All the DIY instructions I've seen involve removing the whole steering wheel to get at the aluminum panels on either side of the central steering wheel hub. Does anyone know if you can remove them without first removing the whole wheel? I don't have the car in front of me to take a look at it, as it's in storage so I was just curious if anyone knew offhand?

 

They're not aluminum, they're plastic actually. If you plan on painting them use paint for plastics, just FYI.

To get them off you do have to take the wheel off, but it's simple as long as you do it correctly. The only real mistake you could make is forgetting to unplug the battery for AT LEAST three minutes before you go disconnecting the airbag. You don't want a boom to the face unless you want to know what the MMA feels like after you wake up. I go five minutes, but three is fine.

Then it's just a case of following the DIY, takes five minutes going slow, but the only way to get to the screws behind those silver plastic panels is you have to take the airbag out, then the wheel off, as the screws are recessed inside a deep channel whose access is blocked while the steering wheel is on the car.

Saved

 

Thanks, I was hoping to be able to pop them off without going through the hassle of removing the wheel but oh well. I need to re-clear the audio control panel as it's chipping off. I figured they were plastic but the easiest way to describe it was the aluminum plate.

 

You know what...I think I'm wrong.

I just looked at a spare steering wheel I have, and my memory was off. The screws aren't in a deep channel, they're accessible.

You'll have to take the screws out on the sides of the steering column, the ones that hold the airbag in, then slide the airbag out a bit, but then you could probably use an L-shaped ratchet or whatnot to get the phillips screws out, then just pop off the silver panels.

Hope that helps, and sorry for the misleading input.

Saved

 

Hmmm alright, I'll have to take a look at it next time I stop by the garage where it's stored. Thanks for your input.