chris41
Registered Member
This was an ongoing adventure starting with a well known company in Texas who ended up unable to match the color, and was hesitant about thickening it because of the wheel design and transition to the wheel spokes. I had them ship it it back to me. Another well known company in Texas said they might cover over the cover due to the heating element. They only had black nappa leather. A third company in Texas said that covering over the cover would be a mistake, especially around the original stitching. He'd never done a heated steering wheel before, but was confident he could do so. Again, only black. Don't ask me why all the companies are in Texas....I live in Ohio.
The steering wheel color is dark grey with brown. Just never gave it a second thought the color would be so difficult to match. So after searching all over the internet, I found Mazda Miata forum members were using a guy out of Poland. The salesman lives in Canada but the actual customization is done in Poland. I contacted Angelos and went ahead with my order. Usually, they place the perforated leather on just the sides, with smooth Nappa leather on the top and bottom. Not wanting to interrupt the heating element, Guardian Designs decided to follow the original Genesis pattern and leave the seam at the 6 o'clock position. I wanted it thicker like my former Chrysler 300 SW, but they said the same thing as a guy from Texas - the SW design would only allow so much. Plus, the haptic and heated features would be less effective.
The color match is spot on. My new SW smelled like a new leather coat when it came back from Poland. And it looks amazing! I also had the thumb grips added which feel great and had the stitching done in grey. Since I always have to touch my SW every time I drive, the wait was well worth it. The wheel heats up fine and still vibrates. Just another reason why I love this car!
As a final note, every company I contacted were outstanding in their service. I'm not sure if I can post the company link because of the forum rules, but google Guardian Designs and you'll find the website. They will soon post pics of my install.
The steering wheel color is dark grey with brown. Just never gave it a second thought the color would be so difficult to match. So after searching all over the internet, I found Mazda Miata forum members were using a guy out of Poland. The salesman lives in Canada but the actual customization is done in Poland. I contacted Angelos and went ahead with my order. Usually, they place the perforated leather on just the sides, with smooth Nappa leather on the top and bottom. Not wanting to interrupt the heating element, Guardian Designs decided to follow the original Genesis pattern and leave the seam at the 6 o'clock position. I wanted it thicker like my former Chrysler 300 SW, but they said the same thing as a guy from Texas - the SW design would only allow so much. Plus, the haptic and heated features would be less effective.
The color match is spot on. My new SW smelled like a new leather coat when it came back from Poland. And it looks amazing! I also had the thumb grips added which feel great and had the stitching done in grey. Since I always have to touch my SW every time I drive, the wait was well worth it. The wheel heats up fine and still vibrates. Just another reason why I love this car!
As a final note, every company I contacted were outstanding in their service. I'm not sure if I can post the company link because of the forum rules, but google Guardian Designs and you'll find the website. They will soon post pics of my install.
