Removal Of Steering Wheel With Airbag

[Fury]

OK, I have purchased a new Isotta steering wheel, and finally managed to get the right boss. Now, does anyone know how to take off the steering wheel without the airbag blowing up in my face.

I have all the parts for the last 3 weeks and no-one can answer me, or are afraid to go near it.

It surely can't be that difficult.

All comments greatly received (I know losing safety feature etc)

Thanks guys.

[Bibbs]

have a search about this .. There was a post about how to get the stock wheels off.

Not sure about the AirBag ones though.

It's an explosive device, I'd not wanna be pulling at it for ages, might go off in your hands. <fnar fnar>

[Fury]

have a search about this .. There was a post about how to get the stock wheels off.

Not sure about the AirBag ones though.

It's an explosive device, I'd not wanna be pulling at it for ages, might go off in your hands. <fnar fnar>

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Thanks Bibbs, did the search but only directions for standard wheels.

Someone must have changed one some time, or know how its done.

[Bibbs]

think most people get the pro's to do it .. where in the UK are ya ?

[CraigT]

Yeah be very careful. You'd be amazed at the injuries you can sustain from an airbag going off in your face. Ive seen lash marks on a person that were so bad it looked like he had been whipped in the face :/

[Fury]

Not in the UK. In the good auld Emerald Isle, Begorra.

Can't get a damn thing done in this country. Looking to get my alloys refurbished, lacquer badly damaged due to salt. Saw the Wheeler Dealers episode where he wire brushed, the polished the s*** out of them. Looked well, but don't know what television trickery was use.

[Bibbs]

Not in the UK. In the good auld Emerald Isle, Begorra.

Can't get a damn thing done in this country. Looking to get my alloys refurbished, lacquer badly damaged due to salt. Saw the Wheeler Dealers episode where he wire brushed, the polished the s*** out of them. Looked well, but don't know what television trickery was use.

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Ahh, over the water .. dunno then fella. Maybe phone one of the Deamon Thieves and pretend to ask for a new wheel but get details of removing the current one.

I know they use wire brushes on rims, they don't show them white and horrid 3 weeks later though .. LOTS of laquer .. and make sure they are dry

[Kelvyn]

Make sure you disconnect the Battery and you should be OK. The pyrotechnic(sp?) device is fired electrically. It should be then a simple case of undoing the fixings (from the back of the wheel I think) then carefully disconnect the wiring and lift it gently out (even though its fired electrically it is still an explosive device).Once you have the bag out the way wheel mounting is much the same as any other car.

On a side note will you have any trouble getting an MoT (or equivalent) if you have removed a factory safety device?? How does your insurance company feel about this? Or are you just telling them you've fitted an aftermarket steering wheel?

Its unlikely that you will get a garage to remove the airbag for you officially as they will become liable if you are injured although you might find one that will do it off the books, cash in hand as they could then deny any knowledge. I suspect (dont quote me on it though) that if you told your insurance company that you were removing an airbag wheel to fit a non airbag one that they would refuse to insure you for much the same reason, they will be liable if you are injured as they would be deemed to be encouraging unsafe practices.

[Jimlad]

insurance companys don't ask if you are removing an airbag'd wheel when you tell them you have an aftermarket one.

[Kelvyn]

insurance companys don't ask if you are removing an airbag'd wheel when you tell them you have an aftermarket one.

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No but if you dont tell them you can bet your next years salary that they will refuse to pay out if you have an accident. They look for ANY excuse to not pay out.

[GT4 BOOSTER]

the airbag sensor for detonation is actually on a circuit board in a steel case somewhere under the dashboard , not in the wheel itself. its triggered in 2 ways either by a safeing sensor which is a small steel ball inside a plastic box which needs the exact ammount of g force to send the current to the detonation device which in turn sends a 12v impulse into a wire which gets hot and ignites the gases inside the airbag itself. or its triggered by an electrical impulse from a silicon chip , different circuit board same principal

as kelvyn said removing the Battery and pressing the brake a few times will rid the car of any power and make removal pretty safe for you.

i make air bags for a living incase you wondered.

ps. did you know airbag's record data from an accident too , ie speed of impact , speed of travel ,time ,date, etc etc.

[Rookey]

Most aftermarket type garages will do it for you, and officially as well.

I had a couple of quotes a while back when I was trying to remove one, its not too expensive, may be better off doing it that way...

Maleborn, is the explosive actually the same force as a shotgun round or have people been telling me porkies again?lol

[G200]

Fury are you in the North or South. If in the North there is a place in Co. Down that does wheel refurbishing and does a really good job i think it's called McGowans wheels and i am speaking from first hand experience. I wanted the kerbing taken out of my starlet SR wheels, when i had one, and painted white and i swear that they came out like brand new wheels. B)

[T V O R]

I would have thought that you will have to inform the Insurance Company in case, like someone has mentioned, you sustain head or chest or other injuries in an accident.

If all reasonable measures are taken and you are still hurt or killed, then I would think your insurance would be with you every step.

If you knowingly remove a safety feature purely for cosmetic reasons, then you may find yourself high and dry.

Removing an airbag to me is like driving with faulty brakes or not wearing a seat belt.

I don’t mean to be a damp squid on your modding.

Humm, let me choose?

or...

[G200]

I would rather have an airbag out. as sometimes they can cause more damage than good i.e if you sit too close it could effectively kill you. Stick with seat belts!

[mikeb]

Removing an airbag to me is like driving with faulty brakes or not wearing a seat belt.

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I understand where you are coming from, but I disagree. Brakes aren't a safety feature, abs is a safety feature, seat belts, and seat belt pretensioners are a safety feature.

In modern cars, drivers seem to think that they are cocooned from the outside world, and that their car will protect them. I partly believe that all safety features should be removed from cars, then people would respect the dangers of driving a bit more and drive more defensively. Then maybe there will be less accidents. It's a double edged sword though, cause if you still end up in an accident, then I totally agree that airbags and seat belts are worth their weight in gold. Certainly seems to be true if you've ever had a quote for a replacement air bag!

Anyway, I digress. I suspect from an insurance point of view, they will still pay out to any third party, and if you have comp. they ought to pay up for your car, but I seriously doubt they will pay out for any personal injury to the driver. If the accident is someone else's fault then (I presume) their insurance should pay up for personal injury.

As for removal, airbags are detonated electronically (modern ones use accelerometers and calculate the required time delay), so if you disconnect the Battery, then there is no supply to the airbag controller electronics, and it can't go off. Once you have it out though, they are obviously sensitive to knocks, so you don't want to go dropping it on a hard surface! If you do remove it yourself, you will have to consider storage or disposal options.

[T V O R]

I partly believe that all safety features should be removed from cars, then people would respect the dangers of driving a bit more and drive more defensively. Then maybe there will be less accidents.

I have to totally disagree with that statement :o

A lot of the boy racer types drive cars which don’t have the aforementioned safety features, I don’t think they respect the dangers of driving and are defiantly involved in more accidents. I’d much rather be in a small hatch made in 2004 than made in 1984.

Whether the accident is someone else’s fault or not, the safety devices are there to protect the driver and passengers regardless of whose fault it is. No amount of insurance money could compensate for any severe injury caused by a collision.

Bear in mind all the features found on modern cars have been taken from years of research especially from motor racing, and the unfortunate reality people have been killed from in which are now, preventable injuries.

So in my humble opinion, keep your air bag, belt up and stay as safe as you can be on our dangerous roads!

This accident happened when Renault Megane Coupe had at high speed the blow out of front tire. In the accident was one person injured seriously and three not seriously, but nobody died.

I’m sure no mention was made about how nice the after market steering looked, more like “Thank goodness the airbag went off”

Cheers...

[mikeb]

I partly believe that all safety features should be removed from cars, then people would respect the dangers of driving a bit more and drive more defensively. Then maybe there will be less accidents.

I have to totally disagree with that statement :o

A lot of the boy racer types drive cars which don’t have the aforementioned safety features, I don’t think they respect the dangers of driving and are defiantly involved in more accidents. I’d much rather be in a small hatch made in 2004 than made in 1984.

Whether the accident is someone else’s fault or not, the safety devices are there to protect the driver and passengers regardless of whose fault it is. No amount of insurance money could compensate for any severe injury caused by a collision.

Bear in mind all the features found on modern cars have been taken from years of research especially from motor racing, and the unfortunate reality people have been killed from in which are now, preventable injuries.

So in my humble opinion, keep your air bag, belt up and stay as safe as you can be on our dangerous roads!

Cheers...

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That's why I put "partly" at the start of my statement. I see you didn't quote my next sentence in there: "...I totally agree that airbags and seat belts are worth their weight in gold."

I wasn't talking about boy racers in old hatchbacks, who drive with total disrespect for the safety of other road users, not to mention their own passengers. I was talking about people in general, who drive all sorts of modern cars with disregard for other road users. You know, the sort of tit who drives right up ar*e cause he/she is in a hurry and thinks you should get out of the way.

Safety devices do not prevent accidents. In my opinion, they indirectly cause accidents because people lose their respect for the dangers of motoring, and put too much confidence in safety features.

I thoroughly agree, as I said in my previous post, that in the event of an accident safety devices can help minimise injury.

The safety features we are discussing have not been taken from years of research in motor racing. They have come from years of research and testing in crashworthiness labs around the world. I have worked in one myself, so I've seen first hand the work that goes on. Motorsport only started to get interested in safety recently (following the death of Senna).

The unfortunate reality is: people have been killed (and injured) in accidents which have ALWAYS been preventable. (I am talking about the 95% of RTAs caused by driver error). If people didn't crash (I know this is an idealism), then carting round 100 kg of airbags in every car could be avoided, and the waste of fossil fuels associated with it.

Just my 2 cents...

[T V O R]

100kg of air bags??

Didn’t realise all that razzmatazz weighed so much :o

[Kelvyn]

There was a thought that if all cars had a 20cm spike sticking out of the middle steering wheel that people would drive more carefully. I was surprised to see that someone says you can get airbags removed officially. Apparently MoMo only supply boss kits for airbag equipped cars if they are going into show or race cars, they wont supply for road cars.

[GT4 BOOSTER]

not sure about the impact of a shotgun , but they have to be manufactured behind explosive proof walls. if thats any help.

merc and a few other makes now incorporate a weight sensor into the seat , which lets the air bag know just how heavy the driver is and how much to inflate the bag . good stuff huh ?

on average i do between 1000 and 1700 modules each day for toyota airbags.and the factory runs 24/7 , the tests they go through has to be seen to be believed ,circuit tested,dipped in a plastic coating ,heated in ovens upto 86 degrees then down to minus 40 , back up to 86 , then down again this takes 4.5 hours.then they are encased in a steel alloy case and crash tested 4 times.

http://standards.ieee.org/announcements/pr_1616.html

[Fitz]

I've taken the wheel off on my Rover and a few mates Rovers as well when swapping dashs for newer shape ones. I just disconnect Battery, leave it for 15 mins and then inscrew the airbag. It's two torx screws on the Rover. The bag itself then pulls away from the steering wheel and you just unclip the multi plug to the airbag wire loom. Undo the big nut holding the wheel on, making sure the wheels are pointing straight. Pull steering wheel off, put new one on and bolt it down. Making sure the wheels are straight to start ensures you put the steering wheel on straight the first time, else you have to take it off and mount it right.

As for airbags and seat belts....without starting any arguements f poss, my opinion is there are cases for and against both. Through my last job I saw the results of many accidents. Some crashes the people were just lucky full stop, some could have had much worse injury if they had not had a seat belt on or an air bag, BUT....and this is no word of a lie...Some were not wearing seatbelts and no air bags involved and they would deffinately have sustained more injury WITH a seat belt on, infact in one particular case, it was thought had he been wearing a seat bet, he would not have lived through the crash.

But it's a legal requirement so it's no excuse not to wear one

[mrbanana]

yo fury check out lester engineering in lisburn to fix your damaged wheels...costs about £25 a rim and they do an A1 job. i had a badly potholed wheel and they sorted it like new