I keep my cleats really clean, and the pedals too, but I am wearing out pedal body covers at an alarming rate...

It is item #4 in the attached picture... Does anybody else wear these out fast? My LBS wants $3 each for them so this is getting a bit silly... If they were 25¢ each I wouldn't sweat it...

One side wears out much faster than the other... I can't think of a reason why except maybe that leg needs more float and as a result I am rotating the cleat on top of the body cover more...

I really like the pedals so I don't want to switch...

--
Mike (Xyzzy)

When I first tried the SL's I was wearing Sidi Genius 3's with the Millennium sole and the Look insert. The screws supplied with the pedals/cleats were too short. I couldn't find a screw with the shallow head like the Shimano - others protruded enough to wear against the pedal surface. I contacted Shimano and they had an OEM screw just for the Sidi's with the Millennium sole and shipped a set out to me. Problem solved.

I have Shimano SH-R151 and Specialized Carbon Pro shoes...

The wear is mostly on one pedal only, and it is where the webbing of the cleat touches, not where the screws are...

Bah! My Ultegra SPD-SL pedals are so nasty looking. I've crashed twice - once on each side and each pedal has taken the brunt of the damage (along with my body). I'm thinking of taking the pedals off and polishing the pedals, which would render them brandless, but at least 100% better looking.

However, the rubber pads are holding up well regardless, and I'm using Adidas Adistar carbon-soled shoes.

My set of Ultegras came with replacement covers? 3bucks each isn't that bad, they're still good pedals.. or you could rig up something to put over it instead?

Yeah, I fell on mine too, What I do is put black electrical tape on the sides so if gets scratched the Tape takes the blunt of the scratching. Doesn't look that good, but once I stop falling over when trying to unclip, they will be in good condition still.