As most of you know, many people (like me) regard it as a travesty that Sportline owners don't have access to the lovely MSport wheel that you can get in the "lowly" 320i.
This is a letter I recently sent to my contact at TMS (Turner Motor Sport) which is located about 45 minutes from my house. I'm hoping that they can do this swap for me this spring. I pulled together all the information I could find on the swap. TMS told me that they hadn't done one before but were interested because they are now stocking the relevant parts. FYI, here's the TMS page on the air bag module
http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-17...-bmw-part.aspx and here's the one on the wheel
http://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-17...-bmw-part.aspx . As you can see, it's almost $1500 for the parts, don't yet know about the labor. From the information below it seems a couple of hours tops would be sufficient. That's a lot of money for a steering wheel, I know. Those of you who are high-end DIYers could no doubt handle this on your own. If anyone has a cheaper solution to getting the MSport wheel into a non-MSport car, please chime in.
The fellow at TMS had asked me to gather whatever relevant information I could from the forums.
"hey ****,
I've been doing some more research and it turns out that you carry both the MSport Steering Wheel, #32307848338 and the Airbag Module, Driver's Side that (according to realoem.com) goes with the MSport Wheel, #32307845798.
Here is a link to the realoem page that shows the ancillary parts that go with the wheel and airbag:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...16&hg=32&fg=35 According to the source at #2 below, the necessary switch gear from the Sport wheel can be transferred directly into the MSport wheel.
1) Here's a short pdf on how to remove the original f30 wheel:
http://www.bimmian.com/elements/page.../STW/STW30.pdf . And this video (starting around 3:00 minutes) shows how to remove the old wheel/airbag and install a new wheel with airbag:
http://www.bimmian.com/AutoCarbon-Ca...W-F30-3-Series
2) This is a very helpful thread about swapping out the original f30 328 sportline wheel and replacing it with the MSport:
http://www.f30post.com/forums/showth...steering+wheel
3) Here is a written description from a forum member of what he did:
"Yes I was able to do it. The video at the top of this thread is kinda misleading, since it looks totally effortless the way he slides the screwdriver in and pops the airbag out. Not sure, but I assume that's how it would look like after you go through the whole procedure 30 times and the hooks and soft material inside of the steering wheel start wearing out.
Here is a more detailed description on how I did it:
Use the right screwdriver. A T20 torx will work best, but the philipps used in the video should be fine too.
Insert the screwdriver in the opening, at an angle that is parallel to the back plate of the steering wheel.
After about 45 mm (1.77 in) you will feel a resistance
This is the step that initially tripped me up: In order to get the screwdriver head behind the U shaped clamp of the airbag unit, you have to push the screwdriver handle inward (towards the center of the steering wheel).
If you push it far enough you will be able to advance the screwdriver another 5 mm for a total insertion depth of 50 mm (1.97 in). Now the screwdriver is in the right position
Only now push the handle of the screwdriver outwards in order to release the U clamps from the hooks. Note that the airbag unit does not "pop" out, it need to be pulled out.
At the same time as you're doing the previous step, with your other hand wiggle and pull the whole airbag unit until you feel it coming loose. You won't be able to move it much, since it's still locked on the other side.
Repeat on the other side, while making sure that airbag unit will not snap back."
http://www.f30post.com/forums/showth...9#post13774669 This thread contains a two minute video on how to remove the airbag and wheel.
Let me know if there's anything else I can find out that the techs might need. I'll be in touch towards the end of March to firm this up, but you can always contact me before that about whether TMS can do this for me and the approximate cost. This swap would be in a 2014 328d Sportline. I will have paddles (Sport AT option) and the wheel will be unheated. I won't be ready for the swap until April, but this will give your techs a running start. Maybe another guinea pig will show up before me!