Fibrenew steering wheel and bolster repair

[NZ BMW 368]

Hey guys,

Thought I would share a recent experience with Fibrenew when it comes to repairs. Basically as I have commented on a couple of other threads my M-Sport wheel was looking a bit worse for wear. I also have the standard light wear on the bolster of the drivers seat. 

Anyway, my wheel I think is a combination of sun, previous owner’s hand cream perhaps and my own love of sanitiser during lockdown which are away the finish. 

Emailed the local Fibrenew franchise after seeing some good videos on YouTube and reading their Google reviews. I’m sure this is the same/similar as the ColourLock system and others but I wanted someone to do the application. 

It was a total of $140 for both seat and bolster and I have to say I’m pretty happy with it. There are a couple of things which I’ll detail below. I guess it really depends if you are expecting the wheel to be “as new” or not and having priced a variety of options I think for the cost this is pretty good. 

I had this done yesterday and am interested to see how it wears, it’s a little shiny but I don’t know if that’s the finish itself or because it’s just been done. I am going to wait a week and give it a very light clean with Autoglym. That being said, my experience is after cleaning wheels are shiny again in about a week.

The only other complaint is that the surface is a tiny bit rough. I have a feeling this might be just how it is but when you have a seat done the grain of the leather means you don’t notice and it’s not a high-contact area for your hands like a wheel is. I hope this will wear and smooth overtime but certainly superior to the feeling of the worn areas beforehand. 

Apologies for the crappy pics it was a bit dark in my carport with the overcast morning. 

[treone 648]

Great stuff.
Reminds me, i need to get my seats done 😁

[M3AN 4016]

Same.

And before and after pics of the bolsters?

[sobanoodle 45]

 Damn exactly what I potentially might need. 

Was that $140 including the wheel as well? 

[NZ BMW 368]

Yes, wheel and bolster- I was surprised. 
 

[Bandit 194]

Having used the services of FibreNew for years (and closely guarding the secret) we can only commend the firm. It is a franchise model I think, out of Canada, certainly all the "stuff" comes from there. Our local guy is a real wizzard, and nothing is a problem to him.

We have had several wheels done, and yes the touch is a little rough at first perhaps, but before applying anything yourself, ask the guy who did it.

If you are looking for a value for money investment in cleaning up the interior, or even the exterior (blacking of grilles, window frames etc) of your car make yourself known to the guy local to you.

But please bear in mind the quality of the job is only as good as the operator, and that may vary area to area, so accordingly I post this with "no affiliation" other that a satisfied customer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 8, 2021 by Bandit

[NZ BMW 368]

14 minutes ago, Bandit said:

Having used the services of FibreNew for years (and closely guarding the secret) we can only commend the firm. It is a franchise model I think, out of Canada, certainly all the "stuff" comes from there. Our local guy is a real wizzard, and nothing is a problem to him.

We have had several wheels done, and yes the touch is a little rough at first perhaps, but before applying anything yourself, ask the guy who did it.

If you are looking for a value for money investment in cleaning up the interior, or even the exterior (blacking of grilles, window frames etc) of your car make yourself known to the guy local to you.

But please bear in mind the quality of the job is only as good as the operator, and that may vary area to area, so accordingly I post this with "no affiliation" other that a satisfied customer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fact that it’s a bigger franchised thing actually was a big plus for me. It’s not some flaky single operator. 

There are a couple of little bits where it looks like solution might have got on the wheel plastic which is a little annoying now that I look really closely, could have used masking tape... I will see how I can remove that. 

Driving it around today I think it’s less gritty. I can’t believe how inexpensive it is. I guess it’s priced for Mum and Dads trying to fix up an old couch, not neurotic BMW owners... 😆

Edited January 8, 2021 by NZ BMW

[M3AN 4016]

@NZ BMW - Nathan can you share the contact details, via PM if you wish?

 

[NZ BMW 368]

6 hours ago, M3AN said:

@NZ BMW - Nathan can you share the contact details, via PM if you wish?

 

Happy to put it here - this is the Franchise I used, all his contact details are on the website: https://www.fibrenew.co.nz/west-auckland/

Found email was pretty good but if you want an immediate response suggest calling. 

[nath 134]

I also had great service from him on my 1996 Audi front seat which at 140km has more wear than usual on side bolster.

A touch too grippy but look great. I haven't used the car in 6 months so can't comment on the resistance to wear and tear.

 

[M3AN 4016]

That looks awesome... I will ask how much a whole interior is... the M3 might get some 25 year love.

 

[Sammo 2544]

41 minutes ago, M3AN said:

That looks awesome... I will ask how much a whole interior is... the M3 might get some 25 year love.

 

If you're not changing the colour, a colour refresh (what I did but way less faffing about) would be pretty easy to DIY...

[tony2657 5]

On 1/8/2021 at 6:36 PM, Bandit said:

Having used the services of FibreNew for years (and closely guarding the secret) we can only commend the firm. It is a franchise model I think, out of Canada, certainly all the "stuff" comes from there. Our local guy is a real wizzard, and nothing is a problem to him.

We have had several wheels done, and yes the touch is a little rough at first perhaps, but before applying anything yourself, ask the guy who did it.

If you are looking for a value for money investment in cleaning up the interior, or even the exterior (blacking of grilles, window frames etc) of your car make yourself known to the guy local to you.

But please bear in mind the quality of the job is only as good as the operator, and that may vary area to area, so accordingly I post this with "no affiliation" other that a satisfied customer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

@Bandit - Is the local (chch) guy you refer to, the same one listed on  https://www.fibrenew.co.nz/find-a-location/new-zealand-franchises/ ?

[Bandit 194]

23 hours ago, tony2657 said:

@Bandit - Is the local (chch) guy you refer to, the same one listed on  https://www.fibrenew.co.nz/find-a-location/new-zealand-franchises/ ?

Yip, Clive Coffey. 

[tony2657 5]

On 1/8/2021 at 6:36 PM, Bandit said:

Having used the services of FibreNew for years (and closely guarding the secret) we can only commend the firm. It is a franchise model I think, out of Canada, certainly all the "stuff" comes from there. Our local guy is a real wizzard, and nothing is a problem to him.

We have had several wheels done, and yes the touch is a little rough at first perhaps, but before applying anything yourself, ask the guy who did it.

If you are looking for a value for money investment in cleaning up the interior, or even the exterior (blacking of grilles, window frames etc) of your car make yourself known to the guy local to you.

But please bear in mind the quality of the job is only as good as the operator, and that may vary area to area, so accordingly I post this with "no affiliation" other that a satisfied customer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks