[AlanIOW]

Here are some pics of the connector at the back of the slip ring again showing 2 unused connector positions. The first pic shows the connector block half removed from its casing which locks on to the back of the slip ring.

[AlanIOW]

Hope these pics help you decide if you can do it, my car is a Dec 08 build E93 320D auto M Sport. I picked up my wheel with paddles for £200 on ebay. You only need the wheel and both paddle switches if you have an M Sport steering wheel as the other bits can be swapped over from your existing wheel.
Looking at RealOEM.com they changed the slip ring in about Oct 08 some mine is the latest one.
Ideally you would buy the connector pins from BMW, I tried but my dealer did not have them in stock and could not be sure of which pins to order so I made up my own from computer motherboard connectors.

Good luck sourcing a wheel, there is a chap on ebay from sweden who always seem to have new wheels, but I have not seen the paddles listed- I expect they are not cheap!!

[Dr Dave]

Very useful those pictures Alan, thanks for taking the time to post them.

So from the rear of said rotary coupler (slip ring) you had to run cabling to where? Somewhere in the centre console?

[AlanIOW]

Originally Posted by Dr Dave

Very useful those pictures Alan, thanks for taking the time to post them.

So from the rear of said rotary coupler (slip ring) you had to run cabling to where? Somewhere in the centre console?

Yes - two wires from the back of the slip ring connector to the central two wires of 4 that are under the gear selector leather gaitor, unfortunately you have to remove the wood or aluminium centre console trim to get the wires to them aswell as the steering column trim.

The pic shows the two blue connectors under the trim, these are normally connected together, I made a small connector that allowed me to connect into the central two wires, again using computer connectors. The basic principle is that the paddle switches connect one or other of these 2 wires to earth which either goes up or down a gear even when in D.

[Dr Dave]

Ah wonderful, thanks Alan.

Did you know the part number of the steerng wheel assembly you *luckily* aquired via ebay?

Was it 32306777631 ? If so, thats £400ish......On top of that I'd need the paddles....at £180 each!

[Dr Dave]

Scrub that, I've found everything I need........trouble is it's £450ish!

[Dr Dave]

One further question if I may Alan - the paddles have short wiring looms coming from them with connectors - where do they connect? Are these the one that you have to cut and add your own connectors to?

[AlanIOW]

My paddles are exactly like those, they each have 3 wires the centre is earth which I connected to the earth screw on the wheel itself [Not the large brown cable going to the Airbag bracket, I think thats the Horn]

Rather than cut the paddle cables I made up a small circuit that they both plugged into, connecting each side together and then to the spare positions on the multi switch connector - sorry about the image, but I can't draw on a laptop.

Ps This is from memory, but I think its correct.

[Dr Dave]

Ah, I see, easy when you see a diagram!

As the meerkat would say - SIMPLES!

Thanks Alan

[CraigUK]

Alan, I take it from the diagram that you can shift up and down from each paddle? If and when I get around to doing mine I'm going to go for upshift on the right paddle and down on the left.

[AlanIOW]

Originally Posted by CraigUK

Alan, I take it from the diagram that you can shift up and down from each paddle? If and when I get around to doing mine I'm going to go for upshift on the right paddle and down on the left.

Yes, it would be very easy to have one paddle pressed for upshift and the other for downshift, in fact I had it that way first by mistake. You could either have each paddle the reverse of the other [press one to upshift pull to downshift and the other pressed for downshift and pulled for upshift] or you have one paddle pressed or pulled for upshift and the other paddle pressed or pulled for downshift.

[Dr Dave]

Pulled my airbag off just enough to check the MF switch wiring - it looks like I have everything in place!



I've located a suitable wheel, I guess I should check I have the wiring at the selector end......and then we're off!

[Dr Dave]

Originally Posted by AlanIOW

Yes - two wires from the back of the slip ring connector to the central two wires of 4 that are under the gear selector leather gaitor, unfortunately you have to remove the wood or aluminium centre console trim to get the wires to them aswell as the steering column trim.

Alan - have you any pointers on where to prise to remove that central trim?

I'm an ex techie so I know a fair amount of force might be required in the right place......but a bit of advance info [to check I have the blue plugs] before I proceed would be handy!

I guess the orientation/connection of the wires to the central two wires on these connectors is suck it and see which way works?

I owe you one!

[Dr Dave]

Useful picture showing the orientation of the screwdriver blade to release the airbag assembly.........

[AlanIOW]

Your wiring under the airbag looks identicle to mine.

From what I gather the wiring at the gear selector end is pretty similar on all steptronic BMW's from E46 on.

You can get to the gear selector wiring quite easily by pulling up the leather gaitor from the console trim. I did this by grabbing the bit between the ashtray and the gear lever - did not require too much force.

To get the wires from the steering column to the gear selector however you have to remove the centre console trim. There is a DIY guide here;

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=137527

I had to get a wide bladed screwdriver with tape over it under the centre trim at the armrest end to get the first bit up as it is a very tight fit on my car.

It also shows removing the gear knob to remove the leather gaitor, but that should not be necessary for this job.

[Dr Dave]

Wonderful, that doesn't look too bad. I'll have a look first thing tommorrow and check.

[Dr Dave]

Originally Posted by AlanIOW

Yes - two wires from the back of the slip ring connector to the central two wires of 4 that are under the gear selector leather gaitor, unfortunately you have to remove the wood or aluminium centre console trim to get the wires to them aswell as the steering column trim.

The pic shows the two blue connectors under the trim, these are normally connected together, I made a small connector that allowed me to connect into the central two wires, again using computer connectors. The basic principle is that the paddle switches connect one or other of these 2 wires to earth which either goes up or down a gear even when in D.

Alan - that blue connector in the centre console - I have that and it is clipped together. 4 wires in and 4 wires out and a male and female connector.

Which side do I connect into? The make or the female side? Or do you just 'splice into the central wiring?

Not looking fwd to removing that trim, it appears quite 'solid' at the moment!

[Dr Dave]

This is what I have in front of me Alan.....

[AlanIOW]

I made a small cicuit which plugged between the 2 blue connectors using where all the connectors passed through, but the 2 wires from the rear of the slip ring conect to the centre two wires. The easy way would be to use scotch clips to the 2 central wire or even just push the wires into the back of either blue connector.

Ignore the wire colours in my diagrams they are all a bit random

[Dr Dave]

That's great Alan, many thanks for that - that's how I envisaged you'd done it, but wasn't completely sure!

I'm getting used to your little diagrams!

I am [still] so not looking fwd to trying to remove that centre trim...........

[AlanIOW]

I know what you mean about the centre console trim, I assumed it would be easy to run a cable to the gear selector area by poking something through and then pulling a wire, but not BMW, it might work with a peugeot 205 GTi [The last car I had in bits about 20years ago]. They are made too well for such shenanigans.
Once you get the trim up a bit at the armrest end the rest is easy and it goes back together really well if you start at the ashtray end and work back to the armrest.

Ps. It does not matter where you connect to the centre 2 wires, either side of the blue connectors. I did not try to follow those wires as they go away from the selector area, it may be there is a better place to connect into them.

[Dr Dave]

Oh damn.....that's what I was going to try to do, by 'poking' a thin pulling rod from the selector area to the lower dash area and start pulling wires back!!!

Damn and double-damn!