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D2 - Axles, Brakes, Suspension and Steering Brakes, Springs, shocks, steering racks, steering columns, suspension arms, wheel hubs etc.

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Old 11th May 2010, 12:51 PM
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Default Steering Wheel Change

Its been pending for a while this one, but my car the older style tiptronic sports steering wheel which was fitted on the late 1998 pre facelift cars and facelift cars upto about 2000. It has raised tiptronic buttons and looks a little less sleek than its later counterpart which also has a more modern looking chrome ring around the 4 audi rings in the middle.

Connections between the two are identical, so its a pretty easy exchange.

Heres the original factory fitted wheel:



So firstly we need to remove the airbag. For this you probably ought to disconnect the battery etc and use extreme caution when handling the airbag but I tend to just do it with ignition off to be honest, but dont come crying to me if your airbag goes off

There are two T30 Torx bolts on the rear of the steering wheel out of sight. You will need to turn the steering wheel off center to be able to get a socket into them. They will be tight, but will come out.

Once they are loose, the airbag is loose. It will have a connector into the center which needs disconnecting carefully.

Before the wheel can come off, you will need to disconnect the black connector shown a the top of the steering wheel from the slip ring behind it. This connector has 4 wires - ground, tip up, tip down and illumination. The connector below is for the airbag and horn.



The center bolt is a triple square of some size I believe, but I'm so vague because I always use a Torx T55 which is a perfect fit. Use a small extention to get you clear of the wheel itself.

This bolt will be dam tight. I wouldnt advise having the steering lock on as you run the risk of breaking it with the force needed to relax this bolt. Instead leave the steering loose and use the cars natural instinct to not want to turn the front wheels to wrench against.

I strongly recommend centralising the steering wheel prior to removing it to make it a heck of a lot easier to get the new one on straight !!



Here are the two wheels side by side - Old on left, new on right. Note that getting the right colour is important as the steering wheel is designed to match the upper dash colour, so could be beige, grey, black, brown (Rare) or a few others.

Its interesting to note the new wheel is about half the weight of the old one...



New wheel in place, ready for bolting back up:



and airbag back in, screwed up using the same Torx 30's behind



Then take it for a quick test drive, make sure that it is straight as being one notch out can be surprising annoying (experience speaking here!!) - Also test the horn works, tip buttons work and that the airbag light is off....

Once thats done, you can sit back and admire your more youthful looking car
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The Daily Town Car - 2023 Tesla Model Y Performance. Black with Black. Giant ipad screen, huge sunroof, 4 wheel drive, Tow bar, lots of ooomph and made in China, so actually built properly unlike the Californian ones.

The Family Wagon - 2018 Tesla Model X. Black, 7 Seats, Towbar, Homelink, Enhanced Auto pilot with Summon and self park, Heated front seats, CCS Charger upgrade, MCU2 Upgrade, Falconwing Doors, Self opening / closing doors, Netflix, Spotify, toys, Air suspension, alcantara roof + lots of other stuff......

The 17 year old Driver Wagon 2015 Skoda Citigo Monte Carlo. Alloys, Power steering, Aircon, Leccy windows, Sat Nav, bluetooth, central locking, cup holders, 59 whole bhp. Million times better than my first car. Well jealous.....

The First 20 Audis:

2001 D2 4.2 QS Silver, 1997 D2 S8 Silver, 1999 D2 4.2 Silver, 2002 D2 S8 Dolphin Grey,
2003 C5 RS6 Blue, 1998 D2 S8 Black, 2000 D2 4.2 QS/S8 Ming Blue, 2003 D3 4.2 Ming Blue,
2005 B7 S4 Blue, 2006 D3 3.0 Tdi Black, 1999 D2 4.2 Silver, 2003 D3 4.2 LPG Crystal Blue,
2000 D2 S8 Silver, 2007 3.0 Tdi Q7 Black, 2009 B8 S4 Black, 1998 D2 S8 Agate Grey,
2006 D3 4.2 Tdi Blue, 2006 D3 S8, 2007 Q7 3.0 Tdi, 2006 C6 S6,

The Second 20 Audis:

2011 A7 Sline, 2001 A2 1.4 Tdi Black, 2002 A2 1.4 Tdi Silver, 2006 A8 4.2 Tdi Blue,
2007 4.2 Tdi Q7, 2006 S4 Cab Silver, 2010 RS6 Saloon Black , 2007 TT Roadster,
2010 A8 D4 4.2 Silver, 2006 C6 A6 2.7 Tdi Quattro, 2000 D2 4.2 QS/S8 Ming Blue (again), 2008 Q7 4.2 Black,
2009 C6 RS6 Saloon Daytona Grey, 2001 Fully Loaded A2 Tdi, 2006 Avant S6 Black, 2007 VW Caravelle Exec Black (almost an Audi)
2009 TT Roadster Daytona, 2015 Q7 4.2 tdi lava grey, 2002 GmbH D2 demonstrator, 2006 D3 A8 LWB 4.2 Tdi Black

Most Recent Audis:

2001 A2 1.4 Tdi Black, 2007 4.2 FSi Q7 ABT Blue, 2016 S5 Coupe Launch model, 2004 S4 B6 Cabriolet, 2016 Q7 Sline White, 2006 Q7 4.2 FSi Black, 2012 Q7 Sline+ 4.2Tdi White, 2008 Blue Audi S8

Everything Else

1989 Subaru Justy, 1986 Vauxhall Cartlton 2.0 GL, 1985 Vauxhall Carlton 2.2 CDi, 1987 Ford Sierra XR4x4, 1983 Vauxhall Senator, 1985 Vauxhall Senator 3.0i, 1997 Polo Saloon, 1997 Peugeot 306 1.9 TDi, Ford Sierra Sapphire 2000E, 1990 Subaru Justy, 2000 Subaru Impreza, 2000 Subaru Impreza RB5, 1993 Range Rover LSE, 2005 VW Bora, 2003 Skoda Superb, 2003 VW Passat V6 4 Motion, 1996 Peugeot 106, 2000 Range Rover 4.0, 2019 Tesla Model 3 Performance
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  #2  
Old 11th May 2010, 12:59 PM
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Brilliant Ian, the new one is a lot better, I'm glad my car is a 01 and came with this wheel already on it. What I would say though is, try kiwi shoe polish on your RNS E, mine pretty much matches the climate panel now and even James's thought it looked okay. Praise indeed.
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Old 22nd May 2010, 05:00 AM
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Its rare I need to revisit a post, but really, I have to.

I cant express just how much nicer this steering wheel feels. I'm really taken back by it. I did it for purely cosmetic reasons, but you can *feel* it is lighter and somehow makes the car feel more agile, and also its got a subtly different contours and this again makes it sit just that little bit nicer in the hands when driving.....

What a thoroughly worthwhile mod....
__________________
For parts enquiries and Forum User Administration please contact customer services directly, not me - enquiry@a8parts.co.uk, www.a8parts.co.uk, or call 01642 783537

The Daily Town Car - 2023 Tesla Model Y Performance. Black with Black. Giant ipad screen, huge sunroof, 4 wheel drive, Tow bar, lots of ooomph and made in China, so actually built properly unlike the Californian ones.

The Family Wagon - 2018 Tesla Model X. Black, 7 Seats, Towbar, Homelink, Enhanced Auto pilot with Summon and self park, Heated front seats, CCS Charger upgrade, MCU2 Upgrade, Falconwing Doors, Self opening / closing doors, Netflix, Spotify, toys, Air suspension, alcantara roof + lots of other stuff......

The 17 year old Driver Wagon 2015 Skoda Citigo Monte Carlo. Alloys, Power steering, Aircon, Leccy windows, Sat Nav, bluetooth, central locking, cup holders, 59 whole bhp. Million times better than my first car. Well jealous.....

The First 20 Audis:

2001 D2 4.2 QS Silver, 1997 D2 S8 Silver, 1999 D2 4.2 Silver, 2002 D2 S8 Dolphin Grey,
2003 C5 RS6 Blue, 1998 D2 S8 Black, 2000 D2 4.2 QS/S8 Ming Blue, 2003 D3 4.2 Ming Blue,
2005 B7 S4 Blue, 2006 D3 3.0 Tdi Black, 1999 D2 4.2 Silver, 2003 D3 4.2 LPG Crystal Blue,
2000 D2 S8 Silver, 2007 3.0 Tdi Q7 Black, 2009 B8 S4 Black, 1998 D2 S8 Agate Grey,
2006 D3 4.2 Tdi Blue, 2006 D3 S8, 2007 Q7 3.0 Tdi, 2006 C6 S6,

The Second 20 Audis:

2011 A7 Sline, 2001 A2 1.4 Tdi Black, 2002 A2 1.4 Tdi Silver, 2006 A8 4.2 Tdi Blue,
2007 4.2 Tdi Q7, 2006 S4 Cab Silver, 2010 RS6 Saloon Black , 2007 TT Roadster,
2010 A8 D4 4.2 Silver, 2006 C6 A6 2.7 Tdi Quattro, 2000 D2 4.2 QS/S8 Ming Blue (again), 2008 Q7 4.2 Black,
2009 C6 RS6 Saloon Daytona Grey, 2001 Fully Loaded A2 Tdi, 2006 Avant S6 Black, 2007 VW Caravelle Exec Black (almost an Audi)
2009 TT Roadster Daytona, 2015 Q7 4.2 tdi lava grey, 2002 GmbH D2 demonstrator, 2006 D3 A8 LWB 4.2 Tdi Black

Most Recent Audis:

2001 A2 1.4 Tdi Black, 2007 4.2 FSi Q7 ABT Blue, 2016 S5 Coupe Launch model, 2004 S4 B6 Cabriolet, 2016 Q7 Sline White, 2006 Q7 4.2 FSi Black, 2012 Q7 Sline+ 4.2Tdi White, 2008 Blue Audi S8

Everything Else

1989 Subaru Justy, 1986 Vauxhall Cartlton 2.0 GL, 1985 Vauxhall Carlton 2.2 CDi, 1987 Ford Sierra XR4x4, 1983 Vauxhall Senator, 1985 Vauxhall Senator 3.0i, 1997 Polo Saloon, 1997 Peugeot 306 1.9 TDi, Ford Sierra Sapphire 2000E, 1990 Subaru Justy, 2000 Subaru Impreza, 2000 Subaru Impreza RB5, 1993 Range Rover LSE, 2005 VW Bora, 2003 Skoda Superb, 2003 VW Passat V6 4 Motion, 1996 Peugeot 106, 2000 Range Rover 4.0, 2019 Tesla Model 3 Performance
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  #4  
Old 27th May 2010, 02:55 PM
carrotchomper carrotchomper is offline
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Gah!

I'm having a nightmare with my wheel now. Changed it some time ago for a wooden one, which I love, however it's been off centre for ages so finally got around to (trying) to sort it out today... The annoyance has finally bitten! Turns out one of the airbag bolts has sheared off. Also I can't get the main bolt undone again- It was really, really tight last time I did it but now won't come off!

Does anyone have any bright ideas for removing half a sheared bolt from inside the airbag housing? Would far rather remove the half and then use one of the identical bolts from my old wheel rather than buying another airbag unit! The bolt, I think, only sheared off through a bit of overtightening and also being undone at an odd angle.
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Old 27th May 2010, 03:06 PM
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IT IT is offline
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Photo would really help.... Is the airbag now off, but a bolt stuck inside the bracket??

The center nut is just about brute force. Get a good extension and a breaker bar and hang on it till it goes....
__________________
For parts enquiries and Forum User Administration please contact customer services directly, not me - enquiry@a8parts.co.uk, www.a8parts.co.uk, or call 01642 783537

The Daily Town Car - 2023 Tesla Model Y Performance. Black with Black. Giant ipad screen, huge sunroof, 4 wheel drive, Tow bar, lots of ooomph and made in China, so actually built properly unlike the Californian ones.

The Family Wagon - 2018 Tesla Model X. Black, 7 Seats, Towbar, Homelink, Enhanced Auto pilot with Summon and self park, Heated front seats, CCS Charger upgrade, MCU2 Upgrade, Falconwing Doors, Self opening / closing doors, Netflix, Spotify, toys, Air suspension, alcantara roof + lots of other stuff......

The 17 year old Driver Wagon 2015 Skoda Citigo Monte Carlo. Alloys, Power steering, Aircon, Leccy windows, Sat Nav, bluetooth, central locking, cup holders, 59 whole bhp. Million times better than my first car. Well jealous.....

The First 20 Audis:

2001 D2 4.2 QS Silver, 1997 D2 S8 Silver, 1999 D2 4.2 Silver, 2002 D2 S8 Dolphin Grey,
2003 C5 RS6 Blue, 1998 D2 S8 Black, 2000 D2 4.2 QS/S8 Ming Blue, 2003 D3 4.2 Ming Blue,
2005 B7 S4 Blue, 2006 D3 3.0 Tdi Black, 1999 D2 4.2 Silver, 2003 D3 4.2 LPG Crystal Blue,
2000 D2 S8 Silver, 2007 3.0 Tdi Q7 Black, 2009 B8 S4 Black, 1998 D2 S8 Agate Grey,
2006 D3 4.2 Tdi Blue, 2006 D3 S8, 2007 Q7 3.0 Tdi, 2006 C6 S6,

The Second 20 Audis:

2011 A7 Sline, 2001 A2 1.4 Tdi Black, 2002 A2 1.4 Tdi Silver, 2006 A8 4.2 Tdi Blue,
2007 4.2 Tdi Q7, 2006 S4 Cab Silver, 2010 RS6 Saloon Black , 2007 TT Roadster,
2010 A8 D4 4.2 Silver, 2006 C6 A6 2.7 Tdi Quattro, 2000 D2 4.2 QS/S8 Ming Blue (again), 2008 Q7 4.2 Black,
2009 C6 RS6 Saloon Daytona Grey, 2001 Fully Loaded A2 Tdi, 2006 Avant S6 Black, 2007 VW Caravelle Exec Black (almost an Audi)
2009 TT Roadster Daytona, 2015 Q7 4.2 tdi lava grey, 2002 GmbH D2 demonstrator, 2006 D3 A8 LWB 4.2 Tdi Black

Most Recent Audis:

2001 A2 1.4 Tdi Black, 2007 4.2 FSi Q7 ABT Blue, 2016 S5 Coupe Launch model, 2004 S4 B6 Cabriolet, 2016 Q7 Sline White, 2006 Q7 4.2 FSi Black, 2012 Q7 Sline+ 4.2Tdi White, 2008 Blue Audi S8

Everything Else

1989 Subaru Justy, 1986 Vauxhall Cartlton 2.0 GL, 1985 Vauxhall Carlton 2.2 CDi, 1987 Ford Sierra XR4x4, 1983 Vauxhall Senator, 1985 Vauxhall Senator 3.0i, 1997 Polo Saloon, 1997 Peugeot 306 1.9 TDi, Ford Sierra Sapphire 2000E, 1990 Subaru Justy, 2000 Subaru Impreza, 2000 Subaru Impreza RB5, 1993 Range Rover LSE, 2005 VW Bora, 2003 Skoda Superb, 2003 VW Passat V6 4 Motion, 1996 Peugeot 106, 2000 Range Rover 4.0, 2019 Tesla Model 3 Performance
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Old 27th May 2010, 11:27 PM
carrotchomper carrotchomper is offline
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Thanks Ian, I'll try to get it apart again tomorrow. Basically half the bolt is left in the airbag housing. Had a couple of tips from Pistonheads so will probably take it out of the car, leave the capacitors to discharge for a while and carefully drill it out. The centre bolt is annoying, had devils own delight getting it off last time, including smacking my chin on the car door! Bought another extension today but it's not terribly long and doesn't fit with the shape of the wheel. I actually sheared the Torx bit tightening it up last time. Obviously a bit too tight! This will sound like a very amateur question, but is it clockwise or anti to undo the main bolt? Don't want to break myself trying, mistakenly, to do it up tighter!!!
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Old 18th January 2011, 07:44 PM
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Adrian E Adrian E is offline
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Just to note on the airbag front, usual best practice for disconnecting airbags is to disconnect the battery, leave it for half an hour for any capacitors to discharge, then remove. Also advised when remaking the connections to stand outside the car and turn the ignition on the first time, in case it's shorted and fires as soon as it sees power!

When storing airbags they 'should' be placed in a secure locked cabinet with the airbag facing up - don't ever put it face down.

Advantage of doing this is you're less likely to get a fault code recorded if you disconnect the battery, and much less likely to get killed by it

Airbags used to be part of my day job (vehicle safety and accident investigation)

Adrian
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