komp55

I decided it was about time to finally install the MP Design steering wheel that I picked up a while back when Performance Products was running a 20% discount special.

The install procedure is very straight forward and I’d rate this job a very low degree of difficulty. Before starting, I made sure I had the necessary tools on hand, as well as the required replacement steering wheel bolt.

The required tools consist of a 10mm hex bit for removing the wheel from the column, Mercedes tool number 126 589 00 10 00 to remove the airbag from the wheel, Mercedes tool 203 589 04 33 00 to release the locking tabs on the airbag connectors, a T25 torx screwdriver to transfer the airbag backing plate from the old wheel to the new wheel, a torque wrench, a 3/8th drive ratchet wrench, and a small flat blade screwdriver.

Here’s a picture of the necessary tools:



The process I used to install the new steering wheel follows. To have enough clearance, fully extend the wheel out to its full-out position. Now you’re ready to begin. First step is to disconnect the negative battery terminal in the trunk. This ensures the airbag will not accidentally fire off while you’re removing or reinstalling the connectors. Now you’re ready to remove the old steering wheel, which requires removal of the airbag first. The airbag is removed by loosening the two torx fasteners located on the back side of the wheel with the MB tool mentioned above. Here’s a shot with the airbag detached from the steering wheel, but with the electrical connectors still connected:



Next step is to disconnect the connectors. There are four. The green and yellow connectors have a special locking tab, and the tool mention above is used to release the tabs. The tabs lift straight up and then you can unplug the connectors. You must also release the connectors for both sides on the multi-function buttons on the wheel. Once all of the connectors are disconnected, you can then remove the airbag from the steering wheel.

To remove the actual steering wheel, use the 10mm hex bit and a long wrench for leverage since the bolt is tight. Once the bolt is removed, you simply slide the wheel off the steering column spindle. The next step is to transfer the airbag backing plate, the transmission shift buttons, the airbag fasteners, and the wheel wiring harness from the old wheel to the new wheel. I used the T25 torx screwdriver to remove the four screws holding the backing plate in place. Here’s a shot of the plate before removal:


With the MP Design wheel now fully assembled, it’s time to install it in the car. Carefully align the tiny arrow on the bottom of the spindle opening with the slot on the steering column and slide the wheel in place. The factory manual specifies that a new fastener be used, so that’s what I did since the bolt was pretty inexpensive. Here’s a side view of the column fastener before installation:



The bolt is torqued to 80 Nm. Once the steering wheel is torqued in place, you can reinstall the airbag. Position the airbag, reconnect the four connectors, and then secure it in place by screwing in the torx fasteners from the rear side of the wheel. The airbag fasteners are torqued to 8 Nm. Once those are torqued in place, you are done. It’s that easy.

Here’s a shot of the new wheel in place, before wiping off some sweat and smudges:



I took the car for a drive following the install, and the thicker steering wheel was a definite improvement in feel and appearance. I now join the many before me in viewing this as a very worthwhile upgrade.

BrianS

Excellent job.

Timeless

Nice write up! I love my upgraded wheel also.

mthis

do they make any for the c63? i saw one that looked flat on the top as well as the bottom, this was on ebay so i dint trust it that much any help thanks in advance.

aleksandar1099

Nice Write up! The steering wheel mod is a must for the e55!!

JoelE55

Great work...

BenzoBoi

I have the same wheel. It's awesome!

zoink

+1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000

Stock should've come w/ it.

phatmitzu

good job!

06E55

Can you use this method without replacing any parts to straighten out the factor steering wheel? My wheels are in alignment; however, when going strain my steering wheel is a few degrees off (the top of the Mercedes Silver Star is pointing more towards 11 o-clock than 12 o-clock). It is not a major problem on short trips, however, on longer trips my upper body starts cramping from holding my arms at 3 & 9 on the steering wheel (right where my shifter buttons are).

komp55

Yes, it's possible your car had an aftermarket wheel on it that was replaced with the factory wheel before being sold - and the reinstalled wheel was a couple of splines off center when it was installed.

06E55

Cool. Thanks for the info! It's another thing to I can add to my to-do-list (which will make my honey-do list even longer as I start checking off things on my to-do-list first :-) )

aw21

so i need to go to the dealer to get those special MB tools? No way to get tabs off w/out?

Blacksport350

Old thread but in case anyone uses this DIY down the road.....

You really don't need the airbag connector tool from MB. You use a small screwdriver to carefully pry the center tabs up on the airbag connectors and then carefully pull them off.

I have also done several of these without changing the bolt. It is not a safety issue as it is a strong bolt but you do need to apply blue thread lock before reinstalling it. The new bolt has fresh thread lock on it hence the recommended replacement.

The MP Wheel upgrade is so worth it and while you're at it, add E63 paddles to. For an '05 on they are plug and play (with the exception of modding the wheel to mount them), for an '03 and '04, this DIY works great:

https://mbworld.org/forums/sl55-amg-...les-101-a.html

Jon2007E63P30

More thanks from me as well!

newmindmds

thanks for the and detailed write-up. just completed mod on my 06 e350. very easy to do and makes a world of difference as far as curb appeal.