BlancoGTI17
Ready to race!
- Location
- Ohio
- Car(s)
- 17 GTI Autobahn
Awesome build. Love these OEM+ style builds.
7
The 'Chimera' - Progression of my 1.8T by SKVeeDubR
- Thread starter HOT H2O
- Start date
12/29/2016 - Steering Wheel Retrofit
Couldn't wait to get this bad boy installed!
I know there is a LOT of hate on for the MK7 Sport wheel over the previous gen wheels, especially when compared to the MK6 Sport wheel, but I can honestly say I actually prefer it! I know a lot of people go the XuJi alcantera or Japanese suede route to add some thickness but for me it's just not my style. I have long fingers and I don't have a problem with the thickness of the wheel from factory - feels damn near perfect!
Now one thing I have been considering is to have the wheel professionally rewrapped in alcantera and this is for two reasons. 1) please see above post re wheel damage in shipping; and 2) There is just something so damned sexy about an alcantera wheel, especially with a complimentary accenting TDC ring at 12 o'clock. Because Racer. I would also consider the OEM Clubsport wheel OR the 'hollow spoke' Scirocco wheel (damn near perfect throwback to the original MK1 wheel!)
Here is the original wheel
- you can see it's just not as 'sporty' as the the sport wheel. The flat bottom is not as, um, not as flat. It's entirely different, different MFSW button shape, different seam points of the leather, different wheel shape itself (including different airbag)
And here is the new wheel!
So far so good! I am loving the new look! Now to reconnect the battery and take her for a spin!
Oops I spoke too soon.. So, upon reconnection of the battery I had the typical error lights appear on the dash, did the necessary dance to clear those. However, one spall problem remained - my EPC light was now on and would not clear....
Couldn't wait to get this bad boy installed!
I know there is a LOT of hate on for the MK7 Sport wheel over the previous gen wheels, especially when compared to the MK6 Sport wheel, but I can honestly say I actually prefer it! I know a lot of people go the XuJi alcantera or Japanese suede route to add some thickness but for me it's just not my style. I have long fingers and I don't have a problem with the thickness of the wheel from factory - feels damn near perfect!
Now one thing I have been considering is to have the wheel professionally rewrapped in alcantera and this is for two reasons. 1) please see above post re wheel damage in shipping; and 2) There is just something so damned sexy about an alcantera wheel, especially with a complimentary accenting TDC ring at 12 o'clock. Because Racer. I would also consider the OEM Clubsport wheel OR the 'hollow spoke' Scirocco wheel (damn near perfect throwback to the original MK1 wheel!)
Here is the original wheel
- you can see it's just not as 'sporty' as the the sport wheel. The flat bottom is not as, um, not as flat. It's entirely different, different MFSW button shape, different seam points of the leather, different wheel shape itself (including different airbag)
And here is the new wheel!
So far so good! I am loving the new look! Now to reconnect the battery and take her for a spin!
Oops I spoke too soon.. So, upon reconnection of the battery I had the typical error lights appear on the dash, did the necessary dance to clear those. However, one spall problem remained - my EPC light was now on and would not clear....
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12/30/2016 - Dealing with the EPC light
So I don't have any fancy diagnostics tools like Ross-Tech at my immediate disposal, and I'm still waiting for my OBDEleven to arrive. Combine this with the fact everyone is on holidays and I thought it would be a while before I could scan the car for codes to try and determine why my EPC light was on.
With the EPC light on, even if the car appears to drive fine there are other systems that can be affected such as your stability system, cruise control etc so I definitely will have to get this sorted if this wheel is to become a permanent fixture.
Fortunately I have a few good friends who are always willing to help out where possible - so I had a friend come to my workplace today so we could go scan the 1.8T (in the middle of a blizzard nonetheless lol)
Pulled fault codes for 'Tiptronic' as well as for cruise control..
So.. I was thoroughly confused now as my car is not a 'tiptronic', the wheel was not a 'DSG' wheel.. Why was I getting faults for tiptronic upshift and downshift?
I asked a couple friends of mine who are both Master Techs for VW if this was a simple case of coding or if there was more to it, neither could say for sure.
I spent a great deal of time searching the interwebz for some insight and came up with nothing.
So for your amusement, here is a picture of the backside of the airbags! Could the difference in harnesses account for the faults I'm finding?
When I got home I reinstalled the original wheel, EPC light now out, everything as it should be. Perhaps I will have to simply have to sell the wheel if I can not get it to function flawlessly.
What I did learn is that many people who say their wheel swaps were 'plug n' play' are not actually plug n' play. Sure they don't have an airbag light or an EPC light, but I've come across many instances where after a swap people's MFSW buttons don't function as intended, where their cruise button now becomes their horn button for example, they lose their cruise control all together etc etc. While this may be fine for some, the perfectionist in me coupled with my OCD would not allow such a thing. It has to be 100% or not at all.
So I don't have any fancy diagnostics tools like Ross-Tech at my immediate disposal, and I'm still waiting for my OBDEleven to arrive. Combine this with the fact everyone is on holidays and I thought it would be a while before I could scan the car for codes to try and determine why my EPC light was on.
With the EPC light on, even if the car appears to drive fine there are other systems that can be affected such as your stability system, cruise control etc so I definitely will have to get this sorted if this wheel is to become a permanent fixture.
Fortunately I have a few good friends who are always willing to help out where possible - so I had a friend come to my workplace today so we could go scan the 1.8T (in the middle of a blizzard nonetheless lol)
Pulled fault codes for 'Tiptronic' as well as for cruise control..
So.. I was thoroughly confused now as my car is not a 'tiptronic', the wheel was not a 'DSG' wheel.. Why was I getting faults for tiptronic upshift and downshift?
I asked a couple friends of mine who are both Master Techs for VW if this was a simple case of coding or if there was more to it, neither could say for sure.
I spent a great deal of time searching the interwebz for some insight and came up with nothing.
So for your amusement, here is a picture of the backside of the airbags! Could the difference in harnesses account for the faults I'm finding?
When I got home I reinstalled the original wheel, EPC light now out, everything as it should be. Perhaps I will have to simply have to sell the wheel if I can not get it to function flawlessly.
What I did learn is that many people who say their wheel swaps were 'plug n' play' are not actually plug n' play. Sure they don't have an airbag light or an EPC light, but I've come across many instances where after a swap people's MFSW buttons don't function as intended, where their cruise button now becomes their horn button for example, they lose their cruise control all together etc etc. While this may be fine for some, the perfectionist in me coupled with my OCD would not allow such a thing. It has to be 100% or not at all.
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12/31/2016 - New Year's EPC
I had reached out to several people, several forums, several fb groups, but nobody seemed to have any solid ideas. combine the fact it was New Year's Eve I wasn't holding my breath for answers.
Then I had an idea!
First test - I ran out to the garage, removed the MFSW buttons from the new wheel and hopped in my R. I released the airbag from the clips, plugged in the MFSW buttons to the harness for the R and BAMMM!!!!! - No EPC light! (you thought I was going to say the airbag exploded in my face weren't ya!)
Honestly, part of me was hoping for an EPC light on the R as then my next step would have been to swap my R wheel into the 1.8T to see if it worked, and if it did it would be as simple as ordering up new MFSW buttons from the VIN from the R..
Second test, I unclipped the original airbag in the 1.8T, plugged in the new MFSW buttons and yup - the dreaded EPC light was back. This time around I was happy to see the EPC light in a way as it told me the problem either lies in the buttons themselves, in the coding of the car, or both. I felt like I was maybe getting somewhere.
Third test - I called up my buddy who also has a manual R (without the Driver's Assistance Package) to see if he would let me plug my buttons in his car. Turns out, he was driving right by my house at that very minute and he was in my driveway before I even hung up the phone - Flintstones style for any of you who remember that cartoon lol.. So I unclip his airbag, plug the offending MFSW buttons into his R and yup - EPC light! We then scanned his car and came up with the EXACT same fault codes thrown!
Now I truly think I am getting somewhere! If My R (With Driver's Assistance Package inc ACC) does not throw an EPC light with these buttons, then the buttons themselves are good, well at least good for their intended car. Perhaps it IS simply a coding issue that nobody has ever explored before? If both my 1.8T and my friend's R throw an EPC light with these buttons, then logic dictates there is a chance HIS buttons will work in my 1.8T! The true test would be to pull his wheel and swap it in my 1.8T, then if no codes, I can simply order buttons off his VIN for my new wheel.
Being New Year's eve and all, plus not wanting to truly 'mess' with my buddy's car (he's already helped so much as it is), I didn't ask him if I could. I figured I made some significant progress and I may take my chances from here, and hopefully not make any expensive mistakes by ordering up new MFSW buttons in hopes they work.
I suspect ACC is the culprit to my woes..
I had reached out to several people, several forums, several fb groups, but nobody seemed to have any solid ideas. combine the fact it was New Year's Eve I wasn't holding my breath for answers.
Then I had an idea!
First test - I ran out to the garage, removed the MFSW buttons from the new wheel and hopped in my R. I released the airbag from the clips, plugged in the MFSW buttons to the harness for the R and BAMMM!!!!! - No EPC light! (you thought I was going to say the airbag exploded in my face weren't ya!)
Honestly, part of me was hoping for an EPC light on the R as then my next step would have been to swap my R wheel into the 1.8T to see if it worked, and if it did it would be as simple as ordering up new MFSW buttons from the VIN from the R..
Second test, I unclipped the original airbag in the 1.8T, plugged in the new MFSW buttons and yup - the dreaded EPC light was back. This time around I was happy to see the EPC light in a way as it told me the problem either lies in the buttons themselves, in the coding of the car, or both. I felt like I was maybe getting somewhere.
Third test - I called up my buddy who also has a manual R (without the Driver's Assistance Package) to see if he would let me plug my buttons in his car. Turns out, he was driving right by my house at that very minute and he was in my driveway before I even hung up the phone - Flintstones style for any of you who remember that cartoon lol.. So I unclip his airbag, plug the offending MFSW buttons into his R and yup - EPC light! We then scanned his car and came up with the EXACT same fault codes thrown!
Now I truly think I am getting somewhere! If My R (With Driver's Assistance Package inc ACC) does not throw an EPC light with these buttons, then the buttons themselves are good, well at least good for their intended car. Perhaps it IS simply a coding issue that nobody has ever explored before? If both my 1.8T and my friend's R throw an EPC light with these buttons, then logic dictates there is a chance HIS buttons will work in my 1.8T! The true test would be to pull his wheel and swap it in my 1.8T, then if no codes, I can simply order buttons off his VIN for my new wheel.
Being New Year's eve and all, plus not wanting to truly 'mess' with my buddy's car (he's already helped so much as it is), I didn't ask him if I could. I figured I made some significant progress and I may take my chances from here, and hopefully not make any expensive mistakes by ordering up new MFSW buttons in hopes they work.
I suspect ACC is the culprit to my woes..
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Not sure if I follow your comment: 'the big silver "R"'
Yeah I guess I could always keep the wheel as a spare, so I can send one out to be wrapped or..
However, I still plan on getting this fully functioning in my 1.8T
And yes, the leather surface of these wheels can easily be damaged, however I personally have never damaged a wheel like how this one was sent to me. The principle of the whole thing was I bought a wheel advertised as being in PERFECT, NEW MINT condition. The seller shipped in a plastic bag (wheel may very well have been damaged prior to shipping), then told me it was simply my bad luck and there was nothing he could do to help me. Karma bit him in his Romanian ass.
For reference this is the original trim/MFSW buttons that came with the sport wheel I am trying to fit to the 1.8T
I sourced the R-Line trim from a friend of mine who just so happened to have EXACTLY the trim I was looking for as it is damn near impossible to find the exact wheel I wanted in terms of stitch, trim, manual vs DSG etc etc.. et voila!
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Nope. The casings and the buttons are entirely different. Part of me thought of attempting to switch over the circuitry but let's face it, I'm not an electrical wizard, plus there is no guarantees it could be done properly anyways.
Here's what I think the problem is, and why the buttons don't throw a code in my R but throw a code in both my 1.8T as well as my buddy's R..
Keep in mind, all cars in question are manual transmissions, and the fault codes thrown are for both 'tipronic upshift' and 'tiptronic downshift'. The codes also appear to be stemming from the MFSW buttons themselves..
The one thing both my R and these buttons have in common is the ACC function.
both my 1.8T and my Buddy's R do NOT have ACC.
I suspect it has everything to do with the ACC and how it functions. I'm not entirely sure why the codes are for 'tiptronic', but based on how ACC is an 'adaptive' cruise, with the ability to both increase and decrease speed based on traffic etc, I feel the 'tiptronic' faults are a result of both the 1.8T and my Buddy's R not being able to regulate speed independently.
I still have not answered my question if whether or not this is simply a coding issue, or if the MFSW buttons with ACC can not be coded around?
01/02/2017 - Episode IV 'A New Hope'
So, reaching out to a few people I was able to source MFSW buttons for a sport wheel with the exact configuration I was after. The button layout is exactly as it is in the 1.8T (but for a sport wheel). Like I have mentioned earlier, I suspect the exact wheel configuration I was after including shape, stitch, MFSW buttons, and trim does not exist. At this point, I have now sourced everything independent of each other to assemble the wheel I have envisioned for this car.
I also confirmed the PN against my buddy's VIN, as I mentioned earlier I suspect his MFSW from his R would not throw a code in my 1.8T. The MFSW buttons have been mailed out so we will find out shortly if my theory is correct.
Help me Obiwan Kenobi, you're my only hope.
So, reaching out to a few people I was able to source MFSW buttons for a sport wheel with the exact configuration I was after. The button layout is exactly as it is in the 1.8T (but for a sport wheel). Like I have mentioned earlier, I suspect the exact wheel configuration I was after including shape, stitch, MFSW buttons, and trim does not exist. At this point, I have now sourced everything independent of each other to assemble the wheel I have envisioned for this car.
I also confirmed the PN against my buddy's VIN, as I mentioned earlier I suspect his MFSW from his R would not throw a code in my 1.8T. The MFSW buttons have been mailed out so we will find out shortly if my theory is correct.
Help me Obiwan Kenobi, you're my only hope.
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01/10/2017 - New MFSW Buttons!
So I received the replacement MFSW buttons as described - new but with a crack in the back casing. No worries I planned on simply shaping casings from one of my other two sets of MFSW buttons. Little did I realize was that while the MFSW buttons themselves where held in to the trim with a standard six-point torx, the damn casings for the MFSW buttons were held on by 5-point torx/pentalobe screws.. No worries, I'll just put a shout out to my friends as someone is bound to have something - NOPE. And I'm talking not even my VW Master Tech tech friends..
OK, I'll just go buy some. What's that? Either nobody has anything in stock or nobody even has a freaking clue what I'm talking about!? Uggghhhh.
I can't put the buttons in as-is, because the cracked casing appears to be affecting button engagement, allowing the entire casing to flex out the back instead of allow for a firm reinforcement for the buttons to engage properly..
01/11/2017 - Still trying to arrange for the correct tool to swap casings
01/12/2017 - Eff it.. I'll make my own damn tool if I have to
After experimenting with different precision tools etc I discovered that I could simply use a 2mm flat head screwdriver, while holding my tongue just right, to remove these damn screws. Success.
The next step after swapping casings was to test the electronics and see if any faults are thrown.
as before when testing MFSW buttons in other cars I simply released the airbag, unclipped the MFSW harness from the buttons that are in the car, and plugged the new ones in.
No Faults!
Things are looking good, should all be downhill from here! Swapped in the non-ACC MFSW buttons to my new wheel with R-line trim, then swapped wheels!
Everything functions as it should, no faults found.
Would like to give a shout out to Ricardo for the sweet deal on the round airbag - hope it's never needed! (If you're looking for OEM steering wheels/airbags he has great prices!)
A big thanks to Peter Greszta for supplying me with the R-Line trim I was after (Peter is heavily involved in the OEM+ modification scene, and known for his alcantera wrapped goodies including steering wheels, shift/e-brake boots, and pretty much anything else you can imagine!)
Another huge thanks to Mark Davies for supplying me with the MFSW buttons that actually work in my car (Mark is beginning to make a splash in the custom steering wheel scene with some beautiful carbon fibre weave steering wheel combinations!)
pm me if you want anyone's contact info, would be more than happy to help!
And and I can't forget to thank Casper who dropped everything on a moments notice to come read fault codes in the middle of a blizzard, and then again came over and let me use his R as a guinea pig and take it apart to test my hypotheses when I was having problems
Honourable mention goes to the asshat from Romania who shipped me a beautiful wheel in a crappy plastic bag with no protection, which was then damaged in shipping.. either that or he shipped me a damaged wheel hoping I wouldn't fight it. Either way the price was right - eBay refunded me total purchase price plus shipping AND told me to keep the wheel!
Cheers! (Please excuse the crappy pic, will get better ones when weather warms up a tad.)
So I received the replacement MFSW buttons as described - new but with a crack in the back casing. No worries I planned on simply shaping casings from one of my other two sets of MFSW buttons. Little did I realize was that while the MFSW buttons themselves where held in to the trim with a standard six-point torx, the damn casings for the MFSW buttons were held on by 5-point torx/pentalobe screws.. No worries, I'll just put a shout out to my friends as someone is bound to have something - NOPE. And I'm talking not even my VW Master Tech tech friends..
OK, I'll just go buy some. What's that? Either nobody has anything in stock or nobody even has a freaking clue what I'm talking about!? Uggghhhh.
I can't put the buttons in as-is, because the cracked casing appears to be affecting button engagement, allowing the entire casing to flex out the back instead of allow for a firm reinforcement for the buttons to engage properly..
01/11/2017 - Still trying to arrange for the correct tool to swap casings
01/12/2017 - Eff it.. I'll make my own damn tool if I have to
After experimenting with different precision tools etc I discovered that I could simply use a 2mm flat head screwdriver, while holding my tongue just right, to remove these damn screws. Success.
The next step after swapping casings was to test the electronics and see if any faults are thrown.
as before when testing MFSW buttons in other cars I simply released the airbag, unclipped the MFSW harness from the buttons that are in the car, and plugged the new ones in.
No Faults!
Things are looking good, should all be downhill from here! Swapped in the non-ACC MFSW buttons to my new wheel with R-line trim, then swapped wheels!
Everything functions as it should, no faults found.
Would like to give a shout out to Ricardo for the sweet deal on the round airbag - hope it's never needed! (If you're looking for OEM steering wheels/airbags he has great prices!)
A big thanks to Peter Greszta for supplying me with the R-Line trim I was after (Peter is heavily involved in the OEM+ modification scene, and known for his alcantera wrapped goodies including steering wheels, shift/e-brake boots, and pretty much anything else you can imagine!)
Another huge thanks to Mark Davies for supplying me with the MFSW buttons that actually work in my car (Mark is beginning to make a splash in the custom steering wheel scene with some beautiful carbon fibre weave steering wheel combinations!)
pm me if you want anyone's contact info, would be more than happy to help!
And and I can't forget to thank Casper who dropped everything on a moments notice to come read fault codes in the middle of a blizzard, and then again came over and let me use his R as a guinea pig and take it apart to test my hypotheses when I was having problems
Honourable mention goes to the asshat from Romania who shipped me a beautiful wheel in a crappy plastic bag with no protection, which was then damaged in shipping.. either that or he shipped me a damaged wheel hoping I wouldn't fight it. Either way the price was right - eBay refunded me total purchase price plus shipping AND told me to keep the wheel!
Cheers! (Please excuse the crappy pic, will get better ones when weather warms up a tad.)
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BlancoGTI17
Ready to race!
- Location
- Ohio
- Car(s)
- 17 GTI Autobahn
Awesome!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Trollin86
Ready to race!
- Location
- Vienna, VA
- Car(s)
- 2018 Alltrack SE DSG
The steering wheel turned out extremely nicely! Seems like all of your efforts and determination paid off. Congrats, it really makes an already classy cabin that much nicer. I can't say I wouldn't have given up much before you did!