V

Hi Folks.

I found a nice used Gemballa SW for sale. It comes without the airbag. The airbad seems to be exactly the same as the airbags on the popular Atiwe steering wheels sold by FVD and Gert etc. I did some searching but did not find a source for a replacement airbag. Does anyone have one used or know where I can buy one? I am having it recovered so color or texture (leather or vinyl) doesn't matter. Preferably US vendor. Are these crazy money just like the 996 3-spoke airbags? I would think no because the complete SW (the cheaper models liek the silberpfeil) is "only" 395Euro including with the airbag.

Any input much appreciated.

jdistefa

Viggo - can Gert find one for you...?

Gert

The main question is, why does this Raid/Atiwe steering wheel has no airbag ?

I recently needed an airbag for a car that had the airbags deployed and it turns out that Raid will not sell just the airbag.
To quote Raid ;

Once the airbag has exploded due to an accident the steering wheel is deformed. This might not be seen at first sight but due to safety regulations it is not allowed to put in a new airbag.

gonzilla

Yeah, I guess why sell just the airbag when you can sell the whole wheel!

V

Hmm I don't know about you guys but this is news to me.. I think it would depend largely on why the airbag was deployed (e.g what kind of damage caused the deployment). I don't think all SWs that have ever had the airbag deployed are useless?

I searched through FVDs site and looked everywhere but coudn't find any spare airbags for these. It's very strange with our cars getting in surplus of 10 years old, airbags will need to be changed sooner or later due to age.

Gert, I appreciate the effort, please let me know if you can source one of these airbags. This wheel w/o the airbag is ~200euro, which is pretty good if it does not have any sustained damage to it. Otherwise I might go for thisone, which is very tempting:

http://www.carnewal-europe.com/cpx_p037.htm

But I don't think I want to spend 1200euro on a steering wheel if the airbag is not replaceable, should anything happen (god forbid).

Gert

Sorry, I can't.
Just some days ago, I needed an airbag for a shop in the US but we ended up buying a complete new Raid steering wheel.

V

Ok I see, that's a pity. Have you tried talking to Techart? AFAIK, they also use the same airbag. I appreciate the effort. I'll be in touch. Have a nice weekend

cabrio993

Whose "Safety Regulations" are those???

I'm sorry.... I don't know about you Gert, but this sounds to me like absolutely pure and adulterate B.S. from FVD. Sounds more like an excuse to sell the whole airbag/wheel package.

Aren't we supposed to replace the airbag in our cars every 10 years? If so, the steering wheel may still be in perfect shape, but I have to replace it as well? Hmmmmm....

Gert

This info does not come from FVD but it comes from Atiwe/Raid in Germany who is the supplier of these steering wheels and was the answer to the question, if an exploded airbag can be replaced on their steering wheels.

cabrio993

Sorry Gert, I meant Atiwe/Raid then. I think it is a bunch of BS from them.

What if you ask them that you want to purchase an airbag without telling them that the other one exploded? What if I just want to replace it because is old? Or want a color change? or has a scratch on the leather or watehever?

nile13

It just sounds quintessentially German to me. Pretty comon ordnung thing. No diviations for you!

cabrio993

Must be.

BTW, I'm no looking for an airbag. Just questioning the reasoning behind the whole nonsense...

V

I agree 100%. This means that if you buy ANY SW produced by RAID/Awtie (E.g the FVD wheels, Techart, RUF etc etc) and the airbag deploys, the SW is WORTHLESS.

So for example, if you buy SA Mike's wonderful Techart SW for $2400 and the you manage to pop the airbag by accident during the install, that's $2400 down the drain. AND if the airbag does not deploy during the install, the SW will be worthless after 10yrs when the airbag needs replaced and is not safe for use anymore.

Please tell me this is not the case because that's plain stupid and makes me want to ditch the idea of Atiwe and buy a 996-based SW instead.

jdistefa

Viggo,

Well.... what a great reason to get a really good wheel - buy a Momo Mod 07.

Gert

I contacted Raid/Atiwe on this interesting subject :
In case that the airbag is popped because of an accident, then Raid advises to replace the whole steering wheel.
When the cover is damaged or there is a problem with the airbag, then just the cover and/or airbag can be replaced.