Going off on a tangent...
While I've been disconnecting/reconnecting the battery terminal, I notice it looks to be in $hit state.



Is it normal to look like this? Should I clean it? If so, how and what should I use?

Tried again with an Allen key today. . . . Fail! :bang:

I am purely going off my experience with my Grande Punto when I changed the steering wheel on that, but the knack with that was to go in flat not up at an angle and not towards you to straight and flat towards the centre of the steering wheel, I tried for around an hour and eventually asked people on Facebook and had ripped the majority of the backing off my steering wheel.

All i used were 2 flat head screw drivers, not particularly big ones either but the trick was to go in flat towards the middle.

Once again though, this might be completely different as that was on a Grande Punto

mikem1989 said:

Going off on a tangent...
While I've been disconnecting/reconnecting the battery terminal, I notice it looks to be in $hit state.



Is it normal to look like this? Should I clean it? If so, how and what should I use?

Click to expand...

Looks like old corrosion from an old battery, just scrub it up with a wire brush and grease it ?

Took it to two local garages today neither could remove the airbag lol.
I phoned a so called Fiat specialist who admitted he has never removed one before. Looks like it's a job for a dealer.

This isn't going as planned. . . .

Would kicking the bumper work? ?

mikem1989 said:

Took it to two local garages today neither could remove the airbag lol.
I phoned a so called Fiat specialist who admitted he has never removed one before. Looks like it's a job for a dealer.

This isn't going as planned. . . .

Click to expand...

It took me a while but jeez maybe it's like wedged or something? Either way tbh it's a pain in the back side task :/

Been to an Alfa/Fiat Specialist in Leeds today.

He went to work at it right away.
I mentioned to him that should probably disconnect the battery to avoid the airbag going off in his face.

'Never you mind' he said 'I do these all day long'

At that point I walked off into the waiting room, hoping to god I'd hear a bang that would make him well and truly eat his words.

About 50 minutes later he returned telling me he had been unsuccessful. He says he wants me to leave the car with him so he can have another go. I couldn't leave it today.

I'm starting to think this Abarth steering wheel is more hassle than its worth.

On a plus note... I investigated the box it came in today and underneath what I though was excess packaging was a knee airbag, what I think are curtain airbags x2 and also a Boost Gauge, all from the Abarth 500.
The boost gauge looks cool. Anyway of fitting it to the Bravo?

Think I'm going to put the stuff on ebay anyway and see what I get for it.

Is the gauge digital or analogue?

Fergie said:

Is the gauge digital or analogue?

Click to expand...

[/url][/IMG]

Guessing it's fully electrical? You would need to splice the sender cables somewhere or get a transmitter unit.

Fergie said:

Guessing it's fully electrical? You would need to splice the sender cables somewhere or get a transmitter unit.

Click to expand...

Yeah it is.
I have no idea what that would involve lol. Sounds beyond my abilities.
It would be a cool addition but I'll eBay it and somebody that know what they're doing can crack on.

bradgibbs
Why did you have to swap your clock spring exactly?
I have just installed the Abarth wheel and it seems to have the same connections. Different colour but they all fit together nicely.
I just wonder because I have the clock spring from the Abarth 500 laying about. I wonder if I should change them over to be on the safe side?

Also when you installed the Abarth wheel, did you have any problems with it rubbing against the shroud? A plastic on plastic sound when turning?

Mine didn't have the big black cable for the steering wheel controls. So i just brought one from a write off bravo and installed it. Will proxialign to get the controls to work (hopefully) when i get a 500 airbag.

When i tested the wheel no plastic rubbing, was pretty smooth actually.

This Steering wheel is the bane of my life. :bang:
Today I tried to a proxy alignment to make the wheel controls work again. I have multiecuscan. Connected it up performed proxy everything seemed to go as it should. It gave me all the right messages anyway....
but the steering wheel controls still do not work. I've no idea why.
I tried altering time and date as well and it's the same with that. It gives me all the right messages but it didn't actually update the time and date on my dash!
Don't know what it is playing at

Turns out its the steering wheel control module. It's slightly different. The 6 metal pins that slot into the 8 holes are in a different order.
Hopefully can find a way round this using either the old steering wheel or another clock spring I have laying about.

FINALLY sorted it!
To get the steering wheel controls to work I disassembled both button housings and simply swapped the innards and wiring over.
Everything works perfectly now!

At the start of this I said I'd make a guide. Its been such a ball ache that I don't know where to begin lol. Plus I didn't even get the steering wheel off myself.....
But I have gained some valuable knowledge.

So if you're thinking of adding your own Abarth steering wheel, no is the time to ask questions.... while it's still fresh in my head



I opted for the Fiat badge airbag instead of the Abarth badge. Just a personal choice as its looks more OE.

Hi Mike,

I just got the Abarth 500 steering wheel fitted into my Bravo (done by a mechanic for obvious reasons). Unfortunately, none of the steering buttons work and neither the horn. How did you sorted the switches?

Thanks and Cheers.

seems very quiet here

Just wrote out massive reply. Got 'you do not have permission to access' error.
Im using the app. Ill try again but a short version and if this dont work then it will have to wait till i can access a computer.
Basically swap the innards from your old steering wheel controls to your new one. The ones from the 500 are not compatible with the bravo clock spring.