The trim ring on the steering wheel of my '02 S is looking really shabby. It's made of some kind of soft material that dings and dents at the slightest touch. When I first noticed it, I couldn't believe it was happening, so I pressed it with my fingernail, not particularly hard, and it left a mark that's there to this day.
This is the ring that surrounds the round center piece which I'm sure hides the airbag, so maybe the softness is somehow related to its function on deployment of the bag. Am I alone in this, or is this a universal "feature"?
Also, when I'm accelerating with the driver's window down and a sound-reflector of some kind alongside, I hear a distinct mechanical sort of clicking noise as I shift from 1st to 2nd. I forgot to ask about it on the first last and only service so far, so I thought I'd ask if any or all of you have noticed something of that sort.