I don't like my 3 spoke steering wheel so I was thinking to replace it w/ the old 2 spoke one so here my questions:

1) Can it be done?
2) Alternative to the blue tooth button (I don't have on my '05 either !!)
3) Where should I go to get it done?
4) Cost new wheel and labor.

Thanks


MD STREGA2
22 GS
OPEN 22

 

1) Probably, I'm not 100% sure about the Cabrio though. I know Jollynut had this done to her car which I believe is a 2004 Cooper which originally came with the three spoke wheel. She's registered for MOTD so you may see her there...

2) This is more difficult, you'd need somebody who is savy enough to hack into the iBus on the car and translate the signal sent by the one unused button on the two spoke wheel into something that would be understood by whatever bluetooth kit you put in... As of right now nothing like that exists.

3) I think Jollynut had it done by her dealer.

4) I believe it's a $700 job, but don't quote me on that...

 

Unfortunately, I can't add much other than to say I want to do a steering wheel swap too - but the other way around, from a 2 spoke to a 3 spoke.

I've got an '02, and I've been thinking of buying a 3 spoke wheel from a seller on the marketplace. Question is - will the airbag swap over, and do I need any other parts? It seems to me that there is a pad over the centre which seems specific to the type of wheel.

The other issue is that my 2 spoke wheel doesn't have any extra buttons, just the horns. The swap should work, right? Any one know of the specifics on the airbag issue though?

 

These are some things that affect steering wheel swaps.... and links to a site that lets you look at the details.


"slip ring" - this connects the steering wheel connections to the rest of the car (Horn, airbag, MSFW buttons). There are two part #s, a MSFW # and a non-MFSW #. 2-spoke & 3-spoke wheels seem to use the same slip ring - so the slip ring does not seem to matter. Here's the page with those parts:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...02&hg=61&fg=35

The airbags are absolutely not interchangable between 2-spoke & 3-spoke steering wheels. They are completely different! Here's the page with the 6 different steering wheels available on a MINI... Click on one & see the details for that style...

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/partgrp.d...21&hg=32&fg=35

So if you're just looking to swap wheels & not add MFSW functions to you car, you need the wheel, it's airbag, & it's "button blocks". If you want to add MSFW functions you need the complete retrofit kit, installed, & your car reprogrammed to add MSFW features. The retrofit kits and some other wheel options are listed on this page, click on one to see details:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/partgrp.d...21&hg=32&fg=95


If Lastrega & Saaboteur both have MSFW or non-MSFW, you guys could swap wheel assemblies, but your cars would be down during the shipping exchange.....

I have a non-MFSW car, so I'm not sure about the 'bluetooth' option on the 3-spoke. I don't know if all of the 3-spoke buttons function the same as the 2-spoke buttons for a MFSW car.... I can only look at the parts pics & try to see what interchanges & what doesn't.

Hope this helps a little.

Larry

 

Larry, thanks very much for the informative post!

Lastrega - I'm game for a trade if you are. Regarding downtime, it's not a big issue for me. As my screen name will attest, I'm actually a Saab guy (you can see my cars here if anyone is interested - http://members.shaw.ca/saaboteur) and I'm not planning on driving the MINI again for probably a couple of months.