ok, I've got a few good questions pm'd to me about this, so to clarify I'm going to answer this one here, in hopes it helps clarify this for others too


1. After I have removed the T27 torx screws, do I just gently pull the airbag out and away from the steering wheel? Are there any clips holding the airbag in place or will it just come off the steering wheel easily?

ANSWER: yes, once the 2 torx screws are removed, the airbag will lift right out easily, there are no clips or anything holding it in past those 2 security torx screws.

2. Once the airbag is pulled out from the steering wheel, how much slack is there for the wires connecting the airbag to the steering wheel?

ANSWER:, there is enough slack to pull it out quite a bit without stressing the wires... you don't want to let the airbag just hang from these wires at any point though, if you need to let it go before it is unplugged just drop it back into the wheel opening.

3. Are the airbag electrical plug clips and plugs located on the back of the airbag itself or on the steering column? In other words, do I detach the wires from the steering column or from the back of the airbag?

ANSWER: the airbag is unplugged from directly into the airbag itself, the yellow & orange plugs dirrectly into the airbag are the ones with the locks that have to be released, this is done by lifting the rear black tab up a "click"

4. You mention being careful not to rotate the clockspring. After I've taken off the center nut, as I am pulling on the steering wheel left and right, is this where the clockspring might get knocked out of alignment? Or do I have to be careful about it when I'm removing the airbag also?

ANSWER: once the airbag is removed, the clockspring cannot be rotated, as it is meshed with the steering wheel & can't turn on it's own. by pulling left & right I don't mean rotating the wheel left & right, I mean pulling the left side of the wheel towards off, then the right side towards off... in other words, you'r pulling the wheel straight off, but wiggling it of be pulling either side alternating. I also suggest that you unplug the remaining plug for the steering wheel switches before pulling the wheel. this plug is released with a small tab that you will see easily enough, you push the tab in & then pull the plug out. also a good idea to route the airbag wires out of the "guide" it is run through before pulling the wheel. this will be self explanitory when your in there.

once you pull the wheel off, this is when the clock spring can be rotated. basicly the wires fort the airbag will be hanging at the bottom (assuming the wheel was close to straight when removed). you can swing it back & forth rotating no problem, what you don't want to do is rotate it a full 360 degrees in either direction before reinstalling the wheel.

it's not as hard as it sounds, & you won't have to worry so much about this, but you do need to be aware that this only has a few turns either way before it will rip the inner cable, & it needs to be oriented the way it was to avoid any issues. you don't have to worry too much about it pivoting a bit, just don't spin it & you'll be fine

 

thanks for all the tips.

Do you think this will affect the warranty?

 

I would say definatley not, I mean unless you break something doing it of course... but this is 100% factory install... I'll bet 95% of the service writers won't even realize that they didn't come on your car from the factory

 

it would surprise some to see wood trim and paddles.

 

ya i deff want to do this. im in CT..anyone talk to dealer about warranty thats my only concern..

 

well, these are factory parts & even factory pre-wired, so I can't see any warentee issues with this, your just plugging an optional component in.

the only warentee denial there could possibly be is if you did damage something... for example if you broke the clockspring, then put it back togeather & went to the dealer with an airbag light on, once they see it was taken apart & damaged that might not be covered of course, but short of that, there is no way they can deny anything if the car is already designed to take this setup & many of them are sold with this setup already in place.

if anyone is really super paranoid about warrentee issues, then have your dealer install them. I'm sure they would, I think they may not even know that the cars are all pre-wired for them yet, but if you bought both parts & asked them to install it I'm sure they would... once the dealers get wind of this, I wouldn't be surprised if they actually start offering this option to there customers really.

these are 100% factory, I can't see any type of warrentee issues really

 

I've got a message out to my dealer. It seems simple...and I'm not as worried about warranty issues as I am just screwing it up. If its that easy then it would be an hour labor and we have already seen parts or not expensive. I'll post up as I get in touch with my dealer. I'm guessing they have no idea this is even possible either, so it should be interesting to see what they say. My dealer is a bit behind the times.

 

Thanks for the clarification John!

 

thanks for the the answering of questions, I took off my steering wheel last night, just to see if it's something i think i can do. It seemed simple enough, so i ordered the paddle shifters. So i guess if it comes in before my GF goes to NY, i'll take pictures and maybe do a write up (she will bring my digicam with her to NY) ....

 

No surprise...just heard back from my dealer(after 3 days and 2 followup phone calls) and they tell me that paddles are not an accessory for the Journey and there is nothing that they can do. I told him that they are pre-wired, he said that nobody there has ever heard of this, and he wouldn't even listen to the idea that I would have any info that he did not.

My dealer is such a joke. This is the same dealer that had never seen anybody change the wheels or lower a G. They have zero clue.

Why can't all dealers be more like Jason and the crew at Riverside that actually care about these cars, do research on them, and actually know something about them!!!

 

Why are you still dealing with that dealer? Are there no others nearby? I cant deal with the dealer in my city either, have to take it out of town for anything. I'm going to call another dealer and find out.

 

There is one more in town, and they have been just as horrible on service. Neither one returns my calls to schedule appointments, etc. If I didn't love this car so much, I wouldn't buy Infiniti again strictly because of the service in these two dealers. When I get my next one, and for future services etc, I'm probably going to drive over to the Bay Area.

 

Same thing with my dealer (they don't realize it's a mod that can be done).

The best thing to do is to set up local meets where we can get a bunch installed all at once. I'm game for Connecticut...

 

I wouldn't go to the dealer for something like this... I don't even think there's a section in the service manual on how to repair/replace the paddles, although I could be wrong.

Most of the guys at the dealer operate on a simple principle... you look at the diag/repair section of the manual and follow along. If it's not there, they freak the hell out.

I'd drive around and find a body shop that works on imports... they don't have to work on Japanese cars, but that helps. You talk to the guy and tell him you want to install them and that it requires removing the steering wheel and see if he has done that in an 07 before.

Chances are that the guys are more capable than the donkeys they have at the dealer, and that it will also cost you half as much -- if that.

 

I just called a mod friendly dealer in the Bay Area(thanks G35papa). I got a good guy on the phone. He knew it was possible, but said that it would void the warranty on anything related to the steering wheel and anything attached to any of those cords, thus something that they wouldn't even attempt to do. My car is a lease...which puts a huge damper on my idea to get this done. I'm so bummed right now you have no idea.