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T3 Steering wheel paddle shifters

79648 Views 181 Replies 47 Participants Last post by  adidas
8
The steering wheel has to be swapped out for a wheel with paddle shifters. Part: 7P6419091C is for the black leather steering wheel with paddle shifters. Part: 7P6419091F is for the heated black leather steering wheel with paddle shifters. Other part numbers could apply, brown leather, etc. The airbag should be a direct fit; no special wiring harness needed.

Step 1: Turn the steering wheel to 90 degrees. Use a small screwdriver to release the airbag clip on the back of the wheel and pull out slightly on that side of the airbag.

Step 2: Turn on the car and turn the wheel 180 degrees. Turn off the car. Repeat removal of the airbag clip on this side; the airbag should come all of the way out. There are two wiring connectors between the airbag and the steering wheel; disconnect both.

Step 3: Use a socket set and spline bit to remove the bolt holding the wheel down. Mark the point on the base of the wheel where the tick mark on the original wheel is positioned. Slide the original wheel off.

Step 4: Slide the new wheel on while paying attention to where the tick mark is positioned. Replace the bolt that holds the wheel in place. Reconnect the airbag connectors and push the airbag back on. The airbag should click back in to position with a little pressure.

Step 5: Coding.

VCDS
16 - Steering Wheel
07 - Coding
Long Coding Helper
Byte 2
Bit 5 (Tiptronic Installed)
Check the Box (Change from 0 to 1)

Step 6: Clear fault codes. I kept the car off while the airbag was disconnected so I didn't get an airbag fault code. I did have to clear a fault code off of the Steering Wheel Module 16 because I test drive the car before reprogramming the Module for the new wheel.

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TDInDC, you da man! I'll do mine this weekend.

Thank You for the write up!
10
Done! Just finished mine too. Everything works as advertized :).

TDInDC gave pretty good instructions, however I'd like to add some small details.

1- When releasing an airbag tab I'd recommend flattest screwdriver one can find.
2- Don't be afraid to pull on that tab, it is made out of metal and won't break.


3- you will need a T-55 bit to unscrew the steering wheel.



4- When removing an airbag connector make sure to pull the green safety tab our before pulling the plug. Make sure your vehicle is off and if you have KESSY have the key away from the vehicle.


5- After removing a center nut I marked a center with a marker, the steering wheel already has a center groove.


6- Center nut has loctite from the factory. Just in case I've applied a fresh coat before reinstalling it. I also torqued it to 80Nm (not a verified number).


7- After installing the wheel and before re-installing an airbag, make sure that none of the wires are in the gaps where airbag legs sit.



And voila! The install is done. Follow OP's coding directions then take it for a test drive!



Once again, Thank You TDInDC for your inspiration and pioneering this mode.
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Correction: from what I've gathered on various web sites the center bolt should be torqued to 50Nm not 80Nm as I stated before. Once again I am not a VW tech and can not confirm this number.
1- I see no reason why you wouldn't be able to drive it to someone with VCDS. Everything should work except the paddles.

2- Yes, the ones TDInDC and I bought are heated, Make sure you use the correct part number which the OP mentioned.

3- It's no DSG. There is no difference between shifting with paddles or the knob.
Brad,

See my post #9, this is the one you want (R-line and heated), the other ones are with airbags included. I bought mine from that seller over a year ago and it seems like TDInDC did too. The guy is genuine and ships fast. Good Luck!
I think this has been discussed in other posts but I also disabled "Current Gear Display suppressed" thus showing the current gear in the dash. It pairs perfectly with the paddle shifters... If I'm in drive it will show "D" and the current gear; I hit the "+" paddle shifter and the "D" disappears indicating I'm shifting now with the paddles. I also haven't noticed any difference in transmission behavior; other users have complained about changing the transmission coding and its effect on shifting pattern. I'm glad I tried it!

Here is the coding:
I love the fact that I can shift with paddles without throwing lever into M first, makes this mod double worth it.

I for one did/do feel the difference in how my tranny shifts after enabling a gear display. I believe there is more to it than just a gear display. My tranny behaves and shifts considerably better, almost like it is in S but not quiet. And no. I did not do a tranny reset.
Sure. Rub it in for us 'Brownies'. I'm actually wondering if a black wheel would look out of place? ;)
show us your interior and we'll vote :)
I'm probably going to pay around $700 from VA to MA on Uship.com, but how cool would it be for a fellow Tregger to rent a Uhaul car trailer and deliver my new Treg with their Treg! I'd pay the same! ;)

Anyway, we are getting off topic. What about brown shoe polish on the black wheel? ;) (I really want the paddle shifters!) :)
I'm in the same boat! I have the brown interior. The steering wheel almost looks black, but with a flashlight up close it is very much a "dark brown".

The only steering wheel with paddles available looks to be black. Does anyone know where we can get a brown one? If not, anyone swapped one with the brown interior and black steering wheel? Color close enough? Two tone look good? I too really want paddles but don't want an obviously messed up look.

Thanks for the advice!
Have you guys looked into something like this:

Dallas Custom Steering Wheel
Alan Gun Leather Accessories
Rewrap your BMW steering wheel, extra padding, new leather wrap with desired color stitching | Yelp
The Prestige Companies Auto Upholstery - Steering Wheel Re-Wrap "Factory Match Leather Colors"
I say it should be plug and play, with VCDS tweak of course. Buy the heated one, the worst thing is it won't heat but everything else will work fine.
For people who are still waiting, I have something to annoy you:p

View attachment 84585
Where did you get the paddle extensions? Did you use double sided tape to install them?

Thanks.
A few questions on how the paddles work.

1. If you are in "automatic mode" and in, say, 6th gear and want to kick it down to 5th and enter "paddle mode", do you click the "minus" just once and you are in 5th and in "paddle mode" or do you need to enter "paddle mode" by a first click and then click again to go down a gear?

2. I'm assuming you leave the console shifter in the Automatic mode when you start using the plus and minus to enter paddle mode. How do you get back into "auto mode" while still driving?

3. Does it auto downshift just like when using the tiptronic mode with the console shifter?

4. When at a complete stop, can you use the paddles to bump it into 2nd gear to start? I do that quit a bit with the tiptronic to avoid the short 1st gear.

5. Does the tiptronic stop working when you change the VAG Code to activate the paddles?

I use the tiptronic a lot and don't mind using it, but thinking about the expense to change to the paddle made me think of some of these questions. Thanks.

I have a 2014 Touareg gas powered sport model in the US.
Warren
1-not sure (no longer have mine)
2- click and hold plus for a few seconds
3- yes
4- mine did, for some on here it didn't
5-no
Are you sure you're looking at the correct specs? Every VW reference points to 50nm or 37lb/ft.
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