E-Class (W211) 2003-2009

For those that have Wood Steering Wheels

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Old Mar 31, 2008 | 04:05 PM
  #1  
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For those that have Wood Steering Wheels

Hi everyone,

Just had a black birds eye maple wood steering wheel installed on my 2004 E320. Just wondering, does the steering wheel you guys have have fingertip grooves in the back on the wood section? Mine doesn't and wondering if anyone else's does. My dad's CL500 has the grooves, but maybe that's cause it's a CL

Please let me know, want to figure this out once and for all. Oh, and let me know if you guys have the brown wood steering wheel or black wood steering wheel (to see if one or the other has grooves or if neither do) and if you guys have a 2003-2006 E-class or a 2007-2008 (facelifted) E-class.
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Old Mar 31, 2008 | 04:40 PM
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Eurocharged 2004 E500, Eurocharged ECU/TCU 2005 SL600, 2010 Caddy SwaggerWagon
Black birds eye maple, and yes, it has finger grooves. I believe all of the OEM ones do. But don't quote me on that.

Did you buy yours at the dealer or was it aftermarket?


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Old Mar 31, 2008 | 04:54 PM
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2021 E450 4matic
Mine is factory and brown and no I don't have finger grooves. 2008.
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Old Mar 31, 2008 | 05:17 PM
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07 E320 Bluetec
Originally Posted by LRM1
Mine is factory and brown and no I don't have finger grooves. 2008.
+1
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Old Mar 31, 2008 | 05:30 PM
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Benz-O-Rama,

I had it installed by a family friend that I usually take my benzes to, he has an independent shop. I asked and he said that it was OEM, not aftermarket.

I don't want to confront him unless I'm a 100% sure about this. It has grooves on the back, but only on the leather part, not the wood one. Is there any place externally on the steering that has a Benz part number? Can't find one on this one or the original leather one that I still have.
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Old Mar 31, 2008 | 06:17 PM
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The fact that 2 other people replied to this thread with OEM wheels and no grooves has me thinking that maybe my logic is reversed. Maybe it's the aftermarket ones that have the finger grooves.

Or maybe, some OEM ones have them, maybe some don't. I'm sure that someone who knows definitively will respond. There's plenty of people on this forum that know an awful lot about these cars.
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Old Mar 31, 2008 | 06:24 PM
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'10 CL550, '12 GL550
On our E-class we have factory installed wood wheel--no grooves.

On our GL we have aftermarket (MP Designs) wood wheel--has grooves.

I like the one without grooves better.
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Old Mar 31, 2008 | 06:51 PM
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‘23 EQS AMG
mine's '07 OEM from dealer, no grooves.
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Old Mar 31, 2008 | 08:46 PM
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ale's Avatar
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From: Extreme NE Iowa
2004 E320 4matic
Our European delivered E320 has finger groves on both the walnut and leather portions of the steering wheel...great drive!
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Old Mar 31, 2008 | 11:50 PM
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From: DVStyle
2006 Mercedes Benz E350
OEM w/ no grooves...
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Old Apr 1, 2008 | 12:07 AM
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e500
05 e500, factory wood wheel. No grooves.
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Old Apr 1, 2008 | 03:42 AM
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Thanks to everyone

Just wanted to thank everyone who has posted so far for helping out on this... it really was bugging me the whole grooves or not grooves thing.

This is turning out to be kind of interesting actually. Hopefully we can get a definite answer.

Just like to also add that this forum is great. Don't know what I would do without it.
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Old Apr 1, 2008 | 10:14 AM
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Factory installed Leather/Wood Wheel... Smooth, no grooves anywhere.
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Old Apr 1, 2008 | 12:31 PM
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'14 E350 wagon; BMW G12 (2020) G01 (2019)
OEM wood wheel (from dealer) but not factory installed. No finger detents. (08 E550)
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Old Apr 1, 2008 | 03:37 PM
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Aftermarket birdseye maple, with grooves
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Old Apr 1, 2008 | 04:25 PM
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'03 E500 Sport
Kind of Off Topic, but not really - Can you get the wood wheel and still be able to utilize the heated steering wheel option??
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Old Apr 1, 2008 | 04:46 PM
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There were no heater elements ever placed under the wood parts... only under the leather.
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Old Apr 1, 2008 | 07:49 PM
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'04 E500 Wagon
Wood & Leather Heated wheel w/ Grooves / OEM

Tis true -- the wood and leather wheel I have is heated,
but only the leather portion is warmed. (yes, that makes
the wood part feel colder)

This is a factory installed heated wood & leather wheel
with finger grooves (bumps).

The dealer sales guy said "oh, they must have removed the
original wheel and replaced it with the wood and leather wheel,
too bad since the car had a heated wheel option". Guess he
did not know the heated wheels were available in "wood and leather".

I wonder if MB did away with some of the options on these
cars in later years because the sales force could not keep it all straight.

------------
'04 E500 Wagon
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Old Apr 1, 2008 | 07:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Barry45RPM
Factory installed Leather/Wood Wheel... Smooth, no grooves anywhere.
Ditto
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Old Apr 1, 2008 | 09:54 PM
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2014 E550; 2003 E500
Originally Posted by dac01
Tis true -- the wood and leather wheel I have is heated,
but only the leather portion is warmed. (yes, that makes
the wood part feel colder)

This is a factory installed heated wood & leather wheel
with finger grooves (bumps).

The dealer sales guy said "oh, they must have removed the
original wheel and replaced it with the wood and leather wheel,
too bad since the car had a heated wheel option". Guess he
did not know the heated wheels were available in "wood and leather".

I wonder if MB did away with some of the options on these
cars in later years because the sales force could not keep it all straight.

------------
'04 E500 Wagon

Me too. Heated wood steering wheel w/Grooves. Only leather heated.
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Old Apr 1, 2008 | 10:47 PM
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Eurocharged 2004 E500, Eurocharged ECU/TCU 2005 SL600, 2010 Caddy SwaggerWagon
I can't find a pattern here. It's all over the place.

I like my grooves!
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Old Apr 2, 2008 | 01:43 AM
  #22  
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From: bay area, CA
'06 E350 Iridium Silver with pano
2006 e350 here with the wood steering wheel, but with no grooves.
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Old Apr 2, 2008 | 12:49 PM
  #23  
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Originally Posted by Benz-O-Rama
I can't find a pattern here. It's all over the place.

I like my grooves!
Same here, this is confusing

From what I can gather, those of you that had the wood steering wheel option on your vehicles (a factory wheel), the vehicles were MY 2003-2004. The one's 2005 and up do not have the grooves. Maybe MBUSA decided to make this change or maybe DAG decided not to produce this wheel with grooves anymore. The latter would explain why the wheel I got doesn't have grooves since the one with grooves had stopped being manufactured.

Have we found decontenting in the steering wheels???
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Old Apr 2, 2008 | 05:21 PM
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From: Sarasota, FL
07' CLK63 designo Graphite/Black; 07' E350 Sport White/Cashmere
2007 OEM black birds eye maple wood steering wheel, no grooves.

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