Afternoon all,

Hopefully someone can help me here.

Will be swapping my steering wheel out for a new one later this week.
It's the same as I already have, 6 buttons and airbag.

Would just like to know of any drama's i may encounter and will the car need a proxy alignment again.

Bare in mind - the only part in swapping is the steering wheel and it has 6 new buttons on it (my old one has 6 buttons too) - will be using the original airbag so no change on that.

I have checked eLearn and it says to disconnect the electrical plug from the clock spring - only the plug, not the clock spring itself (i was dreading having to do that ) - then its a case of removing the securing nut cover and undoing the nut, then reverse the procedure and line up the furthest reference mark where the nut goes with the one on the steering wheel (there is 3 marks, two close together and one further away, its the mark further away i have to line up).

Just want to check i have not missed anything here.

I dont want the dreaded airbag light and no horn (horn currently broken but its not the clockspring -the horn is literally just dead, all circuit is fine etc).

So - if anyone can shed any light.

P.S - if i will need to proxy align again then not an issue for now, will do that next month as i need to buy a new MES licence (no longer have my old laptop that had it on its been over a year since it was activated so not a chance in transferring an expired licence).

Any help appreciated greatly.

Kind regards,
Dan.

The swap is physically simple enough if you don't have to touch the lever stalks and clockspring.

If you're using your old airbag, then I can't foresee any Proxy issues... although thinking about it, the brains for the airbag is in the airbag ECU, not the airbag itself, so I dunno how a different airbag, if you fitted one, would cause the light to come on.

Just connect everything up with the power off.. and don't turn the ignition on until you've finished... that reduces the chances of something going off.. and of throwing an error, if some check detects there's a component "missing" (not plugged in).


Ralf S.

Ralf S. said:

The swap is physically simple enough if you don't have to touch the lever stalks and clockspring.

If you're using your old airbag, then I can't foresee any Proxy issues... although thinking about it, the brains for the airbag is in the airbag ECU, not the airbag itself, so I dunno how a different airbag, if you fitted one, would cause the light to come on.

Just connect everything up with the power off.. and don't turn the ignition on until you've finished... that reduces the chances of something going off.. and of throwing an error, if some check detects there's a component "missing" (not plugged in).


Ralf S.

Click to expand...

Thanks Ralf - i was thinking as much, BUT - i tend to over think then doubt things...

Bloody proxy alignment is worrying about though, my current standard steering wheel has 6 buttons on it for the OEM sound system.

My new steering wheel has 6 buttons too... for the same OEM sound system, however - i cant remember if the buttons are enabled via proxy alignment (so to say that the steering wheel is present with audio controls).

If it is in MES and is an option that can be enabled, it wouldn't suprise me if the buttons had a control board and memory chip along with a serial number in the firmware - which would mean, if i am correct in thinking it may this - then the car would faily proxy and flash the mileage and the controls would probably stop working,

Any, i know people have fitted these controls after the dealers - so i may just be able to use my existing ones until i re-purchase my MES licence and download the latest version again lol.

Will show some picks this weekend, hoping to fit this and the horn




its been a long day, so many typos, will edit them later - home timeeeeee

br,
Dan

Hi,
I don't think you will have a problem as long as you disconnect the battery before removing the old wheel and don't reconnect it before the new one is plugged in. You shoul of course disconnect the battery and wait 10 minutes (to let the airbag ECU capacitors discharge) before doing any work that involves the airbags.

Robert G8RPI.

Hey g8rpi.

Arghhh you made me leak another job on my list.

Also going to swap out engine bay fuse box if it doesn't rain at the same time so it will have been disconnected for some time (and if its cold, battery will be sat in the kitchen on a nice mat).

This is due to fog light issues... melted fuse in socket...

mate if you're popping over at the weekend I can help you swap the wheel over no bother.

Excellent bud thanks for that.

May give it a go if it arrives tomorrow, if not then yea the weekend.

I have a steering wheel swapping related question:

I did it myself, over 2-3 months ago, and almost everything was OK, but there is still only one tiny bit of annoyance... After I swapped the wheel itself (old was plastic without buttons, new is leather without buttons), my center got offset with 5-10 degrees... Few weeks after the swap, I did a proxy alignment in MES, but nothing has changed. I saw a steering wheel re-center option, but it needs a special cable, which I don't have. Other than this, I had no problem, there were no errors (I also changed the airbag...), just this offset mishap.

If you have any idea what should I do to fix my center position, please share it with me! Thx in advance.

Sounds more like you havent aligned the markings correctly as i posted above from what i read in elearn... could be wrong though.

Mine should be here tomorrow so i may give it a bash if i get a break from decorating

The steering wheels are keyed (I have one in my office next to me right now).

It's a toothed shaft on the steering column with key ways at 12, 5 and 7 oclock on the shaft, so it should be impossible to incorrectly align the steering wheel.

Aye and 12 is the marking that you need to align it with... 5 and 7 are further away but closer together... according to elearn its the one furthest away from the two closest together... so 5 and 7 close. 12 it has to be

Artermis said:

The steering wheels are keyed (I have one in my office next to me right now).

It's a toothed shaft on the steering column with key ways at 12, 5 and 7 oclock on the shaft, so it should be impossible to incorrectly align the steering wheel.

Click to expand...

I know that, but then the explanation for the "slipped" center position in my previously mentioned case is that I touched the clockspring, and that's why it has slipped out of the perfect center position, right? I checked again on a straight motorway, and it is rather 1-5 degrees only, so the offset is not so serious...

The clock spring doesn't have any bearing on the alignment of the steering wheel. The steering wheel has an aperture at the 12 o'clock position for the clock spring too, for the electrical plugs to stick through. So you could only be able to get the clock spring at either 0 or 360 degrees out of alignment.

Typically very small deviations in steering wheel angle are as a result of wheel alignment being done when the steering wheel isn't quite level, as the steering rack end adjustment will allow a good few degrees of adjustment in either direction.

Its possible you've only just noticed if you've fitted a new wheel as you're suddenly conscious of it. In extreme examples it'll upset the ABS and traction control because the steering angle doesn't match up to the wheel speed being sensed.

If you're not sure it's correct the best thing to do is to get the front wheel alignment done and make sure you request the garage set the steering wheel to level and then adjust.

Had to get this done when my wife had a minor crash in her Peugeot, it bent some bits and the steering angle was very much of of alignment after I replaced the damaged parts. The garage had to 'reset' the steering, i.e. put a spirit level across the wheel and clamp it in the straight ahead level 12 o'clock position and then adjust the steering rack to line up with it.

Hey Guys,

Well had a terrible end to last week.

Dropped my phone in the fish shop (it literally fell to pieces and is B.E.R - even by my standards and expertise).

New virgin media kit arrived - none of it works, awaiting an engineer.

Fell off the ladders whilst painting the living room and injured my back...

So as you can imaging, i did bugger all with the car and had to enlist mum and the misses to finish the painting...

Hopefully will get it done this weekend - all just depends how the week pans out.

br,
Dan.

dtimmins1985 said:

Hey Guys,

Well had a terrible end to last week.

Dropped my phone in the fish shop (it literally fell to pieces and is B.E.R - even by my standards and expertise).

New virgin media kit arrived - none of it works, awaiting an engineer.

Fell off the ladders whilst painting the living room and injured my back...

So as you can imaging, i did bugger all with the car and had to enlist mum and the misses to finish the painting...

Hopefully will get it done this weekend - all just depends how the week pans out.

br,
Dan.

Click to expand...

offer still stands mate. Pop round we'll sort it no drama.