Steering Wheel - Question...?

[Nick01329]

I have a Sept 2002 MCS and it has a two spoke multi-functional steering wheel. I have noticed that the new mini's have a three spoke design which is slightly smaller, which I prefer.

Is it possible to swap between the two ?, has any one done this before ?

Cheers !!

[atif_farooq]

Hi,

Check the link below.

http://www.mini2.com/forum/interior-...steering+wheel

Hope this give you a little help in to what your after

[Iain Eyres]

Hi,
Just upgraded my 2 spoke Multi Function Steering wheel to a JCW 3 spoke MF wheel. So for that age of car (53 reg) it works fine - I presume this will be the same for a 52 reg car. All the controls function perfectly. Apart from the disconnecting the airbag its a hassle free swap. I did the work with the battery disconnected which i have been told eliminates the risk of the airbag warning light latching on, or any nasty explosions........

You'll need a new steering wheel, airbag, MF switches, steering wheel loom and a couple of screws. bit pricy but the JCW wheel is superb.

Hope this helps anyone else thinking of a swap.

[Poggy]

Hi Iain Eyres,

How much is the JCW steeing wheel and airbag if you don't mind me asking. Was it the alcantara one or plain leather?

Poggy

[SteveM3]

Quote: Originally Posted by Iain Eyres

Hi,
Just upgraded my 2 spoke Multi Function Steering wheel to a JCW 3 spoke MF wheel. So for that age of car (53 reg) it works fine - I presume this will be the same for a 52 reg car. All the controls function perfectly. Apart from the disconnecting the airbag its a hassle free swap. I did the work with the battery disconnected which i have been told eliminates the risk of the airbag warning light latching on, or any nasty explosions........

You'll need a new steering wheel, airbag, MF switches, steering wheel loom and a couple of screws. bit pricy but the JCW wheel is superb.

Hope this helps anyone else thinking of a swap.

Yep that is helpful thanks. A picture or two would be even better .

[BDL]

Is this something the dealership will do as an aftermarket upgrade?

[Iain Eyres]

Hi, sorry don’t have the receipt to hand but approximately…

• 3 spoke wheel airbag around £100 via EBay (a risk, but cheaper than the
dealers)
• JCW Alcantara & Leather steering wheel aprox £240 from the dealer
• MF switches and lower spoke cover & securing screws aprox £120 (or source
from EBay via a second hand 3 spoke MF wheel)
• Steering wheel Wiring loom aprox £10

Its not a cheap upgrade, but its possible to sell the old 2 spoke and airbag to recover some costs. The JCW steering wheel is absolutely superb & worth every penny. Make sure you can live with the new button layout though as some people don’t like it. The wheel seems to be a bit smaller in diameter than the 2 spoke & the rim is a bit thicker. It also has what appears to be foam backed Alcantara / Leather, so it's a slightly soft feel. I had to ask 4 dealers before anyone would admit that its possible. Can see any reason why they would not want to do the upgrade though a its all standard parts.

Sorry, forgot to take any pics during the install, but its quite straightforward.

All I did was……

• Park the car with the steering wheel straight ahead

• Keys out of the ignition then disconnect the battery. (So it's impossible to turn
the ignition on and latch the airbag light) Remember the boot will lock when
shut so leave it open so you can re access the battery later on.

• Remove the 2 spoke wheel airbag by unscrewing the 2 Torx bolts located in
holes on the rear face of the steering wheel. (Near the radio controls)

• Pull the airbag off the wheel. & remove the 2 electrical connectors on the back
of the airbag (they are locked down via a small latch, if you look at the green
connector, it’s the black piece of plastic, just gently prise it up and repeat for
the black connector)

• Put the airbag somewhere safe, being careful not to scratch the front. I also
put some electricians tape over the contacts on the back of the bag to protect
them from damage / static.

• Loosen the centre nut holding the steering wheel (but don’t completely remove
it yet), then pull the wheel towards you, mine was not tight on the spline. If you
do have to knock it loose the nut will stop it hitting you in the face.

• Disconnect the electrical multiplugs from the slipper ring at the 12:00 O'clock
position - they are for the horn and the other buttons.

• Remove the nut, but before removing the wheel, check the position on the
spline, it's fairly obvious at the 6:00 o'clock position there's a marker to show
where the wheel lines up.

• Put the new steering wheel on so the marker lines up and it's straight.

• Install the lower wheel spoke cover, loom and multi function switches (secure
with screws from behind) and route the wiring loom along the top of the wheel
in the channel.

• Plug the multiplugs for the horn and MF switches into the slipper ring
connector.

• Tighten the steering wheel centre nut to 63 NM.

• Connect the new airbag to the existing wires and press down the securing
latches. They are colour coded so make sure green connector goes in the
green socket.

• Quick visual check that all wires are tidy and connectors secure

• Press the airbag firmly onto the wheel, it seems only to secure via 2 latches.
The dealer says no bolts for this one. If you have to remove there are 2 holes
in the steering wheel that you have to press through to release the latches
inside the wheel its self.

• Reconnect the battery and check all buttons & Horn work OK.

It takes about an hour if you take your time. I have done this twice now and haven't had any problems with the airbag light or any airbag detonations…..

Hopefully this all makes sense - Any questions, feel free to drop me a line.

[Rickys'S]

Thanks for the info,

I have a 3 spoke MFSW to go on my car and currently have a non 3 spoke MFSW fitted!

I took the old one off the other day and found the slipper ring to be totally different i.e nowhere to plug the mfsw controls into, so re-fitted the old wheel!

I found the no of the new slipper ring but do you or anyone know if i need an additional loom and some kind of coding from bimmer to make it work?

Thanks in advance,

Rick.

[Iain Eyres]

Hi,
There is a retro fit kit available for the 2 spoke wheel MF wheel and i believe the 3 spoke, however its very expensive especially at dealer hourly rates. Take a look at the following.....
http://motoringfile.com/howto/MFSW.PDF

there are a few threads on Mini2 that will will give you all the info.

[Rickys'S]

Quote: Originally Posted by Iain Eyres

Hi,
There is a retro fit kit available for the 2 spoke wheel MF wheel and i believe the 3 spoke, however its very expensive especially at dealer hourly rates. Take a look at the following.....
http://motoringfile.com/howto/MFSW.PDF

there are a few threads on Mini2 that will will give you all the info.

Thanks for the link, looks like a new harness and slipper ring then!

[AllBlackS]

Thanks for the detailed info, Iain! This was exactly what I was looking for! I'm off to get a new 3-spoke MFSW!

[Iain Eyres]

no problem, the only other point i would add is to wait for 10 mins after disconnecting the battery before pulling the airbag as it will help discharge any capacitors in the system.

drop me a line if you get stuck.

[Ant FR]

sorry to drag up an old thread, but tdoes this mean, if i have a 2-spoke MFSW wheel i can simply buy a new 3 spoke MFSW and airbag and nothing else. The controls all work along with the Cruise control??????????

[Ant FR]

anyone? auction ends very soon.........................

[d16rry]

hi i am curently doing a 2 spoke to three spoke conversion however i am missing the bracket that holds the air bag in place does anyone know what part number this is or where i can get one

cokermoto@googlemail.com