Paint pealing on steering wheel - UPDATED: I got some interesting info

[danforz]

Hey guys, the paint on the upper right hand side of my steering wheel is starting to peel a bit, as is the area near my door handle. I'm driving a 2007 BMS 328 with a black interior. I use Z9 and Z10 to clean the interior. I'll post pics later tonight, but in the meanwhile has anyone had this issue with their beemer?



UPDATE



I asked this question on a bimmer forum and this is the response I got:

The problem you have is very uncommon for most owners, but can be a big issue if the conditions are there for it to occur. The problem is caused by a rubberized paint developed by 3M for automotive use that imparts a "Soft Touch" texture to the surface it is applied on. VW and Mercedes started using that stuff around 1998 and it lasts about as long as any non lacquer finish unless you have constantly moist sweaty hands or obsessivly clean your interior painted finishes with oil based preservatives like armor-all or any of the others that have emulsified oils or finish enhancers in them. Under those conditions the peeling can start in less than a year. VW gave up covering those under warranty years ago and although they still use that type of paint on their new cars, any replacement parts are now supplied in hard plastic moulded in color without any paint on them. Mercedes has eaten more interior panel replacements on the R170 series than I believed possible. If you can't get it replaced under warrany your best bet is to strip the remaining paint off the plastic so the look of peeling paint look goes away. I would strongly recommend that you stop using those types of cleaners on the soft touch painted surfaces of your car at once because they cause the rubberized part of the paint to break down and rot. Only a very small percentage of the population have the right combination of acids and salt in their persperation to rot the paint so none of the German car builders have seen a need to stop using those paints and I believe they all use the same paint even to this day.

Thoughts? Remember I'm using Z9/Z10, and though I don't wash my interior that often, I tend to (whether intentionally or accidentally) use way too much product.

 

[SCutchins]

My wife's old 2000 Jetta had this problem, the finish was peeling off of the interior all over the place, worst was the interior door handles and door trim. VW replaced them once, but they peeled again later.



She didn't use Armor All on it, or any cleaner/conditioner for that matter, its just a crappy coating that for some reason German car makers seem to like.