secondshot

Ok Friends,

I purchased a paddleshift steering wheel from Techequiment so it will be OEM swap. I have done a lot of research on whether or not to DIY the swap out. I don't think its very difficult but there are some pros and cons.

Seems the biggest is to get warranty coverage. Is that worth the $200 they estimate to do the installation?

Opinions welcome!!

workhurts

I'd think you could always swap wheels back if warranty issues arise.

Cons: you screw it up. Misalign wheel. Blow up airbag.

Pros: you don't have to deal with a dealer. Sense of accomplishment. Learn something.

I don't think the $200 moves the needle and it boils down to whether you like to DIY or not ....

pavster

I just swapped a wheel on my 997.1. Warranty was not an issue for me so it was a no-brainer. Took about 20 minutes and I was really taking my time. Lots of videos on youtube with details.

Sooner

John, It is VERY VERY easy to do yourself. Not even close to being worth the time & money to pay someone. I did mine about 2 months ago, took about 20 min total. I was very nervous about the airbag, but as long as you disconnect the battery, you'll be fine. Do a search, and follow the steps. It's really easy & you'll be glad you did it. It's about a 2 tops on a 1-10 scale of difficulty.

When you are finished, you'll have several warning lights on the dash. Just drive about 1/4 mile or so, and they all go away. If you have questions, send me a PM, and I'll can give you my number & we can discuss.

Here's a link to the instructions: go to page 2 of the thread. https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...ing-wheel.html

secondshot

Thanks everyone for your input. That makes the decision easy. I do like to do DIY, so a 2 of 10 should be in my wheelhouse. I have reviewed the instructions on the link (which in my search, i did not come across, so this was welcome) and now I am looking forward to getting this done. I will shoot pics once i get the wheel -- had to come from Germany.

PelicanParts.com

Should post up pictures and your DIY when you do it for others.

-Luccia

Domer911

disconnect negative battery terminal for five minutes before jumping in. PM me if you have difficulty with your horn after installation.

Good luck, it's very easy.

sandwedge

As others have said, pretty simple job but there are some things that can go wrong. Mark the location of the wheel relative to the hub before pulling it. Very easy to put the new wheel on off center without a reference point. Highly annoying to drive straight down the road with the wheel slightly turned. Also, there's a channel on the bottom of the hub where the wiring lives. Make sure it's in there before pushing the wheel back on or the wiring can get tangled up where it's not meant to be. In my case it disabled the horn and jammed the release mechanism for the airbag.

Domer911

This is good advice. Also, the most frequent culprit of a horn and wheel that's not seated correctly is the improper seating of the wire/spring that circumnavigates the back of the hub and locks down the airbag. The wire needs to be perfectly in place before the wheel goes on so that you'll have little to no problem with the airbag.

secondshot

Excellent advice...will print this out and take lots of pictures for the next person in line. Really appreciate it everyone.

pavster

FYI, this is the video that I used: I have the service manual too and found the video much easier to follow. You can pause and rewind as needed if something is not clear.

workhurts

What does marking the center of the old wheel do? The last time I did this my wheel was off by 1 tooth. Fairly annoying to have to do it all over again just to get it centered.

I also almost always manage to get the wheel locked as I can't loosen the nut without the wheel turning. What do you guys use to lock it in place?

secondshot

Thanks Pavster...I found this video too and watched it a couple of times...it is pretty good.

Workhurts...i was also wondering about marking the wheel and spindle location, then situating the new wheel that doesn't have the marking on it. Seems the key to the the advice was finding top dead center and marking that...i think using a protractor or some other tool to find top dead center on both column and new wheel. Any other suggestions people?

secondshot

POST #100! Sorry, had to do it.

3Series

Does having to push waht seems to me really hard to activate the horn mean by wiring is not properly seated/looped correctly?

I swapped to flappy paddles a couple months ago, did it at night in a dark garage in a rather hastily manner. I was careful to line up the wheel and all etc...

I don't mind re-doing it, as it is simple, but knowing that I'll put a new hole on the bottom of the steering wheel where no one will ever notice kind of bothers me....lol...**** retentive. I just don't use the horn enough for it to bother me. The horn works, it just seems like it need extra pressure.