steering wheel cover. I installed it just as they instructed, carefully lacing it all around the wheel making sure to keep it tight and when I got to the last 1" it appeared the cover was about 1/2" to long. I thought, "OK, just lace it up and pull it tight and it will straighten out - nope. To big. Ended up unlacing it and sitting it on my tool box. 2 hours down the drain on Saturday. I can't imagine that re-installing it is going to give me a different result.

 

We have two wheel skins, one on our 2002 Echo and one on our 2005 Prius. Took about 30 minutes to lace on. Fits snugly and provides a good feel to the steering wheel.

My wife complained of vibration being transmitted through the Echo steering wheel. Now with a Wheel skin all is damped and no more vibration sensation.

 

If it is too long, can't it be cut? It would be more of a problem if it was too short!

 

I called the company I bought it from, Eautoworks.com, off the site referral, they offered to send me another one just like the one I have, and then told me I was the 2nd person today to call and complain about their '05 Prius wheel cover not fitting....

I hate to say it, English was not their first language and they didn't seem at all concerned about the cover not fitting and trying to find out why.

I guess I expected them to say they would call the manufacturer and see if they could resolve the problem and get me a cover that actually fit the 2005 Prius.

Oh, then the guy I am speaking with tells me he already told me to return it this morning....I said, "Excuse me, I have never called your company before this call, never spoken with you or any of your employees before". Then I give him my invoice number again and he says, "Oh yeah, not you."

I am just going to return it and get my money back, minus the shipping of course!

 

[font=Comic Sans MS:70572534bf]I'm sorry you're having such a bad experience, Cairo. I went to a local "automotive fashion" dealer and ordered a burgundy-and-black Wheelskin to match the interior of my Silver '05. The guy who took the order said the Prius steering wheel got a special order size, not a standard size.

When I got the cover, send directly from Wheelskin, I laced it on. I should have waited and taken more time because it didn't fit right and was crooked. I called up Wheelskin, the number is on the instructions, and asked if I could buy another spool of black lacing. The just sent it to me, no charge.

When I got the new lace I carefully cut the lacing holding the cover and took the cover off. Apparently the stretching to make it tight broke the glue bond on one side in an area baout six inches long. Again I called Wheelskin and asked whay kind of glue I could use to fix it. They said they would just send me a new cover.

After about a week I still hadn't received the cover so I called them again. They couldn't find the order showing they had replaced it, so they said they would send me yet a third cover. The next day I got a "second notice" to pick up a package at the post office (never got a first notice) and it was the cover. A couple of days later I got the third cover and refused it so it went back to Wheelskin.

Yesterday I took my time and carefully aligned the cover, laced and tied a couple of strategic spots to keep it from slipping, and laced it on. It's tight and feels great. The burgundy is a close match to the dash color and the black matches the upper dash and the wheel.

I hope you aren't put off Wheelskins. I found them to be generous and helpful. I suspect the main problem is with Eautoworks.com.

And DanMan, you wouldn't want to cut the cover. They are designed to fit perfectly. Another seam would be one too many.[/font:70572534bf]

 

Ah, I get it now. It is like a bicycle tire, but you use the laces to close the open 'slit' end. I was thinking more like a slit tube open at both ends and down the middle. Thanks Evan.

 

Bill M. -
OK, after reading your post I now feel as if I should call wheelskins in Berkeley, CA (maybe 25 miles from my home) and explain the problem and see what they say.

You are correct that it was the retailer that I believe could have cared less about the fitment and quite frankly had poor customer service skills. Placing someone on hold for 6 minutes is a problem too.

I also liked your suggestion about securing the cover in several places before you begin to stitch it on. I am a very detail oriented person and took great care to position the cover and stitch it tightly as I progressed around the wheel.

I will think about it and call Wheelskins and let you know what the outcome is.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cairo94507\";p=\"98287)</div>

[font=Comic Sans MS:257576d9b0]The act of lacing and stretching the cover tight tends to make it want to move. I counted holes from seams (I got a Euro-Tone version) and tied it on next to spokes. I think it would have crawled a couple of holes, and one seam been further from a spoke than the other side, had I not anchored it first.

Good luck on your decision and getting a leather covered stearing wheel.[/font:257576d9b0]

 

[font=Comic Sans MS:ffef608092]Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here's my burgundy/black EuroTone Wheelskin in place. The color is a pretty good match to the dash.[/font:ffef608092]