willleiper

If you were to buy a pre-1990 928 is it possible to install an airbag? If so how would I do that?

Nicole

Even if it was possible, it would be so involved that it would exceed the cost of the car. If you want airbags, you are much better off purchasing a 1990 or later model to begin with.

MrTomT

I've been looking into this also .

You would have to replace the entire steering column from wheel down. I think there's also a different bracket on the body. You would also need to add all of the sensors ( I think there are only two or three)

I think this would be a great update, but hard to do.

The other big problem would be finding a mechanic/electrician who would be willing to do the conversion. Issues around safety and liability if the system did not work or accidentally activated would be a a big turn off for a professional installer.

I'd love to see this mod working in an early car though. Please keep us updated.

All the best,

Tom

www.928dreaming.com

willleiper

The thing about getting a model after 1990 is that the prices for them shoot up. And in my opinion the styling gets much worse. I've been looking at old cars to get for my first but my mother keeps saying I need an airbag...Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

docmirror

There are three basic impact sensors. Two are mounted on a vertical support just under the A pillar against the firewall up in the corner of the chassis. The sensor mount is a metal bracket near the upper door hinge interior point. The last sensor is inside the ABS controller, and that is mounted directionally on another bracket behind the glove box. These three mounting points are critical to operation, as the airbag will not deploy correctly if there is not a quorum of sensor breaks within a very narrow time window(impact), thus reducing false positive failures.

Next, the dash and the steering hub and mount are reinforced to support the ignition pill explosion to insure the bag comes out, rather than the dash/column moving back. It is a form of a shaped charge intending to project the airbag into the passenger space correctly, neither too far, nor too short to support the driver/pax. Without the correct 90>later dash, you are not going to get the support needed to fire the airbag correctly. The steering column is supported similarly and has issues with collapsing(pre-90) if the bag goes off.

As has already been said, unless you are willing to take all the bits, including the chassis mount off a 90 or later car and transplant it to the early model, there is a low probability of it working exactly when and how needed in the event of a crash. Not a good area for DIY installs.

Kevin in Atlanta

Even if you could and wanted to throw away a pile of money - your insurance company would drop you like a rock - liability from premature deployment. Save your money and make your car 'Death proof' like the movie of the same name. :-)

dr bob

When the US started requiring impact-absorbing bumpers in the 1970's, Mercedes made an interesting suggestion: Build cars that handle well enough to avoid those collisions, and pay attention while driving. Since then, we've added lots of safety items that offer much better chances for surviving what would have been a fatal impact just a few decades ago. In that same period we've added an exponentially-growing set of distractions to drivers. We isolate the driver and passengers from those annoying and distracting outside influences like traffic sounds, road condition, etc, so we can cruise in comfort, with total focus on the problems at hand: coffee, cheeseburgers, texting and talking. Oh yeah, and a little time for driving too.

My owners manual told me that I'm an exceptional and discerning individual since I chose to invest in my 928. I'm an above-average driver as are all other drivers I've met socially in non-driving scenarios. As a class, none of us should ever worry about accidents, and spend no worry time on whether the car has airbags.

Bottom line: Get a copy of an owner's manual out for Mom to read. It will only highten her opinion of you as a similarly exceptional and discerning individual once you get the 928 even if yours doesn't have air bags.


Oh-- I'm not nearly as immortal now as I was back when my parents helped me make car buying decisions. You probably have some time left with yours.

Alan

Besides - there is only one way to test that such an installation will actually work - and you won't like how it goes anyway - but even more so if it actually doesn't work.

Its just a silly idea for lots of reasons: its expensive, disruptive, difficult, has liability issues that will preclude others working on it, has risks of unintended deployment, has risk of no deployment at all, can't be tested to work, will not be recognized by any insurer, will create a nightmare of liability issues if you should want to sell it and will make mechanics leery of working on your car...

Just forget it and move on... if you think late S4's are expensive - you haven't really priced out all the ramifications of this...

Alan

whatudrivin

Honesty if this is going to be your first car I highly suggest against it. You should get some beater honda or eclipse. These cars cost a lot to maintain and could get an inexperienced driver into some trouble I would think. Once you have a few years under your belt then look at something such as this. Or get a project car and spend those few years bringing the car up to date.

Hilton

I haven't read all the stuff above.. but someone did swap a complete airbag system into an early 928. I recall a thread about it 7 or 8 years ago. I'll do a quick search and add the link if I find it.

edit: Found a reference, and then Weissach's follow-up thread on the whole car - pics are long gone it seems (use Attachments people!)

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...-retrofit.html

https://rennlist.com/forums/928-foru...lete-pics.html

willleiper

Thank you all for your suggestions it's much appreciated. I think i will just wait till after college or maybe a little after to pursue this. However I've been looking for other used cars and was wondering how an Alfa Romeo Spider would do for my first car?
Edit
here is the one I was looking at http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1990-...9#ht_504wt_726

Imo000

To test an airbag you need to listen to it:

Step 1 hool up one of the aibag cables to -12V.
Step 2 Put ear next to the airbag.
Step 3 Connect the other cable to +12V.

Hilton

What you get for your first car depends a lot on how much you like working on old cars, how much you *need* a car that drives every day versus being put up on stands for weeks at a time while bits are replaced/fixed, and how much you have to spend.

If you don't know how to work on cars, I'd avoid the 928 and the Alfa, and get a reliable hatchback or wagon. Both the cars you've mentioned would work as a second car (meaning you own another reliable car at the same time).

A 928 can be reliable and makes a great daily driver - but for most 928's out there it costs about $5k in parts and a lot more in labour to make it reliable after 25+ years of progressively cheaper previous owners.

willleiper

I see. Well I guess the 928 will have to wait :/. Any fun but reliable first cars you could think of?

soontobered84

I think that testing an airbag in this manner would be an exceedingly bad idea.