All I know about it is that Ed Rogers of Vee Dub Service, who installed my
TIICO, has one on his Syncro.
Bob
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeff Oxroad" <Oxroad@AOL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2003 1:53 PM
Subject: leather Vanagon steering wheel from VW?

> I pulled a leather steering wheel from a Carat bus in a wrecking yard
> yesterday. Did VW ever offer a leather wheel?
>
> The part number on the wheel is 255 419 650C  The horn button has a part
> number 255 419 669 D. Both have a stamped manufacture date of 9/88.
>
> It looks like the stock US style steering wheel from that era in black as
> far
> as diameter and shape except that the wheel itself, the part you grip, is
> wrapped in leather in the way a leather wheel from a manufacturer would
> be. That
> is to say the grip is wrapped with a perfectly conforming molded leather
> and a
> seem on the interior side of the wheel and a kind of complicated  X shaped
> stitch holding it in place. The stitch is the same as on other VW leather
> wheels
> I have seen. The wrap conforms to all the finger grip nubs on the wheel on
> the inside of the wheel.
>
> It's not simply a wrap like a wheelskin brand because it actually
> continues
> over and covers part of the center steering wheel spoke or beam with the
> leather covering the spoke until it meets the horn button. The spoke  has
> a recessed
> portion to accomodate the leather and allow it to fit flush on the spoke
> once
> the leather was installed. The horn button is covered with black naugahide
> giving it a slight padding. The naugahyde  has two plugs with the picture
> of a
> horn at each side to denote it is the horn and the VW in the circle in the
> middle is a plastic plug the same size as on stock wheels.
>
> And again it looks to be a factory type leather wrap as the stitching and
> the
> fact that the leather molds over the spoke on each side makes it much more
> than a standard after-market wrap. The wheel is stamped with GERMANY as
> the
> manufacturing plant.
>
> This wheel is different than the South African leather wheels I have,
> although the SA wheel I have is from the late 90s. And although the late
> 90s SA wheel
> is a differnt shape than the 88 wheel I found the leather wrapping does
> share
> similarities. And the black leather SA wheel I have has a part number with
> the suffix C. The number of  the SA wheel is 22S 419 091 C.
>
> Anybody have any info on such a wheel?
>
> Best
> Jeff
> 83.5 Westy
> LA,CA
>