Steering Wheel Upgrade 16+ LC (11 Viewers)

[stevopike]

The $561 deal is going on again, just grabbed one.

 

[lcjockey]

The $561 deal is going on again, just grabbed one.

where? Do yo have a link? Thanks

 

[smm3]

I would like to know about the deal as well. Mine is in terrible shape on my 2019 with 90K miles on her.

 

[Boston Mangler]

Does the new steering wheel come with the air bag cover? Does the airbag swap over easily?

What additional parts are needed for this?

Thanks

 

[Artie]

Does the new steering wheel come with the air bag cover? Does the airbag swap over easily?

What additional parts are needed for this?

Thanks

It’s just the wheel but the air bag is super easy to switch over. At least it was on my ‘21 MY. There are 3 spring retention bars that you need to push out of the way with a small punch or screw driver to remove it, 2 wires to unhook and it’s out. Installation is reinstall the wires and simply push back on.

If you don’t have a steering wheel puller it’s probably a good idea to get one as it makes removal of the wheel from the spindle easy and damage free. Otherwise, this is a very easy process.

 

[xeuxaz]

Does the new steering wheel come with the air bag cover? Does the airbag swap over easily?

What additional parts are needed for this?

Thanks

This includes the steering wheel only (with switches), and you'll need to transfer your existing airbag. From what I understand, only airbags from 2016 to 2021 are compatible. If you're installing it on an earlier 200 model, it (the switches) might still work, but you'll need to find a suitable airbag and make sure there are no programming issues.

 

[Boston Mangler]

Thanks @xeuxaz and @Artie

I guess this won’t work on my 2010 outdated relic…. Dangit

Mine is perfectly fine, but I like the more updated look. It would of been for aesthetics only.

Love my interior in the 2010, it’s the perfect blend of Modern, but not over fancy and just lux enough for me.

Except for the steering wheel, other than the wood, it’s identical to the one that I had in my base strip model Prius Feels dated

 

[Inside Out]

Sharing my experience in case it's helpful to someone.

Even though I don't have a Heritage, just a plain jane '17, I ordered the Heritage edition wheel that someone posted earlier in the thread because I thought the bronze stitching would look sharp with my Terra interior. And also, it was about $100 less than the OEM wheel during the most recent 20% off sale. It does look good, but the leather is more of a gray color than the black on my OEM wheel. Not really noticeable once installed, and the quality seems far superior, but worth mentioning as I traded one color match (leather) for another (stitching).

I used this video, which I found to be the best one out there:

Installation was reasonably straightforward and tracked the video except for one big obstacle. I could not -- really, could not -- get the two screws holding the wheel weight to budge with any normal effort. I ended up stripping both of them. Then tried to drill one out, unsuccessfully. Finally got them out using a needle nose vice grip but they were really stuck....not sure why. Also, when removing the control panels from each side of the wheel I snapped off two very, very tiny retaining clips. I'm actually not sure how I could have taken the panels off without snapping them and it doesn't seem to matter on reassembly; the clips wouldn't be visible, and the panels are held in with two screws on each side. But again, worth mentioning.

Setting aside the time I spent struggling with the wheel weight screws, it was probably a 45 minute effort.

 

[MRego]

Sharing my experience in case it's helpful to someone.

Even though I don't have a Heritage, just a plain jane '17, I ordered the Heritage edition wheel that someone posted earlier in the thread because I thought the bronze stitching would look sharp with my Terra interior. And also, it was about $100 less than the OEM wheel during the most recent 20% off sale. It does look good, but the leather is more of a gray color than the black on my OEM wheel. Not really noticeable once installed, and the quality seems far superior, but worth mentioning as I traded one color match (leather) for another (stitching).

I used this video, which I found to be the best one out there:

Installation was reasonably straightforward and tracked the video except for one big obstacle. I could not -- really, could not -- get the two screws holding the wheel weight to budge with any normal effort. I ended up stripping both of them. Then tried to drill one out, unsuccessfully. Finally got them out using a needle nose vice grip but they were really stuck....not sure why. Also, when removing the control panels from each side of the wheel I snapped off two very, very tiny retaining clips. I'm actually not sure how I could have taken the panels off without snapping them and it doesn't seem to matter on reassembly; the clips wouldn't be visible, and the panels are held in with two screws on each side. But again, worth mentioning.

Setting aside the time I spent struggling with the wheel weight screws, it was probably a 45 minute effort.

There is definitely a correlation between lotions (including hand sanitizers) and the peeling that happens with these 200 steering wheels. Interesting to see his wheel was not the one with the wood on top and bottom, which I initially thought were the only ones affected by the issue.

Good job on swapping them. I am not that mechanically inclined, so had my shop do it for me. The new HE wheel you bought is not really gray, it should be the same color as the one you had in your truck (except for the bronze stitching). The thing is, when new, they have a more matte gray look and with time a shiny patina forms and the gray turns more into a shiny black. It happens to all kinds of leather too. It was a good call using the HE wheel with the Terra interior. The stitching really match.

 

[Boston Mangler]

There is definitely a correlation between lotions

Just make sure it goes in the basket

 

[dudemancool1904]

We had a similar issue in the wife’s w205 c63. The service manager blamed it on hand lotion but I feel it’s a cop out. I suppose when I do the 10 year refresh on my truck I’ll probably pick up a steering wheel and two front seat cushions.

 

[JohnPW]

I don’t buy the hand lotion story. The thin leather on my 2016 was absolutely trashed, and I never use lotion on my hands, ever. I’m very conscientious of wiping off my hands with a towel I keep in the truck if they are sweaty or wet before driving.

The replacement (all leather) wheel is a completely different feeling leather, less soft and more sturdy feeling than the original. So far it’s holding up perfectly.