steering wheel removal

[glutes]

My surf has the original steering wheel, with the airbag, but the wheel is baldy pitted from what I cna only guess as fag burns (unless the previous Japanese owner liked picking bits of the top of the steering wheel?!).

How can one remove the steering wheel without setting off the airdbag to replace it, and can you get aftermarket steering wheels with airbags? I quite like knowing I've got one should I crash into something.

[Morr]

My surf has the original steering wheel, with the airbag, but the wheel is baldy pitted from what I cna only guess as fag burns (unless the previous Japanese owner liked picking bits of the top of the steering wheel?!).

How can one remove the steering wheel without setting off the airdbag to replace it, and can you get aftermarket steering wheels with airbags? I quite like knowing I've got one should I crash into something.

If you have the leather wheel then have a search over on yotatech, they had a group buy a while back where they got replacement OE style leather made for the 3rd Gen wheels.
If you've got the regular one, you may wish to consider a fabric cover, as I doubt availability of aftermarket or even replacement airbag wheels for the 3rd Gens is good or cheap.

[charliemuttley]

You can normally remove an air-bagged wheel by disconnecting battery for 20 mins to let the capacitor bank discharge that sets the air-bag off.

As for after-market wheels with air bag- i doubt it! But feel free to correct people!

[ferret]

there should be a little cap on either side of the steering wheel. if you use a little screw driver you can pry the cap off. behind that is nuts, I dont know the name of these nuts but you can use an alen key to take the nuts out. once that is done you can pretty much take the center piece (airbag/horn) out and if i can remember there is one wire which you have to disconnect which i think was an earth connection for the horn.once that is done you can take the steering wheel off by loosening the nut in the center.It is a good idea to mark the thread and the nut with a paint pen before loosening that nut to make sure your steering wheel goes back on "properly". you dont want the wheels to face one way and the steering wheel to be centered. once that is done its just a metter off taking you steering wheel to get re-trimmed.
once you got the wheel back put it on before starting up the ignition.

[glutes]

huge thanks.