Cost to add PDK paddle steering wheel
12-24-2018, 03:18 PM
#1
Cost to add PDK paddle steering wheel
just bought my first 911! Unfortunately, it comes with the toggle steering wheel. The dealership quoted me 1100 for the PDK sport wheel and $500 in labor to install. That seems pretty obscene to me. I can get the wheel on suncoast for about 900 and I would’ve thought swapping out a steering wheel would take no more than 30 mins. Is there something unique about the PDK paddles that makes the install more complex than any other steering wheel? i’m getting ripped off aren’t I?
12-24-2018, 03:31 PM
#2
Burning Brakes
I have an 09 C2S with PDK and it came with the button or toggle wheel. Hated it and swapped it out for the paddles. Really easy, took about 30 minutes. Can’t imagine why they would charge $500 labor.
New wheel even included the center bolt with Loctite already applied. Be sure to disconnect the battery so you don’t trigger the airbag. There is a trick to releasing the airbag via a small hole in the side of the wheel. Probably a YouTube video showing how.
Very easy DIY.
New wheel even included the center bolt with Loctite already applied. Be sure to disconnect the battery so you don’t trigger the airbag. There is a trick to releasing the airbag via a small hole in the side of the wheel. Probably a YouTube video showing how.
Very easy DIY.
12-24-2018, 04:25 PM
#3
Three Wheelin'
500 labor, wow! I've swapped sport design steering wheels onto 2 PDK cars and it's a 30 minute affair the first time and 15 or 20 minutes once you've done it. As mentioned just make sure the battery is disconnected and leave it a few minutes disconnected before working. It's the easiest DIY out there.
12-24-2018, 05:54 PM
#4
500 labor, wow! I've swapped sport design steering wheels onto 2 PDK cars and it's a 30 minute affair the first time and 15 or 20 minutes once you've done it. As mentioned just make sure the battery is disconnected and leave it a few minutes disconnected before working. It's the easiest DIY out there.
12-24-2018, 07:14 PM
#5
Three Wheelin'
Welcome! Thats cool you can swap out for paddle shifters. I didnt know that.
As for the dealer, yea welcome to the Porsche world :-) I would never take my car to the dealer. They provider white glove service if you have a new or CPO car, but anything out of warranty is highway robbery. My local dealer is consistently quotes 2-3x the labor as my local indy. My typical project goes something like this: the dealer will quote $3k, my indy will quote $1k, I do it myself for $150 in parts.
If you want to make 911 ownership practical it really pays to do as much work on the car as you can. Its rewarding too.
As for the wheel, yea thats one of the easier projects to get you started. First disconnect the battery. Then feel for a small hole under the steering wheel. Get a long punch and insert into the hole and press (pretty hard) and you will release the airbag. Disconnect the leads and then unbolt the wheel. Aligning the wheel should be pretty simple. When you reconnect the battery you will get a PSM error on the dash but it will clean in a minute or two.
Good luck and welcome to the club. You will love it.
As for the dealer, yea welcome to the Porsche world :-) I would never take my car to the dealer. They provider white glove service if you have a new or CPO car, but anything out of warranty is highway robbery. My local dealer is consistently quotes 2-3x the labor as my local indy. My typical project goes something like this: the dealer will quote $3k, my indy will quote $1k, I do it myself for $150 in parts.
If you want to make 911 ownership practical it really pays to do as much work on the car as you can. Its rewarding too.
As for the wheel, yea thats one of the easier projects to get you started. First disconnect the battery. Then feel for a small hole under the steering wheel. Get a long punch and insert into the hole and press (pretty hard) and you will release the airbag. Disconnect the leads and then unbolt the wheel. Aligning the wheel should be pretty simple. When you reconnect the battery you will get a PSM error on the dash but it will clean in a minute or two.
Good luck and welcome to the club. You will love it.
Last edited by TheBruce; 12-24-2018 at 07:58 PM.
12-24-2018, 07:19 PM
#6
Three Wheelin'
One important note I didn't see mentioned thus far in this thread (it is mentioned in some other threads and DIY materials) is that you'll want to mark where the steering wheel should line up before you remove the old one. A small mark with a sharpie before removal on each side (one on the steering wheel and one where the wheel mounts) will make sure the new steering wheel is aligned and tracks straight with the car. Marking the old wheel will make it easier for reinstall later if you decide. That's the only kind of alignment that needs to happen in the steering wheel swap procedure. If you have it slightly misaligned you'll notice fairly quickly once you drive the car and you'll need to take the steering wheel back off and slide it a couple of gear teeth to one side or the other to align it more closely.
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12-24-2018, 09:55 PM
#8
Three Wheelin'
Good advice in this thread. Changing steering wheels out really is a 5 minute job. Dealer will need to program the car to recognize it with their PIWIS, but it is a 5 minute job for them if they know what they are doing. They most likely have a 1 hour minimum so if you want them to program different things now is the time.
12-25-2018, 02:50 AM
#9
Nordschleife Master
One important note I didn't see mentioned thus far in this thread (it is mentioned in some other threads and DIY materials) is that you'll want to mark where the steering wheel should line up before you remove the old one. A small mark with a sharpie before removal on each side (one on the steering wheel and one where the wheel mounts) will make sure the new steering wheel is aligned and tracks straight with the car. Marking the old wheel will make it easier for reinstall later if you decide. That's the only kind of alignment that needs to happen in the steering wheel swap procedure. If you have it slightly misaligned you'll notice fairly quickly once you drive the car and you'll need to take the steering wheel back off and slide it a couple of gear teeth to one side or the other to align it more closely.
12-26-2018, 08:51 AM
#10
Super easy swap to do! Just make sure you have a T-55 bit for the center bolt. Aside from that, it's plug and play (though I did lose the heated function of my old shift button wheel).