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Of all the mod's I've done on my Audi's, swapping my current steering wheel with the S6, all-leather wheel, has been the most gratifying given the feel and look.
Bought my '12 A6 with the non-paddle, non-heated, 4-spoke wheel, which was comfortable, but just didn't have the thickness, quality leather, or appearance I was going for--or the paddle shifters which I missed from my S4.
Searched around and decided to put my faith in a flat bottom wheel being sold by a guy out of Romania Total price which included shipping and airbag was $750, and he swapped out the 'S6' placard with the 'S-line' one at no charge. I believe Europrice.com is at about $1,500, +$50 for the S-line badge. To me, 50% off was worth the risk of buying overseas, and I made sure to have plenty of contact with the seller before moving forward.
Wheel is simply beautiful and finally had time to put it in last night.
Tools you'll need: Needle nosed Pliers, mirror, 3/8" male socket.
You essentially just need to release/pry 2 wire clips that are holding the air bag in place. This is the most 'difficult' step which requires a little patience. The clips are located behind the wheel, at 9 oclock and 3 oclock. You can access them by turning the wheel enough to where you can view them with a mirror, and get a set of pliers into the clip and pry it loose. Hopefully the pics below are somewhat clear. Sorry for the lack of technical detail and dark pictures--let me know if any questions. Took me about 20 mins.
Stock
daughter's play mirror came in handy to look at the clips
Pulling airbag once clips have been released
unplug yellow wire harness, and smaller black harness.
use socket to unscrew bolt
this may need to be adjusted a few times in order to get the wheel on center while driving straight.
All functions work, except paddles which I'll be coding soon.
I don't want to step on any toes and I hope I'm not coming off as doing so but...I think it is very important to place a strong emphasis on safety while working with pyrotechnic components such as air bags. There is a documented procedure within Audi that advises turning the car on only to the point of accessory power, and then disconnecting the ground cable on the battery to ensure complete power drain from all circuits in the car. The last thing you want is an airbag exploding on you while you are trying to remove it.
Additionally, the proper tool required to remove the steering wheel bolt is a 12-point star bit. This is not a torx. It is important to use the correct tool so that the proper torque setting can be achieved. You won't want that wheel falling off over time.
Lastly, it is also good practice to return the steering wheel back to the 0 degree straight ahead position before Removal. It will greatly assist in ensuring your new wheel goes on straight if your old one was removed while it was straight.
Just friendly experience advice from one retrofitter to another. The wheel DOES look great!
I don't want to step on any toes and I hope I'm not coming off as doing so but...I think it is very important to place a strong emphasis on safety while working with pyrotechnic components such as air bags. There is a documented procedure within Audi that advises turning the car on only to the point of accessory power, and then disconnecting the ground cable on the battery to ensure complete power drain from all circuits in the car. The last thing you want is an airbag exploding on you while you are trying to remove it.
Additionally, the proper tool required to remove the steering wheel bolt is a 12-point star bit. This is not a torx. It is important to use the correct tool so that the proper torque setting can be achieved. You won't want that wheel falling off over time.
Lastly, it is also good practice to return the steering wheel back to the 0 degree straight ahead position before Removal. It will greatly assist in ensuring your new wheel goes on straight if your old one was removed while it was straight.
Just friendly experience advice from one retrofitter to another. The wheel DOES look great!
Not stepping on any toes at all 😊 Thank you for adding those important steps. And 20mins wouldn't have been achieved w/o plenty of up front research.
No flat bottom steering wheels are heated. Only round steering wheels are heated.
This is correct. Audi does not make a flat bottom heated wheel. They do, however, make the heated wheel in both a 4-spoke and a 3-spoke round, and the three spoke is offered in both smooth leather or perforated. A leather stitched airbag is also available...
11-04-2015, 01:54 PM
A6 C7 Flat Bottom Steering Wheel Retrofit
Total price which included shipping and airbag was $750, and he swapped out the 'S6' placard with the 'S-line' one at no charge. I believe Europrice.com is at about $1,500, +$50 for the S-line badge. To me, 50% off was worth the risk of buying overseas, and I made sure to have plenty of contact with the seller before moving forward.
