I am working on my neighbor's w210 swapping out a whole interior,changing color so now I got to the dash part.I got the old airbag removed and when trying to remove the "new" airbag of the parts car,one torx bold is stripped and won't take the torx bit.I have tried many things but nothing seems to catch what's left.I tried a smaller bit T27 and can feel it go in but turns freely so it is stripped.I've tried an allen wrench and cut it somewhat close to size but that isn't doing anything either.These bolts don't have much dept as other torx bolts have.Also the parts car steering column won't extent,so an issue there also.Display is out and whole dash lose.The steering wheel (black) I try to remove is in like new condition and I really don't like to mess with it but it seems that I ran out of choices to get that last torx bolt out.I took the old wheel apart to see how it was put together and it looks like drilling out the bold is pretty much impossible and won't do anything since it also has a washer attached to it that needs to be drilled off.It becomes more of grinding the whole bolt down of which I have nothing that'll fit in the small steering wheel hole without doing damage.I'm now thinking on trying to cut into the side of the airbag/plastic part near the buttons so I can stick a saw blade in it and then try to cut the frame where the bolt goes through,apart so the airbag will come out.Then I can use the frame of the old steering wheel and of course will need to go look for a nice black airbag...I've looked around and airbags are cheaper than nice steering wheels although cutting in the side of the wheel would make things so much easier.Before I'll go about it I like to see if anyone has found a better way to get that airbag off.I know this system was used on many Mercedes cars so anyone with that experience I like to pick their brains.

 

honestly youre pretty screwed. not what you want to hear but if that bolt is stripped drilling it out wont do anything for you.
try putting a rubber band on the end of your socket and seeing if itll grab

 

Well I got it out.Tried a hail Mary by hammering the T30 tool in it till it got stuck and finally the bolt came loose.When out,I've looked at the bolt and can't believe the T30 grabbed it.It is all round inside.Whoever messed with it before did a great number on it.
Thanks for your reply though as I was thinking the same of what you've said.I've read many "advice" on line about this subject and so many suggested "drill it out" but I don't believe they know how it was put together.Best one was "use a dremel and cut a slice in it,then use a screwdriver"....

 

Those are always nightmares. iv had to remove some pretty bad ones in the past. just shove it in there and pray for the best. pretty much what you did

 

Hi, this is kind of a Hail Mary as this post is 3 years old. I think I have the same problem with the airbag bolts being stripped. Apparently you got it out by hammering the torx key in. I have to ask: how’d you get the hammer to fit? I barely have any clearance as is. Do i have to remove the under-dash?

 

There are stripped bolt extraction bits (https://www.harborfreight.com/multis...ece-58699.html), but there are no guarantees that any method will work. Determination and luck are prerequisites.

 

Alright. Thanks. Guess I’ll go see how lucky I am

 

I also tried a little trick. Jbweld blob on the torx and shove it in. Leave it overnight to harden and out it comes

 

Interesting. The airbag is manufactured in a way that the bolts aren’t supposed to come out though?

 

The bolts can be replaced. the only thing physically holding them in place is the airbag plate inside the wheel. the metal plate. once you unscrew that after the airbag is out you can remove the bolts. they just fall out. then replace

 

youre going to have a nightmare of a time trying to drill the bolt

 

Maybe the bolts are intentionally difficult to remove as a theft deterrent. But the massive airbag recall/replacement implies that they are removable with the right tools and know-how.

 

I see. Well I’ll try the JB weld trick if I can’t get it out with brute force. Thanks

 

most of the time people use the wrong torx size as there were two different sizes depending on the year and model. They are not difficult to remove if you have the right size tools. Just need a deep Torx sex, wera has a fantastic set for this
also many get confused with how to loosen the bolts since it’s backwards. Iv don’t hundreds of these over the years and I still double check myself