westcott

Well, I barely have 50K on my 2008 and the traction control light came on and the cruise control would no longer engage.

So, I took it to my mechanic and he diagnosed the SAS was bad. He quoted $600. I passed. I appreciated the diagnosis and let him change the oil and service the transmission.

Got on the the internet and no one had a specific video or thread specific to the W211 cars. I did find the information buried in another thread, but it does not come up on this forum search.

So, I thought I would share what I learned. First this can be done by someone who reads instructions before starting work. 1 hour tops, once you have done it, 15 minutes.

Step 1) Disconnect the ground side of the battery only. Failure to do so could set off the air bag and that could be dangerous.

Step 2) Undo the two N25 bolts that hold the air bag on from behind. Once they are lose, leave them. Getting them completely out is not necessary.

Step 3) Carefully unclip the yellow, green, and black connector.

Step 4) Unbolt the Steering wheel. It is suggested to have someone hold the steering wheel while unbolting and bolting so you do not break the pin lock. Mark the steering wheel and the shaft so you can install it where it was.

Step 5) Pull the connectors taking note where they came from and slip the harness through the steering wheel slot while removing the steering wheel.

Step 6) Unbolt the N25 bolt that is under the column on the right side, facing the floor. Once this bold is loose, once again, leave it in the column.

Step 7) Unbolt the three small silver bolts N10s on top.

Step 8) Pull the entire column assembly with the stalks and everything toward you. Be gentle but firm.

Step 9) Unbolt the two screws holding the sensors to the column underneath.

Step 10) Pull the sensors out of the column and pull the top module off of the SAS while it is still on the SAS.

Step 11) pull the pins on the side and at the bottom gently, while rotating the sensor off of the rest of the assembly. Once again, be gentle and look at how it is put together before working on it.

Step 12) READ the instructions printed on the sensor. You want to make sure that the pointers are pointed at one another on the center ring (look close, they are on both parts). The instructions tell you how to turn it in one direction until it stops, then rotate in the other direction 2.5 times until the arrows line up. NOTE: My sensor came from Germany and was OEM for $200 on eBay (saved $200 on the part and another $200 in labor) . It had a white plastic insert that kept the center dial centered during shipment but fell out. I had to go through the centering process before installing the new one. Just read the instructions and you will be fine. Do not, and you may damage the sensor, once installed.

Reverse this once you are ready to put it back together. I do not think I missed anything but I am doing this from memory.

Good luck and if you have questions, PM me.

biker349

thanks for the write up. i also believe that you should wait maybe an hour after disconnecting battery to work on air bags so there is no chance of setting them off.