[pj94z]

Originally Posted by roger911

I had a hard time getting the airbag out, but once I knew where to look and exactly how to do it, it was very easy.

I misinterpreted where the "slots" were to depress the springs that hold the airbag in. I was digging around immediately behind the chrome trim piece, due to the 2D effect of photos. I'm attaching a good photo from behind the steering wheel showing the location of the holes for depressing the spring. If you feel around for them carefully, you'll find them. There are small slits in the rubber backing of the steering wheel, to allow entry of a small screw driver, but you'd never know they were there if you weren't looking for them. Also, it seems to work best if you have the screwdriver blade in a horizontal fashion (as in pic) then push in spring until the airbag releases on that side. Once you've found the spring with the screwdriver, it's unmistakable.

Also, the plugs on the back of the airbag have a retaining clips holding them on. Don't try to pry the plugs off without releasing the retention clips. They simply lift up (don't seperate them from the plug). Just stick the flat blade of the same small screwdriver under the center of the retaining clip on the back of the plug. The clip will raise, and allow the plug to come off of the back of the airbag.

Hope this additional detail helps.

Roger
2008 E92
Sport, Premium, 19" factory wheels.
Sparkling Graphite. Black leather.

PS: Be careful if you're aggressively honking at someone. Don't cram your palm onto the horn over the roundel. It will smush and suddenly look crumpled and concave. It'll cost you a new airbag!

Been doing this for almost 1 hr... When i insert the screw driver, it just hits metal or it moves around the casing, there is no spring.....


What am i missing ?

[pj94z]

Originally Posted by pj94z

Been doing this for almost 1 hr... When i insert the screw driver, it just hits metal or it moves around the casing, there is no spring.....


What am i missing ?

I finally figured it out.... Jeez, that was a lil tough to get the screwdriver in there!!

After that, it was smooth sailing

New wheel looks n feels amazing

http://minus.com/iqwLvgYQETY0u

[eddesq]

Hi all,

I have a 2008 E92 with the sport package (round airbag, chrome trim on steering wheel cover). I recently purchased an M3 steering wheel (smooth leather with tri-color stitching) and M3 cover, and the wheel itself came with the metal "plate" that contains the airbag spring clips and what appears to be all of the necessary "wiring" (black and green airbag connectors and the left connector to the steering column). A photo is attached.

I've read the thread, but I'm still not sure if any other owners have purchased steering wheels that included a new plate and wiring, or if everyone has simply re-used the plate and wiring that was included on the OEM wheel. My first question is whether there is any reason why I would need to replace the plate and wiring currently on the M3 wheel with the plate and wiring currently on the OEM wheel (which is still on my car). My second question is whether the right-sided connector to the steering wheel column originates from the right set of steering wheel controls. My final question is whether the left set of steering wheel controls likewise "plugs into" something, or not. My apologies if these are dumb questions and/or previously have been addressed in the thread.

I'm a new member to the forum and a first time poster, in addition to a new BMW owner, and I'm not terribly mechanically inclined. That being said, the consensus here seems to be that the steering wheel swap is fairly straightforward. I talked to my dealer about swapping it out and was given an estimate of 2 to 2.5 hours of labor. That seems pretty inflated to me, and I'm considering giving it a shot myself.

Your thoughts and advice are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for the help.

-Evan

[eddesq]

Well my impatience got the better of me and after re-reading the thread and convincing myself I had covered all the bases, I went ahead and installed the M3 wheel today. Took me just about an hour, maybe a little more, but I was painstakingly careful on every step. If I had any sort of experience doing this, it probably wouldn't have taken any more than 20-30 minutes. I must say that finding the slits for the airbag removal was really easy, as that seems to have been a point of contention here for some time. Anyway, the install was really straightforward, and I think it turned out great. The wheel looks and feels amazing. I think it matches well with the ZHP "M" shifter.

Many thanks to bavarian and all others who contributed tips to the DIY. I'm really glad I didn't spend close to $200 (or more) at the dealer on this project.

[import36]

Originally Posted by eddesq

Well my impatience got the better of me and after re-reading the thread and convincing myself I had covered all the bases, I went ahead and installed the M3 wheel today. Took me just about an hour, maybe a little more, but I was painstakingly careful on every step. If I had any sort of experience doing this, it probably wouldn't have taken any more than 20-30 minutes. I must say that finding the slits for the airbag removal was really easy, as that seems to have been a point of contention here for some time. Anyway, the install was really straightforward, and I think it turned out great. The wheel looks and feels amazing. I think it matches well with the ZHP "M" shifter.

Many thanks to bavarian and all others who contributed tips to the DIY. I'm really glad I didn't spend close to $200 (or more) at the dealer on this project.

well i actually have the same question as you....since my new M Performance wheel came in today. i didn't know it would have the metal plate and wiring in place. did you remove it and use the one from your stock steering wheel....or was it basically a "remove your stock wheel and put this one in its place" type of deal? this info would definitely help others in the future!

[eddesq]

Originally Posted by import36

well i actually have the same question as you....since my new M Performance wheel came in today. i didn't know it would have the metal plate and wiring in place. did you remove it and use the one from your stock steering wheel....or was it basically a "remove your stock wheel and put this one in its place" type of deal? this info would definitely help others in the future!

I just used the metal plate and wiring that came with the replacement M3 wheel. After comparing the two plates & wiring, they were totally identical. Figured it would be a total waste of time to try to swap them out, and I'm glad I didn't even try. All I had to move from the stock wheel to the other were the steering wheel controls/buttons. The DIY made it really easy. Good luck with the install if you haven't done it already!

I will say that the first time I started up the car after doing the swap, I got the "4x4" and brake warning indicator lights as mentioned earlier in the thread. The lights went away as soon as I backed out of the driveway, though, and they haven't returned since. So far, so good!

[import36]

Originally Posted by eddesq

I just used the metal plate and wiring that came with the replacement M3 wheel. After comparing the two plates & wiring, they were totally identical. Figured it would be a total waste of time to try to swap them out, and I'm glad I didn't even try. All I had to move from the stock wheel to the other were the steering wheel controls/buttons. The DIY made it really easy. Good luck with the install if you haven't done it already!

I will say that the first time I started up the car after doing the swap, I got the "4x4" and brake warning indicator lights as mentioned earlier in the thread. The lights went away as soon as I backed out of the driveway, though, and they haven't returned since. So far, so good!

cool thanks for the explanation. i plan on installing it this weekend...hope all goes well!

[import36]

i don't think i would've been able to do this without post#707! i was poking around in the space between the plastic steering column part and the wheel itself. had no idea there were slits pre-cut into the steering wheel for this.

[koruptiondblg]

Thanks for the DIY did this earlier today. Took about 30 minutes to go from sport wheel to performance wheel

[maui0177]

Originally Posted by DESI4life10

What a great DIY.

Decided to do the conversion as well from non-sport steering wheel to sport steering wheel to M-tech steering wheel with paddle shift retrofit.

I got a really good deal on the airbag which included the sport steering wheel etc, which is why I changed the setup 2 times.

Here is the list of items I used for this conversion:
- Sport Airbag
- M-Tech Steering Wheel with Paddle Cutout
- M-Tech Trim
- Multifunction Buttons that has input for paddles
- SMG Paddles
- BMS (Burger Motorsport) Paddle Shift Retrofit Harness

The hardest part for me was taking off the sports airbag. Got one side opened quickly but had a hard time getting the other side out. Took about 20 mins to open the other side. Once the airbag was off, the install was a breeze, including installing the BMS retrofit harness. The whole install took about 2 hours (including the install of the harness).

The Results:

Man what a difference. The feel of the M-tech wheel is just amazing and the extra grip makes it feel like you can drive the car harder. I have had my car for 2.5 years now and everytime I took it out for a drive, I was always happy. That hasn't changed and now I am even more excited about driving my car :-)

Here are some progress pictures of my conversion. This DIY really made the process go smoothly.
Pics taken at night on BB. Drove on the sport steering wheel setup for about 2 months.

Non-Sport Steering Wheel Setup


Sport Steering Wheel Setup


M-Tech Steering Wheel with Paddle Retrofit Setup




Update:

Took some more pictures with a better camera.

hello, where do you buy this steering wheel?
how is the quality? It's the same original as dimensions and handle?

sorry for my english
many thanks

[bigJoeSea]

Excellent DIY bavarian19, and thanks to everyone who contributed!

I'll append a couple pictures that would have helped me along the way.

Here's an image that may help someone to locate the 'slots' for removing the air bag:


And I put some markings on bavarian19's pics to help explain what you'll need to depress through the 'slots'



Hope this helps!

Joe

[Siper2]

Buying an '07 328xi wagon shortly, it's a non-Sport, Steptronic. Breezing through this thread a bit, I think I've decided that I want an M tech wheel. Perforated with no paddles. And since the car isn't a Sport, I believe I'll need the whole wheel, including airbag - correct?

The question is, where is the best place to buy it? Saw a couple used wheels of different types, for sale here in the forums. But is the "guy in Sweden" mentioned on page 1, still an option? I'd prefer a new/unused wheel.

The labor itself doesn't seem too bad. I have an '05 Subaru Legacy GT now, and previously had a '00 Impreza 2.5RS. I did a swap in the Impreza, from stock wheel to a Japan-market STi one. That seemed pretty similar, though wheel removal was tough since you have to pull it (hard) off a spline on the column. BMW swap looks simpler.

Thanks!

[X.X.I.V]

I followed these instructions
And all went well till I started up the car
The horn is stuck on
I have trouble shooted it as far as the air bag is off and only when I plug in the 2 connectors for the column
I've also checked that the brown wire ground is not touching the plate
But I've also noticed that the bottom screw holding the plate is not springy
Like the 2 top ones of the plate
Is this the source of the horn issue?

[apmsbh]

hello,
i have a 2007 e90 330xd with non sport steering wheel.
i have found a good deal on a Msport steering wheel with perforated leather and steptronic paddles.
can someone please tell me what parts do i need for retrofit?
both wheels are complete with airbags and multifunction buttons. is my original spiral going to work? what do i need to make the paddles work?
thank you!

[ENZOCOREA]

great post............ now, tell me. was it worth switching to the new steering wheel?

-i'm sooooooooooooo close to buying one myself-

[madmanhiker]

for the life of me, I cannot get the airbag to come off! I bought a long skinny screwdriver and I got the 2 small holes in the back of my oem m-sport wheel... I stick the screwdriver in, try to fumble around to find the area to push in (NOT UP OR DOWN) and I cannot get the airbag to release. Is there a trick to this??????

I am upgrading my m-sport wheel to the BMW Performance Steering Wheel with the Blue Strip.... arrrgh! this is frustrating me!

[jacobsed]

Originally Posted by madmanhiker

for the life of me, I cannot get the airbag to come off! I bought a long skinny screwdriver and I got the 2 small holes in the back of my oem m-sport wheel... I stick the screwdriver in, try to fumble around to find the area to push in (NOT UP OR DOWN) and I cannot get the airbag to release. Is there a trick to this??????

I am upgrading my m-sport wheel to the BMW Performance Steering Wheel with the Blue Strip.... arrrgh! this is frustrating me!

they are spring clips that you just push in....keep poking around with the tool until you're on it

[Amini77]

Thank you!

[ZNITE]

Great DIY write-up

[tigermack]

Took me like 20 mins for the first time. FYI, you don't need the wheel to be exactly straight since there's an alignment mark on the shaft and your wheel. There's also only one way for it to get in, just wanna leave that out for others to see.

[Realtor]

Originally Posted by BimmersMania

I had my wheel changed to M Sport Wheel yesterday (done by my dealer). What happened to me was that I now have to hold the wheel a bit way to the left to have my car go straight.

Was it possible that they aligned it wrong? Would you be able to fit the steering wheel back if the line on the wheel and the line on the column were not aligned?

If that's not possible, maybe my car need wheel alignment. But if that could happen, I think I have to follow this guide to see for my eyes if the wheel was installed properly.

Did you fint out what needed to be done with that error.

I installed my new m-wheel 2 days ago, and are experincing the same. Need to hold the wheel, or the car will drive off the road. I noticed when installing that the wheels where not poiting straight, so i think that is where the problem is laying, and i therefore need to disconnect the battery again to reset the bc, with the wheels and steering wheel straight this time

[tigermack]

Originally Posted by BimmersMania

I had my wheel changed to M Sport Wheel yesterday (done by my dealer). What happened to me was that I now have to hold the wheel a bit way to the left to have my car go straight.

Was it possible that they aligned it wrong? Would you be able to fit the steering wheel back if the line on the wheel and the line on the column were not aligned?

If that's not possible, maybe my car need wheel alignment. But if that could happen, I think I have to follow this guide to see for my eyes if the wheel was installed properly.

I had that experience, too. I thought it was just me at first then I saw this post and the guy above who just quoted this! I thought it was the alignment of the car being wrong or something... I don't know disconnecting the battery would help this, though...