[Danforz]

Hey guys, the paint on the upper right hand side of my steering wheel is pealing a bit. I see a similar occurance happening on the driver door handle area thats painted. I've been using Z9 and Z10 to clean my entire interior.

Anyone else have this issue?

[kabhatti]

Yes, my door interior door handle is pealing, looks more like a blue ink pen line. I might mention it when I take it for service....

[joebaggg]

service will definatly change that for u

[n5160u]

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.

[roller84]

Originally Posted by Danforz

Hey guys, the paint on the upper right hand side of my steering wheel is pealing a bit. I see a similar occurance happening on the driver door handle area thats painted. I've been using Z9 and Z10 to clean my entire interior.

Anyone else have this issue?

My steering wheel trim also began to peel. My dealer replaced the piece without question.

[Danforz]

Originally Posted by n5160u

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.

Interesting, how do you know so much on this topic? Do you think it is the Z9 or the Z10 (they are leather cleansers and conditioners, respectively) is causing the problem?

For now, I will stop using z9/z10 on the painted areas and only continue using it on the leather.

[Year's_End]

Originally Posted by n5160u

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.

Talk about being unlucky. I'd hate to be one of the few...

[Danforz]

Best of luck Railgun

[shragon]

yes, it happened to me.

it's covered under warranty. i just had mine replaced recently, no questions asked. also had my drivers side door pull replaced because of peeling.

[Frustration]

Do the dealers state a milage max for replacement?

I have two low milage cars and it's happening on both... 08's one with less than 20k the other with just over and the Dealer today said "it's not covered after 20,000 miles...

[Oulixes]

Originally Posted by Danforz

Hey guys, the paint on the upper right hand side of my steering wheel is pealing a bit. I see a similar occurance happening on the driver door handle area thats painted. I've been using Z9 and Z10 to clean my entire interior.

Anyone else have this issue?

The steering wheel on my 330xi MY2006 is OK, but the driver's side inner door handle paint is peeling. The area around the handle has a rubbery feel and the flakes feel the same way. So far, I have mentioned the problem to two dealers, who exhibited the expected low level of enthusiasm for fixing the problem.

[GFX MIK3]

same thing with my steering wheel, brought it in and they said it wasnt under warranty
but w/e im thinking of wrapping it in cf

[apagan4182]

I had the dealership replace the passenger door handle and my steering wheel center due to peeling...no questions asked under warranty

[vasillalov]

Fellas, water is the ultimate cleaning agent you can find. Water dissolves almost anything out there and it will clean almost anything. You don't need any fancy cleaners, conditioners or chemicals. Simply warm clean water on a clean microfiber towel will clean anything from interior pieces, leather surfaces and carpets.

Want your windows to be so crystal clear that you actually cannot see the glass and at the same streak free? Grab an old newspaper, the rough, non-glossy paper is the best, and simply wet it with clean water. Then wipe your windows clean. No need for special glass cleaners...

[carz]

Good luck with your dealer, Edward

[MikesBMW]

i dont think this is covered past the 4year 50k warranty, even if its a CPO that still has warranty, it doesnt cover this stuff past 4 years