This mod has been discussed quite a bit but I thought people might like to see a walkthrough of the install. This install can be done by just about anyone.
WARNING!!!! This mod has the potential to break your steering wheel angle sensor. Mine needed to be replaced afterwards, and I have seen another person have the same problem. I think this may be avoidable if you work around the airbag. If you do this, you still need to either disconnect the negative battery terminal or the airbag fuses. Rather than unplugging the plugs and wire clip from the back of the airbag, you can leave them connected. You will not be able to remove the steering wheel entirely, but you should have enough room to remove the cowl and get at the control pod screws from behind. You may want to have a friend there to hold the airbag out of the way while you work.
What you need
1. Torque wrench - to tighten steering wheel nut to 22-29 ft-lbs
2. T30 Torx bit - to remove airbag
3. 17MM socket, I used a deep socket but regular may work - steering wheel nut
4. 3 inch socket extension - to access steering wheel nut without hitting the leather
5. Breaker bar - to loosen steering wheel nut
6. Medium size Phillips head screw driver - screws holding cowl and control pods
7. Flat head screw driver - pry the airbag tabs
8. Painter / masking tape (optional) - prevent scratches, mark angle of steering wheel
9. Something to remove the negative battery terminal. Socket, wrench, whatever.
Walkthrough
1. Disconnect the negative battery terminal. Wait 5 minutes, step on brake pedal to bleed any residual charge. Make sure the car's wheels are pointing straight ahead. At this point I marked the angle of the steering wheel by placing a strip of tape from the wheel onto the dash. When it came time to put the steering wheel back on, it was easy to see how it needed to line up.
2. Use the T30 Torx bit and socket wrench to loosen the screws on the side of the steering wheel. You can also use a T30 torx screw driver with a wrench or plier for leverage (I did not have a T30 bit handy). The screws will loosen but will not come out. You should be able to pull the airbag off easily once they are loosened far enough.
Picture forthcoming
3. See warning above about methods to removing the airbag. Here's what I did. Carefully remove the airbag. There will be three wires still connected to the back of the airbag. To remove the orange and black plugs, pry the yellow clips up with the flathead screwdriver, then pull them straight out. The metal wire clip has a small release to press, then slides right off.
Location of the yellow clips to pry up
View of the plugs once they are "up"
Location of the release for wire clip
4. Use the 17MM socket, socket extension, and breaker bar to loosen the steering wheel nut. As mentioned in another thread, the easiest way to get enough leverage here is to stand outside the car with one hand on the steering wheel and one hand on the breaker bar. You probably could use a socket wrench here but that sort of use could lower the lifespan of the wrench. Leave the nut on the last few threads of the shaft so when you pull the steering wheel off, it doesn't hit you in the chest. Pull straight forward to slide the steering wheel off.
Location of steering wheel nut
5. Remove the cowl covering the back of the steering wheel. The wiring for the cruise control may be run through a guide - make sure it is loose first. There are two phillips head screws and one clip that need to be removed for the cowl to come off. Once the cowl is off you will have access to the screws holding the control pods on the wheel.
Location of all 3
Close up of screws
Close up of clip
6. Remove the phillips head screws holding the old control pod and blank into place. I taped off the inside edge of the new control pods before installing them to prevent scratches from the airbag. Install the new control pods.
View of the screws from the back side of the steering wheel
7. Reattach the steering wheel cowl. As you are putting it into place, note the two wire channels for the new control pods. Place the wiring from the steering wheel audio and cruise controls into the wire guides on each side.
Location of the wire guides
8. Reattach steering wheel. Pay attention to what angle you are putting it on. This is where marking it with tape before I started was helpful. Tighten the nut to 22-29 ft-lbs with torque wrench.
9. Push the airbag plugs down into their sockets, then press in the yellow tabs to lock them into place. Slide the metal wire back on. Reattach airbag using the T30 screws on the sides of the steering wheel.
10. Reconnect the fuses or negative battery terminal. After disconnecting the battery like this, the car will not start if you try to crank it immediately due to our drive by wire throttle. Turn the key to the "on" position and wait for a few clicks, then you should be able to start it no problem.
WARNING!!!! This mod has the potential to break your steering wheel angle sensor. Mine needed to be replaced afterwards, and I have seen another person have the same problem. I think this may be avoidable if you work around the airbag. If you do this, you still need to either disconnect the negative battery terminal or the airbag fuses. Rather than unplugging the plugs and wire clip from the back of the airbag, you can leave them connected. You will not be able to remove the steering wheel entirely, but you should have enough room to remove the cowl and get at the control pod screws from behind. You may want to have a friend there to hold the airbag out of the way while you work.
What you need
1. Torque wrench - to tighten steering wheel nut to 22-29 ft-lbs
2. T30 Torx bit - to remove airbag
3. 17MM socket, I used a deep socket but regular may work - steering wheel nut
4. 3 inch socket extension - to access steering wheel nut without hitting the leather
5. Breaker bar - to loosen steering wheel nut
6. Medium size Phillips head screw driver - screws holding cowl and control pods
7. Flat head screw driver - pry the airbag tabs
8. Painter / masking tape (optional) - prevent scratches, mark angle of steering wheel
9. Something to remove the negative battery terminal. Socket, wrench, whatever.
Walkthrough
1. Disconnect the negative battery terminal. Wait 5 minutes, step on brake pedal to bleed any residual charge. Make sure the car's wheels are pointing straight ahead. At this point I marked the angle of the steering wheel by placing a strip of tape from the wheel onto the dash. When it came time to put the steering wheel back on, it was easy to see how it needed to line up.
2. Use the T30 Torx bit and socket wrench to loosen the screws on the side of the steering wheel. You can also use a T30 torx screw driver with a wrench or plier for leverage (I did not have a T30 bit handy). The screws will loosen but will not come out. You should be able to pull the airbag off easily once they are loosened far enough.
Picture forthcoming
3. See warning above about methods to removing the airbag. Here's what I did. Carefully remove the airbag. There will be three wires still connected to the back of the airbag. To remove the orange and black plugs, pry the yellow clips up with the flathead screwdriver, then pull them straight out. The metal wire clip has a small release to press, then slides right off.
Location of the yellow clips to pry up
View of the plugs once they are "up"
Location of the release for wire clip
4. Use the 17MM socket, socket extension, and breaker bar to loosen the steering wheel nut. As mentioned in another thread, the easiest way to get enough leverage here is to stand outside the car with one hand on the steering wheel and one hand on the breaker bar. You probably could use a socket wrench here but that sort of use could lower the lifespan of the wrench. Leave the nut on the last few threads of the shaft so when you pull the steering wheel off, it doesn't hit you in the chest. Pull straight forward to slide the steering wheel off.
Location of steering wheel nut
5. Remove the cowl covering the back of the steering wheel. The wiring for the cruise control may be run through a guide - make sure it is loose first. There are two phillips head screws and one clip that need to be removed for the cowl to come off. Once the cowl is off you will have access to the screws holding the control pods on the wheel.
Location of all 3
Close up of screws
Close up of clip
6. Remove the phillips head screws holding the old control pod and blank into place. I taped off the inside edge of the new control pods before installing them to prevent scratches from the airbag. Install the new control pods.
View of the screws from the back side of the steering wheel
7. Reattach the steering wheel cowl. As you are putting it into place, note the two wire channels for the new control pods. Place the wiring from the steering wheel audio and cruise controls into the wire guides on each side.
Location of the wire guides
8. Reattach steering wheel. Pay attention to what angle you are putting it on. This is where marking it with tape before I started was helpful. Tighten the nut to 22-29 ft-lbs with torque wrench.
9. Push the airbag plugs down into their sockets, then press in the yellow tabs to lock them into place. Slide the metal wire back on. Reattach airbag using the T30 screws on the sides of the steering wheel.
10. Reconnect the fuses or negative battery terminal. After disconnecting the battery like this, the car will not start if you try to crank it immediately due to our drive by wire throttle. Turn the key to the "on" position and wait for a few clicks, then you should be able to start it no problem.