Fitting new steering wheel to 2004 technical question

[Ian_tdi]

Looks like I have a newer spec steering wheel coming my way, but fitting it to a 2004 car is a problem apparently, can anyone outline what it is? Something to do with it being a single connection in my car and the new wheel a twin connection or something!

Alternatively if it is not something I can do myself I would be willing to travel anywhere in the south/London to get if fitted.

Many thanks

 

[Lewis583]

You car uses a single stage airbag system, whereas the later cars use a dual stage airbag system. I've read that if you use a dual stage airbag on a single stage system, you run the risk of the airbag not deploying. Should the worst happen.

Couldn't say what the date is for switch over though, sorry. Someone else will be along to say.

 

[TimG]

I looked into changing my 2004 wheel for a newer one a while back. I think you'll find the airbag is the issue. The older ones are single stage and the newer ones dual stage. Not plug and play. I believe you might be able to get it to work if you can locate someone that knows what they're doing, but I gave up as I couldn't be doing with the hassle.

Edit > Beaten to it!

 

[Ian_tdi]

Hmmm ok, might be going back up for sale then! Will look into, if I could get someone to make it fit then it would be appealing, one of you asn genuises must be able to do it!

 

[jb0o]

As Lewis quite rightly said, it cant be done.

One retrofit company (I wont point fingers..) did the Single Stage to a Dual Stage conversion and the guy crashed his car and his airbags didnt deploy.. He made a thread about it on one of the forums.

I can certainly do the retrofit with no airbag lights or coding faults however there is the chance that the dual stage airbag wouldnt deploy as the airbag ECU is expecting a single-stage signal.

 

[Ian_tdi]

Cheers for the reply.

So there are no options for us poor 8p1 lot for nicer steering wheels?

 

[TimG]

Depends if you value your airbag! I wondered if a MK4 R32 wheel would fit (and be single stage & compatible due to its age) but never researched it properly.

 

[Ian_tdi]

Yeah or possibly mk1 tt but they're not that much nicer that our current ones. What about an older rs4/6 one?

 

[Chris93]

My car is a 2004 but has the shield airbag so I assume this is dual stage?

Chris

 

[TimG]

Yeah or possibly mk1 tt but they're not that much nicer that our current ones. What about an older rs4/6 one?

TT ones more or less the same mate. I had a TT for 2 yrs and always wanted to upgrade the wheel in that too! MIght be a shout on the S/ RS wheels though, worth a look into it maybe? The one in my 2001 S3 was nothing special though.

 

[Ian_tdi]

Yep good shout. Hopefully we can find a solution!

 

[NHN]

My car is a 2004 but has the shield airbag so I assume this is dual stage?

Chris

Thats because all sportbacks came out with dual stage systems.

Hopefully we can find a solution!

There is a solution, update it to dual stage, can be done, but wont be cheap.

 

[Ian_tdi]

What sort of figures are we talking to get in converted to dual stage? And as mentioned above there are no real guarantees it works until you crash your car!?

 

[NHN]

You're potentially talking hundreds.

There are no guarantees any airbag system will fire, bottom line, however, if its converted to dual stage & there are no airbag controller errors of non connected airbags, then it has the same fire chances as a factory fitted airbag system.

 

[Ian_tdi]

Ah ok thanks, well for that much its just not worth it I don't think!

Thanks

 

[jb0o]

Nige, what would be required to convert the Single to Dual? I got told that the SCCM rev F with Slipring D would allow the conversion but since reading the thread on that guy doing the conversion and crashing his car, I'm not so sure... made me wonder if there are certain parameters that need to be passed through to the Airbag ECU from the Dual stage airbag... if only we had the money to test this stuff