Anir

As many of you know, I bit it in the Kink at Road America over Labor Day. One of the parts that needs replacing is the central airbag on the carbon fiber / chestnut brown leather steering wheel.

Unfortunately, Gert informs me that a chestnut brown airbag unit is no longer available from Porsche, even though it was a standard (not custom) color during 993 production. This sort of planned obsolescence really gets my goat. My car originally cost over $130K, and Porsche has already discontinued important parts only 6 years after production!?

I see this sort of shenanigans with laser companies in the medical field. They sell a $175K laser, and then stop offering replacement parts or service on it 2-3 years later. It's unethical, IMO.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I have asked Gert to see if a custom chestnut brown leather / CF 996 wheel could be sourced from the factory.

Phil

Hi Anir,
Can you have a black bag "re dyed" chestnut?

Ray Calvo

Similar solution as Phil; there is a company called "Color Plus" that specializes in dyes for Porsche leather. Send them a sample and they'll send you a vial with the matching dye color and application instructions. I've used it to touch up my grey leather upholstery and it comes out pretty good.

Greg Fishman

Anir,

In the worst scenario would a new black wheel/airbag look that bad?
Good luck.

DJF1

Anir, since you are there...why don't you do a nice upgrade to a custom TechArt wheel like mine??? The wheel as I have said many times is simply awesome and the best money I have spend on cosmetic upgrades. Its smaller than stock (340mm) and thick where it counts. Anyone who has come in contact with it simply is amazed, the Porsche 3 spoke, the Attiwa and the likes in my book hold no candle in comparison with this wheel.
You can custom order it,color, stiching, carbon, full leather etc to have it match your interior. I had red stiching done on mine with the carbon top and it simply looks stunning in the car. Not to mention the benefits when you drive with it on the track...

Anir

Thanks, Phil, Ray, Greg, and Danny.

I'd rather not go the DIY dye route if possible, but it might not be a bad idea if I only have to paint the airbag unit leather to match. Greg, Jerry has been kind enough to offer me the use of his gray steering wheel, so I'm not in a rush, but I sure would like to keep the original color scheme if possible.

Danny, I like your TechArt idea if an original steering wheel can't be sourced. What vendor did you use?

I guess I'm also hoping that someone will show up with an available chestnut brown steering wheel that they would sell because they've switched to a Techart, or Momo, or... Given how rarely the chestnut brown color was ordered, I better not hold my breath.

Thanks, again!

DJF1

I bought it directly from the factory in Germany. You will love this wheel, it is so much better than stock... I also have a black stock wheel to give you if you need it.

DrZ

Try Mark Carillo at CEC in LA. Got excellent deal on a techart 4spoker. I think they are the exclusive if not largest distributor of techart in the US.

LeeR

Anir, I have the same issue. My interior is Midnight Blue/Marble Gray. I wanted a Midnight Blue/CF 3 point 996 wheel. Gert said they don't make the 3 point wheel in Midnight Blue/CF, but I could get the 4 point in Midnight Blue/CF. As I like the 996 3 point wheel, I decided to get the next closest color, Metropole Blue/CF wheel. Metropole is darker blue than Midnight Blue, and Midnight Blue has a slight purple tint. I hope it looks ok.

With chestnut brown you probably don't have a close color to consider, so you probably should consider black, if the leather dying idea doesn't work.

I ordered my wheel from Gert about 9 weeks ago. Last Friday he said that there are a lot of steering wheels on back order, and he doesn't know when it will be in. Hope I see it before Haley's Comet returns.

BTW, I also ordered Marble Gray/CF shifter and handbrake from Gert, so the entire interior will be factory CF. Wonder why the car wasn't ordered that way in the first place?

Here's a photo of original wheel. I'll post the new one when I get it.

max911

Anir,
a few options to consider:
1- buy a nice black leather wheel/airbag of whatever manufacture you like, and keep your eyes open for a chestnut airbag for your four-spoke wheel. when the right airbag shows up, you won't have any trouble selling your new black one.
2- see if you can find a 996 3-spoke in chestnut. FVD lists an all leather factory Porsche wheel as well as the carbon/leather wheel in chestnut brown. here is a link to their steering wheel page. the original Porsche wheels are down the page a bit.

- have you had a dealer do a search on their computer to try to find a wheel in someone's inventory??

-i would also put the word out at high-end tuner shops (like By Design etc) that your are looking for that particular color airbag...you never know.

best of luck with the search
max

David in LA

Since Techart does custom Porsche interiors (look in their catelog and you can see that they do just about everything and anything) I'm sure that they would be able to recover a black airbag in chestnut leather. Good luck

titleist1

Anir, check with Einmalig in Cal., 714-895-6567, they might have one.

max911

speaking of Einmalig, it is hard to tell what color this airbag is. it is probably worth a phone call, just in case.
max

mick

Anir, I had great luck a couple of years ago with a company called AGLA in Florida. They advertise in Panorama and Excellence. I found a steering wheel I wanted to put on my car but it was the wrong color leather. They sent me a number of samples so I could match the color I wanted as close as possible. I then sent the wheel to them and they recovered. They did a wonderful job. I would guess they could do the same for the airbag. They were very helpfull. If you cant find their add let me know and I will locate for you. It was great meeting you and your wife at Indy. Really enjoyed solving the worlds problems with you, Dan, Mike and others over warm beer and wine. Your wife is a sweetheart. Hope the TT is fixed soon. Mick

emilios

Anir,

I doubt Porsche (or their OE supplier) no longer manufacture/offer your airbag unit / steering wheel. PET gives the following part for your airbag unit: 996.803.089.03 T15 (chestnut brown). In the unlikely event that this is the case, then I would very strongly second Danny J's suggestion of contacting TECHART (ww.techart.de), who offer a carbon steering airbag/wheel, just like your OE item and in your colour (techart color-code 315). Their quality of work is at least the equal of Porsche, their prices relatively competitive compared to Porsche's.

Best regards

Emilios