will m3 paddles fit steptronic wheel?

[Adam135]

Originally Posted by 1Pirate

Installed my M3 paddles tonight. Took me about a half hour start to finish. Took my time and tried to make sure I followed the steps in the video. The biggest issue I had was trying to get the air bag released. The right side was easy. The left side took me about five minutes of fiddling around to get it to release. I finally pushed in on the airbag while I pushed the screwdriver up and it popped loose. Everything else came apart just like in the video.

Putting it all back together was easy. And based on my brief experience with them the M3 paddles are awesome and very easy to use. No more push-pull.

[1Pirate]

After having some time to get used to the M3 paddles I fine myself using the paddles more and more. With dedicated paddles for upshifting and downshifting, changing gears is more intuitive. And the M3 paddles look much more serious than the OEM paddles.

[pj.rodriguez]

Originally Posted by 1Pirate

Installed my M3 paddles tonight. Took me about a half hour start to finish. Took my time and tried to make sure I followed the steps in the video. The biggest issue I had was trying to get the air bag released. The right side was easy. The left side took me about five minutes of fiddling around to get it to release. I finally pushed in on the airbag while I pushed the screwdriver up and it popped loose. Everything else came apart just like in the video.

Putting it all back together was easy. And based on my brief experience with them the M3 paddles are awesome and very easy to use. No more push-pull.

You definitely had to remove the negative cable from the battery correct? Was there any codes thrown or warning lights or things that would have to be reset when the battery was reconnected?

[cheshirecat79]

Originally Posted by pj.rodriguez

You definitely had to remove the negative cable from the battery correct? Was there any codes thrown or warning lights or things that would have to be reset when the battery was reconnected?

The negative terminal needs to be removed whenever you disconnect the airbag. That being said, it is possible to replace the paddles without disconnecting it- it's just kinda cumbersome/goofy.

You won't get any codes or lights as long as you plug them in securely.

[pj.rodriguez]

Originally Posted by cheshirecat79

The negative terminal needs to be removed whenever you disconnect the airbag. That being said, it is possible to replace the paddles without disconnecting it- it's just kinda cumbersome/goofy.

You won't get any codes or lights as long as you plug them in securely.

Awesome. Thanks for the quick reply. They're coming in the mail tomorrow and I want to install them tomorrow! haha.

[1Pirate]

Originally Posted by pj.rodriguez

You definitely had to remove the negative cable from the battery correct? Was there any codes thrown or warning lights or things that would have to be reset when the battery was reconnected?

No, you don't have to disconnect the negative battery terminal, but you can. So yes you can replace the paddle shifters without disconnecting the battery. I have removed the air bag from my steering wheel twice without disconnecting the battery with absolutely no issues. If you don't disconnect the battery be sure your key is not in the ignition and that the car is completely shut off. My car has comfort access so the key doesn't have to be in the ignition to start the car or to turn on the power. I made sure my key was also not in the car or anywhere near it when I removed the air bag.

As long as you disconnect the air bag and properly reconnect it before trying to restart the car you shouldn't have any issues with the air bag nor any code issues.

[1Pirate]

Originally Posted by 1Pirate

Found this video too. It is for changing from M3 to extended M3 paddles, but it shows the basic process of removing the steering wheel, steering wheel trim and paddles and reinstalling everything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDDQLRmgFaU

Follow this video for removing and installing the M3 paddles and the process is fairly simple. Just ignore the part about taking the paddles apart as it doesn't apply to the paddle swap in this thread.

[pj.rodriguez]

Originally Posted by 1Pirate

No, you don't have to disconnect the negative battery terminal, but you can. So yes you can replace the paddle shifters without disconnecting the battery. I have removed the air bag from my steering wheel twice without disconnecting the battery with absolutely no issues. If you don't disconnect the battery be sure your key is not in the ignition and that the car is completely shut off. My car has comfort access so the key doesn't have to be in the ignition to start the car or to turn on the power. I made sure my key was also not in the car or anywhere near it when I removed the air bag.

As long as you disconnect the air bag and properly reconnect it before trying to restart the car you shouldn't have any issues with the air bag nor any code issues.

Thanks for the reply! They're on their way in the mail today and should be here tonight. I'll probably try to do it either tomorrow or on the weekend. I am just afraid of the airbag going off and killing me haha. I'll just play it safe and disconnect the battery terminal!

[1Pirate]

Originally Posted by pj.rodriguez

Thanks for the reply! They're on their way in the mail today and should be here tonight. I'll probably try to do it either tomorrow or on the weekend. I am just afraid of the airbag going off and killing me haha. I'll just play it safe and disconnect the battery terminal!

I understand your concern and don't blame you at all for disconnecting the battery. I was going to disconnect the battery too until I watched the video I linked above. After seeing the video I decided to try it without disconnecting the battery.

[pj.rodriguez]

Success. Installed without removing the wheel at all haha.