Arrie

As some people here in the forum complain about Mbrace and other hi-tech functions of the car here is another item that I'm not really complainng about but voice my thought about here.

I used to have an Audi Q7 and it had something that I miss in my 212. In the center by the control knob (similar to Comand control knob) it had two buttons and another small control knob that the 212 does not have. These were the buttons and the control for forward and backward on the radio and the volume control.

Usually I drive my car with the left hand on the wheel and the right arm resting on the center with right hand available to do Comand control but so often when the volume on the radio needs to be adjusted I need to do it either on the center console or with the volume buttons on the steering wheel so both of these require me to move my right arm to reach these buttons.

Yes, what a drag and says how lazy I am....

But anyway, does anybody here know if the buttons on the 2010 E steering wheel can be swapped around? The buttons are symmetric in design meaning round unlike on some other models.

The benefit from this would be to have radio volume control on the left side of the wheel allowing control without reaching that center console knob or the steering wheel with the right hand. On long trips this would help me and perhaps some others.

It still means that radio channel or trac can only be changed by the Comand knob when in radio or disk screen or with wheel buttons if in that mode bit this would be so much better.

If button swap on the wheel is possible the next thing i look into is to add the forward/backward buttons by the Comand knob.

thefisch

Not lazy in my book - we all form our habits and ergonomics are important. My last car had basic climate controls on the steering wheel including on/off, air recirc, temp up/down, and defrost for front and rear. It was so convenient and I miss being able to hit the recirc button in an instant without taking my eyes off the road.

Not sure about your Q7, but the A6 I drove this weekend did not have a volume control on the center stack like comand does. I suppose Audi moved it to the center console so all the controls are in one place, to your point. While I can't say if I would prefer the volume control there, I can definitely say I was blown away with the MMI tech in the car. Audi is clear in the lead on that one.

I like your idea of this assignable button concept in being able to reprogram any button to suit your desired functionality. While I doubt it could be done without rewiring, that kind of customization is needed with all the tech in these cars.

Arrie

Thanks for your post fisch.
But I'm not taking about re-programming anything. I'm talking about physically swapping the buttons on the steering wheel keeping the wires as they are with the buttons.

thefisch

Sorry, I got off on a tangent about the concept. It was not what you were asking about. I just had the thought of having a 'Logitech Harmony' steering wheel and ran with it.

YYZ-E55

I agree with you Arrie, it never made sense to me why the volume would be on the right spoke when that hand is naturally closer to the volume knob (unless you're in a RHD vehicle).

AudiA4Turbo22

I don't think this would be an issue. The buttons are attached to the airbag so once you remove it you should be able to dislodge the buttons and swap them. My Audi's MF buttons could be popped out to replace if necessary, so I don't see why not.

Arrie

I also have the Harmony for my entertainment system and it is awesome but the wheel in our cars is not that easy.
Swapping the buttons also moves the signature with them.

thefisch

I didn't realize the buttons have their own signature. I figured they were just contact points that closed the loop for the connection and that you would have to switch the wiring in the dash to make it work (even without switching the buttons). Show's that I've got more to learn.