Well, I finally got to open my MP designs walnut steering wheel that I got for Xmas and it is awesome. Absolutely beautiful. Got my Torx out and went to remove my old steering wheel and ran into some of the usual problems.

I am very familiar with connectors on my Chevy but I am unsure how to unclip the ones on a MB. Also which plug do you disconnect. I see two that going to the airbag and the other end that goes into the column. I can't easily unclip either. Can anybody tell me how to unclip these without making the airbag deploy or breaking the clips. Must I disconnect the battery before unclipping?

Thanks for any help

Where did you order yours and how long does it take to come for the steering wheels to come to your place?

Pics please

I'll take digital pics of the whole install as soon as I get the know how.

Got it from Autowerks and it took 3 or 4 days. My wife actually made the call.

Make sure the Key is out of the ignition and you won't have any deployment problems. As long as the key is out of the ignition the Air Bag circuit is dead.

The connectors on my air bag simply pulled right off with a little strength. Since I dont know what your ocnnectors look like I can't really tell you.

Can you post a picture of them ?

Nice wife...

So do you loose the protection of an airbag?

Here you go. I have learned it's better to ask questions before applying Neanderthal muscle. I'm good at that!

hey Vetlova can you send me a link or pic for that steering wheel i wanna see what it looks like..thanx enjoy your ride

Check out this thread on steering wheels. I've posted pictures from a selection of available steering wheels.

https://mbworld.org/forums/showpost....3&postcount=14

Your connections are the same as mine. Pull stright up on each until they release.

Remeber, key out of the ignition and dont't put the key in until you have re inserted the plugs after the wheel swap.

No... Once the new wheel is installed, the airbag will be functional again.

Sorry for the delay on the pics. I've been away and unable to sit down to a computer. I tried to extract the clips attached to the airbag and still could not get them loose. I talked to my mechanic who says that he thinks it takes a special clip compressor to get it off without breaking the plug. I have taken my car to the dealer to install. I'll post pics when I get it back. Unfortunately my dealer is a hundred miles away so it's a pain in the **** to get anything done.

Just be careful when you remove the clips. No special tool is required.

Only tool required is strength in your fingers... I swear I had to pull so hard I thought my hand would go numb. But the connector is a very snug sprng type. Once disconnected a spring shunts the circuit so no accidental problems occur.

Here's one pic. More later. I want to get some in sunlight. Flash makes the wood look much lighter than it really is.

damn good purchase!! congratulations!

Looks great. Nice purchase!

Nice look.

A curious question, if you've got a E55, did you change all the wood panels to the current colour? Or its stock?

I ordered it from the factory with burled walnut. As I recall the cost was minimal. I had seen the birdseye maple and compared it to another MB with a charcoal interior and I preferred the wood look. MP designs makes both types.

Looks great, Rob and as I'm sure you know, the feel is even better! This wheel adds really a lot of pleasure to the driving experience!