Got an Alancantra C63 Wheel and Airbag today in the mail and wonder if I should take it to the dealer or if it is easy to follow Vic Viper's instructions below? Did most people use the DIY or did they go to the dealer for install?


Quoted from Vic Viper:

"Remove ground cable from battery

Remove airbag by inserting an L shaped T30 torx key in the two holes behind the steering wheel, loosen them both to fold out the airbag.

with the airbag folded outwards, disconnect the two large connectors in the steering column and place the airbag in a safe spot.

Unscrew the center bolt using a 8mm allen socket with an 2-3 inch extender and a socket wrench, be careful not to break the steering wheel lock, its best to use a buddy to hold the wheel steady while you loosen/tighten the bolt.

Remember the markings on the center spline and remove the wheel.

Install in reverse order"

BUMP

hesitating on install unless I can get some confidence from forum members that the air bag won't blow up in my face first...

If installed incorrectly, would I receive an error code that told me this?

Or would I find out only when I got in a head on collision and the airbag doesn't deploy?

The airbag will not go off. Way back when airbags first appeared there was a possibilty but no more.

I changed the wheel on my '08 earlier this year and learned two things. The allen wrench must be a 3/8" six point (Sears) and without someone to hold the wheel you won't be able to turn it because it was far tighter than it needed to be when installed originally.

My car's fixing nut is 10mm, not 8mm so verify this before buying. And the airbag will have to be removed to see it.

In my case, I used my new 28V impact wrench to break it loose while holding the wheel between my knees.

thanks RLE, great tips as always

Pretty simple deal once you get the tools right...

- Remove Air Bag by taking out 2 Torx screws and disconnecting the 2 electrical connectors
- Remove center bolt with 3/8" allen or impact driver
- Install new bag and wheel in reverse to above

Few other questions for clarification before I undertake however:

- What does Vic mean when he says, "Remember the markings on the center spline" ?
- What does Vic mean when he says, "be careful not to break the steering wheel lock" Is the steering wheel lock a part that has to do with the center bolt untightening?

The center spline is the 'gear' that the steering wheel fits onto. You want to remember exactly how it was aligned when you removed it otherwise your steering wheel will be off center when you drive.

The steering wheel lock is a security feature that engages when you remove the key - it prevents the steering wheel from being turned by a thief. It's also generally junk and easy to snap if you put too much pressure on it.

thanks for the high quality responses ACR!

I am gonna go for it as soon as I get my hex bits from amazon...

20% chance I break something, but those are odds I'll take anyday to save $80 install at the dealer

Cus its a pretty simple no-brainer install it seems like, after the quality tips from forum members

Just be very careful not to move the angle señor which is behind the steering wheel very easy swop

My dealership did my steering wheel swap for free. Considering the risk of accidentally deploying the airbag or the risk of accidentally disabling your airbag I just don't see why doing it yourself could ever be worth the risk.

lucky you, what a nice dealership

I thought I would never do it myself until I figured out how simple it was from other members posts, and my dealer wants $80-$100 bucks that I think I can easily save, as a matter of principle rather than losing the money...

If RLE and Vic Viper can do it, why can't I I say

- disconnect battery
-unscrew 2 torx screws from behind wheel
-disconnect airbag connectors and remove airbag/wheel core
- unscrew center bolt with socket hex wrench while holding wheel with legs or another person
- watch center spine marking to make sure new wheel goes back with same alignment

-install new wheel and bag in reverse

If battery is disconnected, there is no way the bag can explode and hit me in the face, from what I hear at least

just waiting on my 8 and 10 mm hex sockets to come from ebay so I can do the swap...

what is the "angle senor" ?

rb23lb : i am going to do the same mods , i would like to know if your paddle shifter works ? or still just for looks ?. thanks

I bought it with paddle shifters removed and the holes in the back were plugged with a fabricated custom plug

Apparently Spanish for "steering angle sensor".

hey RLE, is it a no-brainer to removed the ground cable from the battery? or are there details in the manual? (misplaced mine)

Just received my Hex bits in the mail and am gonna try this at lunch break...

thanks in advance!

bump bump? what is the ground cable? is that another name for just the regular old negative and positive battery terminals??