Originally Posted by DISCOFETA

‘23 Defender 130 First Edition - My heated steering wheel felt like it was getting hot. Then started burning my hand a little bit. Then my wife and I smelt something and all of a sudden a hole started burning through the top 12 position. A little smoke. Absurd.

Originally Posted by CincyRovers

So I picked up my car last Friday after my new steering wheel was installed and now it works properly, but I'm almost positive that they put on the wrong steering wheel. It is supposed to be VIN-matched - my car has a leather steering wheel, but my new one has leather that isn't as smooth, nor does it feel as nice. I have a feeling that they might have used the Resist steering wheel instead of a leather one. The part number on my invoice has the correct part number for the leather wheel, but it doesn't look or feel the same. The Defenders in the showroom both had the leather steering wheel and they looked and felt like my old one. The parts & service department was closed on Saturday for inventory, so hopefully I'll get an answer today about my steering wheel. There is also the possibility that they changed the leather for the steering wheel. Manufacturers change things up all the time, so this wouldn't be out of the norm.

If it is the wrong one and they are willing to swap it out, I'll probably do it. If not, it isn't a big deal. I can live with it. While it doesn't feel as nice as my old one, it still feels high-quality. After all, the Resist material is supposed to be quite durable, and I'd rather have something that will look nice for a long time than something that isn't as durable. The leather steering wheel on mine was starting to look bad in some places, and I make sure it is always clean, but it was looking a bit more worn than it should have been.

Originally Posted by EchorecT7E

My leather one was replaced as well (see the other thread on this I started) - I think with the same material you describe. Doesn’t feel as nice as the leather, and the horn button looks a little “off”, but it seems like it will hold up far better. The leather was looking a little rough. The material now feels similar to the leather on the shifter.

Originally Posted by EchorecT7E

My leather one was replaced as well (see the other thread on this I started) - I think with the same material you describe. Doesn’t feel as nice as the leather, and the horn button looks a little “off”, but it seems like it will hold up far better. The leather was looking a little rough. The material now feels similar to the leather on the shifter.

Originally Posted by hi12

Question - How hot/warm should the heated steering wheel get? I used mine for the first time yesterday (new owner) and I really didn't feel anything. Not sure if I'm used to other cars where you can select 3 levels and I tended to always select the highest level. But on the defender, it felt warm-ish (never warm or hot) in random places, wasn't really uniform. I have to go the dealer to pick up plates so I'm thinking of mentioning it to them but wanted to check with everyone.

Originally Posted by hi12

ok thanks - that certainly wasn't the case. I'll mention it to the dealer then. It was warm on top but the sides and bottom were not. And even then, the backside was warmer than were the palm rests on the top part.