Advice on removing steering wheel?

hi there, ive been looking at this tut for quite some time now (my330i) and i cannot get past releasing the air bag springs.

Ive been using the BMW flat head included in the car, and i cannot for the life of me get these springs released. Apart from "put it in slightly above horizontal" there is no other advice on this step. From what i've read on the countless threads ive looked through is that virtually no one has trouble with this step.

I got one clip released earlier today but after another 30 minutes of poking around i decided to push the air bag back in. For all i know, ive been raping the inside of my steering wheel. I feel like i might have even punctured my air bag! I can't figure this out. PLEASE, does anyone have any advice??

it can be a pain in the butt, once you get the air bag out you'll see how it works and be like ohhhhhhhhhhhhh

I don't use that big screwdriver, i use something quite a bit smaller. When you push against the spring, you'll know.

Use this DIY as a guide
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=744075

Try using a Torx #10 or #15. They are smaller and make better contact with the springs.

Once you release the springs and disconnect the airbag, in order to get the wheel nut off, I went to Harbor Freight and bought a 24" breaker bar for $15. It gives enough leverage to loosen the wheel nut, and I use it to loosen stubborn lug bolts, too.

thanks for the input.

However, the only screwdriver i have access to is the bmw one. All the torx ones i have are attachments onto a fat handle that will not fit.

Ok, so when they say "insert screwdriver slightly above horizontal" does this mean the blade is above horizontal with teh handle below? or is the handle supposed to be above, while the blade is at a downward angle.

Also, how far in am i supposed to stick this screwdriver in? Also, is it supposed to be parrallel to the wheel or be pointing towards the driver or towards the engine.

Thanks, i am getting so ridiculously frustrated with this i dont know what to do.

It's quite simple. Once you get the screw driver in you should hit metal. Don't be too concerned with angles at this point. It's not THAt exact. Just insert then push--see if you feel a spring resistance. if you do, push hard then one side will pop out. Then work on the other side in the same manner. This will be A LOT easier if you have two screwdrivers because one side will remain clipped once you remove the screwdriver so you have to hold both springs down to get it out. Don't be intimidated by it, just do it. Insert, feel metal/spring resistance then push.

wow, i finally got it! well after i got the first clip i had to jimmy it out due to my lack of multiple screw drivers. But after i finally found the spot where the spring was, it wasn't to difficult to find it again. Now i can finally change out those tiny LEDS for blue one!

Thanks guys

post pics after completetion?

what exactly are you doing?

Search the forum...
http://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=744075

Blue LEDs ??

Originally Posted by Steve330ci

Blue LEDs ??

hahahahahha. doh! Bet y'all wish you didn't give him advice

actually, that guy that did the whole interior leds blue was actually pretty bad ass.

I have a black interior with white trim with blue everything. I like the soft glow of the blue. Picture is with iPhone so bear with me.

And just curious, why do you guys dislike blue?

I heard somewhere that blue lights will strain your eyes if you're driving for prolonged periods at night

which is why there is the dimming function!

how hard was it to change the leds in the steering wheel buttons?

Originally Posted by 330ciandr6

how hard was it to change the leds in the steering wheel buttons?

Well to be honest Ive been messing around with 0206 LEDs and 0804 LEDs for quite some time now, so it was not necessarily difficult. However, in comparison to the PLCC-2 LEDs on the instrument cluster, they are significantly smaller so it naturally becomes difficult. Further more, when removing these LEDs, the traces they are connectedto are rather fragile so you need to be careful not to rip them off while you're removing the original.

do you have a square air bag or a round one? Round ones have clips, square ones have torq screws that will require a short driver and a good amount of elbow grease.

Originally Posted by NOVAbimmer

do you have a square air bag or a round one? Round ones have clips, square ones have torq screws that will require a short driver and a good amount of elbow grease.

I have a round one and i have solved the issue

I was going to say don´t try doing it when your driving löl