A few weekend mods...

[X5 Meister]

Too bad you don't have the p/n's from the actual items.

Originally Posted by nra0707

No fitment problems here. Plug 'n' play. I bought the wheel and trim together. Not sure of the part numbers. Airbag was bought separately.

[nra0707]

Look on ebay. That's where i got mine.

[X5 Meister]

I actually contacted the seller a while back so I know where to get it, etc. i was just curious about fitment issues. The seller couldn't guarantee fitment and BMW claims it's not compatible. Thus, I was curious about actual part numbers and what the issues really are in this case.

Originally Posted by nra0707

Look on ebay. That's where i got mine.

[TQ2K]

Originally Posted by nra0707

No fitment problems here. Plug 'n' play. I bought the wheel and trim together. Not sure of the part numbers. Airbag was bought separately.

New heated steering was 100% plug n play? No need for a new part, right?

[nra0707]

Purely my speculation, but I would think BMW's claim of incompatibility is based on their preference of customers not fiddling with their vehicles without BMW certified dealer mechanics working on it. That way BMW NA doesn't have to foot the warranty bill if the car still has one and customer comes in with something broken. Same with the ebay seller...the steering wheel is one of the most critical input devices on the car and ultimately the safety of the vehicle. I doubt he/she wants to be held accountable if the part failed and caused an accident. Also the seller sells a bunch of other manufacturer's steering wheels too, so they may not know 100%.

In my case, the teeth on the steering wheel and the steering column fit perfectly on the first try, and even aligned correctly (i.e. arrows lined up). Addressing another member's earlier comments about it looking smaller was probably due to the camera perspective and zoom of my lens. Other than that, I am happy with it. Looks great, feels solid yet lighter than the 4-spoke...and I still have all the multi-function and heat buttons at my thumbs.

[nra0707]

Originally Posted by TQ2K

New heated steering was 100% plug n play? No need for a new part, right?

My car was pre-wired for heat on my 4-spoke. In fact, when I installed the 3-spoke sport wheel, there were less wires behind the airbag than was present in the 4-spoke wheel. When installing the sport wheel, i just plugged in 5 connectors (2 on airbag, 1 for heat, 1 for multifunction buttons, and 1 last one I'm sure what it does...maybe general power to the wheel). I tested all the buttons and they work flawlessly.

If your X isn't pre-wired for heat in the steering column, then you need to follow the instructions on the home page.

[X5 Meister]

Your speculation is pretty much what I thought might be the case, but after doing more research into it I ran into a number of inconsistencies. I found a couple of steering wheels with parts numbers that did match up for both cars as did their airbags and then a few cases where the steering wheels were the same for both cars, but had different spec airbags, and also vice versa (ie. the steering wheel you have). I don't have all the notes in front of me, but it was indeed quite strange and it got me thinking that there must be something more to it after all.

Originally Posted by nra0707

Purely my speculation, but I would think BMW's claim of incompatibility is based on their preference of customers not fiddling with their vehicles without BMW certified dealer mechanics working on it. That way BMW NA doesn't have to foot the warranty bill if the car still has one and customer comes in with something broken. Same with the ebay seller...the steering wheel is one of the most critical input devices on the car and ultimately the safety of the vehicle. I doubt he/she wants to be held accountable if the part failed and caused an accident. Also the seller sells a bunch of other manufacturer's steering wheels too, so they may not know 100%.

In my case, the teeth on the steering wheel and the steering column fit perfectly on the first try, and even aligned correctly (i.e. arrows lined up). Addressing another member's earlier comments about it looking smaller was probably due to the camera perspective and zoom of my lens. Other than that, I am happy with it. Looks great, feels solid yet lighter than the 4-spoke...and I still have all the multi-function and heat buttons at my thumbs.