So finally i ended up buying the CF paddles that Eyad was selling on his friends behalf :)
Had read about the DIY to fix these paddles online and was warned about the switch cover and that you had to be very careful whilst dismantling the paddles. So i proceeded to work on the paddles with the guidance of an expert who did the same DIY for his car (Thanks Ahmad :)) ... thought I'd post a few pics of the DIY process for others...
Part of the job was done at Ahmads place and the rest at my place in the night, so didnt take pics at night with the crappy BB that i have. So the pics im posting are from the DIY site :)
Needed tools:
#15 Torx-head screwdriver.
8mm open-end or socket wrench for the (-) terminal on the battery.
Lithium grease.
6" flat-head screwdriver.
Flashlight.
Keep in mind that you should grease the pin and contact points on the paddle switch tab before assembly.
The Torx-Head driver:
Remove this bolt first:
Let her loose!
SMG paddle assembly with pivot pin partially removed:
Remove pin while holding the paddle. Gently pull the assembly away from the steering wheel, being careful to keep the spring from falling.
Carefully place the spring into the new lever's socket, lubricate the pin and tab with some grease, and install in the same manner as the OEM levers. It should be a perfect fit, and may require some jiggling to get the pin back in. Be careful to make sure that the spring is seated correctly and that the switch-cover has not become misaligned!
I just need to tighten the pin to make it an installed paddle:
Tighten the pin to 8ft/lbs. (snug hand-tight). Make sure that you can feel the switch working. It should feel like it did with the OEM paddles, only better! Check out your good work!
At this point everything fit well...however, the paddle refused to move :( ...n i realized the worst had happened, the switch cover had moved...oh daaaamn!!!! At this point i left from Ahmads place and headed to ACE Hardware and picked myself a tool kit:
I also picked up a Dental tool from Yellow Hat:
Now back at my place, dismantled the paddles once again and saw the grey plastic covering the hole like this (Oh Noes...:()
Now, in order to fix this problem, you have to remove the air bag, horn, and trim from the steering wheel! So, first you must disconnect the (-) terminal from the battery...
Next, insert a flat-head screwdriver into the side-ports on the steering wheel. Feel around for the spring-levers (they are straight-in), they are pretty strong. Fully depress the spring. Dig deep, and press firmly.
Then, gently pry one side of the airbag/horn from the wheel. Move across to the other side and you will free the airbag/horn from the wheel. You can see the sockets for the horn assembly @ 3 and 6 o'clock (relative) on the wheel.
Now, it's time to remove the 2 bolts holding the trim to the wheel. One on each side of the wheel. Torx size is #20.
There is the offensive misaligned switch-cover!
I used a dental probe (from Yellow Hat) to move the switch=cover back into place. Here it is, perfectly aligned:
The dental pick is pointing to the new paddle's switch tab. See how much surface-area contact there is? A very nicely designed setup!
Re-install the airbag/horn by aligning the tabs and pressing firmly. Make sure that you do not crush the wiring harness for the airbag, and make sure that both sides are firmly seated.
thats it! luckily the other paddle (+) was installed without the switch cover getting misaligned :)
Here is the final shot of what it looks like:
Hope this thread helps whoever wishes to install aftermarket paddles in the future :)
Cheers!
__________________
Had read about the DIY to fix these paddles online and was warned about the switch cover and that you had to be very careful whilst dismantling the paddles. So i proceeded to work on the paddles with the guidance of an expert who did the same DIY for his car (Thanks Ahmad :)) ... thought I'd post a few pics of the DIY process for others...
Part of the job was done at Ahmads place and the rest at my place in the night, so didnt take pics at night with the crappy BB that i have. So the pics im posting are from the DIY site :)
Needed tools:
#15 Torx-head screwdriver.
8mm open-end or socket wrench for the (-) terminal on the battery.
Lithium grease.
6" flat-head screwdriver.
Flashlight.
Keep in mind that you should grease the pin and contact points on the paddle switch tab before assembly.
The Torx-Head driver:
Remove this bolt first:
Let her loose!
SMG paddle assembly with pivot pin partially removed:
Remove pin while holding the paddle. Gently pull the assembly away from the steering wheel, being careful to keep the spring from falling.
Carefully place the spring into the new lever's socket, lubricate the pin and tab with some grease, and install in the same manner as the OEM levers. It should be a perfect fit, and may require some jiggling to get the pin back in. Be careful to make sure that the spring is seated correctly and that the switch-cover has not become misaligned!
I just need to tighten the pin to make it an installed paddle:
Tighten the pin to 8ft/lbs. (snug hand-tight). Make sure that you can feel the switch working. It should feel like it did with the OEM paddles, only better! Check out your good work!
At this point everything fit well...however, the paddle refused to move :( ...n i realized the worst had happened, the switch cover had moved...oh daaaamn!!!! At this point i left from Ahmads place and headed to ACE Hardware and picked myself a tool kit:
I also picked up a Dental tool from Yellow Hat:
Now back at my place, dismantled the paddles once again and saw the grey plastic covering the hole like this (Oh Noes...:()
Now, in order to fix this problem, you have to remove the air bag, horn, and trim from the steering wheel! So, first you must disconnect the (-) terminal from the battery...
Next, insert a flat-head screwdriver into the side-ports on the steering wheel. Feel around for the spring-levers (they are straight-in), they are pretty strong. Fully depress the spring. Dig deep, and press firmly.
Then, gently pry one side of the airbag/horn from the wheel. Move across to the other side and you will free the airbag/horn from the wheel. You can see the sockets for the horn assembly @ 3 and 6 o'clock (relative) on the wheel.
Now, it's time to remove the 2 bolts holding the trim to the wheel. One on each side of the wheel. Torx size is #20.
There is the offensive misaligned switch-cover!
I used a dental probe (from Yellow Hat) to move the switch=cover back into place. Here it is, perfectly aligned:
The dental pick is pointing to the new paddle's switch tab. See how much surface-area contact there is? A very nicely designed setup!
Re-install the airbag/horn by aligning the tabs and pressing firmly. Make sure that you do not crush the wiring harness for the airbag, and make sure that both sides are firmly seated.
thats it! luckily the other paddle (+) was installed without the switch cover getting misaligned :)
Here is the final shot of what it looks like:
Hope this thread helps whoever wishes to install aftermarket paddles in the future :)
Cheers!
__________________
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