Wood Steering Wheel
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 6
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GL500
Wood Steering Wheel
Spoke to dealer today about replacing 2010 GL leather steering wheel with wood/leather replacement. He said the dealer install wood wheel would disable the tiptronic paddles and their functionality. I am shocked at this as MB sells the wood wheel as a dealer option -- only to disable tiptronic?? Seems far-fetched to me -- anyone hear this before?
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 413
Likes: 6
From: San Diego
2021 Tesla M3SR+, 2017 GLS550, 2011 E350 Bluetec, 2007 GL450 (GONE), 2003 E500 (GONE)
The dealer is giving you a bunch of BS. I retrofitted 3 wooden steering wheels on one ML and two GL. None of the functionality was lost (except on my late GL that had heated steering but who needs it in California anyway). It is also EXTREMELY easy to do this upgrade yourself as it takes only 15 minutes to complete. How much does the dealer want to charge you for work?
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 6
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GL500
This is the situation -- I have committed to buying a 2010 CPO GL 450 (I drive a 2006 ML 500 today, have third child on way so need 3rd row) from a dealer in NY area. In negotiating price, dealer agreed to install running boards and upgrade to wood steering wheel. Now dealer has come back and said they will put in wheel but tiptronic will be gone. I spoke to MB last night and they say they cannot see why it would disable tiptronic as they design the retrofit wheel to go with the vehicle. In fact, they have a brochure (on-line PDF on MB website) that offers the wood wheel as an upgrade on GL (with no asterisks about functionality). The MB rep is having a product speacialist contact me today and I also intend to call one or two other dealers to get their take. So there is not really a price -- my concern is dealer is trying to get me to back out of deal, possibly a better offer on the vehicle. Seems quite far-fetched to me as these are all certified MB parts.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 2,244
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From: Scottsdale, AZ
2004 RX330, 2008 Scion xB, 2001 Honda Insight Hybrid, 2010 Toyot Prius v ATP
Not only did I switch from the all MB-Tex to wood/leather steering wheel in my '07 320, rather than having one side upshift and the other downshift, my tiptronic is now upshift on the outside of the rocker switch and downshift on the inside.
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Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 413
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From: San Diego
2021 Tesla M3SR+, 2017 GLS550, 2011 E350 Bluetec, 2007 GL450 (GONE), 2003 E500 (GONE)
I've seen them to go on e-bay for as low as $125 and as high as $600 (I am referring to the OEM Mercedes wheel and not knock offs from China). This is really supply and demand thing. A good price is about $350.
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Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 413
Likes: 6
From: San Diego
2021 Tesla M3SR+, 2017 GLS550, 2011 E350 Bluetec, 2007 GL450 (GONE), 2003 E500 (GONE)
As far as I can recall (it's been about one year since I did the last retrofit on my GL) you can remove all of the buttons and shifters from your non-wooden wheel and put them onto the new one. The dealer is just keeping you misinformed (just like it was no way possible to integrate Mercedes navigation onto 2003 W211 but I did it anyway. Now every time I drive it to the dealership entire service department comes out and looks at it in disbelieve
) Don't always trust you dealer!
