Changing steering wheel and airbag light

[Slow]

Whats the current MoT situation with changing your steering wheel + seats. E46 bmw has a weight sensor or something in the seat which can cause a airbag light and obviously the steering wheel has one in it too.

Now what happens if I fit buckets + aftermarket steering wheel? The airbag light will almost certainly come on, what is the work around for this sort of thing?

[anonymous-user]

airbag light will fail.

someone posted in your other thread about installing a resistor to fool airbag ecu in its place.

[Spangles]

Removing the air bag light is one option.

[Jimmyarm]

The fact the airbag wont be there is a failure.

[kambites]

Jimmyarm said:

The fact the airbag wont be there is a failure.

MoT testers manual said:

Reason for Rejection:

1. An airbag obviously missing or defective.
Note:
A passenger airbag that has been
switched off is not a Reason for Rejection.
2. A Supplementary Restraint System (SRS)
malfunction indicator lamp indicating a
system malfunction.
3.
a. A seat belt load limiter or pretensioner
obviously missing where fitted as original
equipment
b. a seat belt pretensioner or a ‘folded
webbing’ type load limiter obviously
deployed.

Edited by kambites on Thursday 1st September 07:47

[Gav147]

That only applies if it is the oem wheel and the airbag is missing though doesn't it? As in if the steering wheel can take an airbag it must be there and working but obviously if he puts a race/track wheel on it there is no way of fitting one so is exempt. Pretty sure the will be hundreds of modified E46's with non standard steering wheels as they're very popular track and drift cars, a lot of which will still need to be road legal.

[kambites]

That's not what the rules say - the rules say if an air-bag was originally installed and is no longer present, it's a fail. Exactly what's enforced, I don't know.

I wonder if people these days are swapping the OEM wheel back on for the MoT?

[Slow]

The Spruce goose said:

airbag light will fail.

someone posted in your other thread about installing a resistor to fool airbag ecu in its place.

I know that works for the wheel, but what about the seat sensor?

[sausage76]

They can't MOT whats not there. Won't fail for no airbag in wheel.

You can get a resistor to remove the light

[kambites]

sausage76 said:

They can't MOT whats not there.

Of course they can. Try putting your modern car in for an MoT with no seat belts or no brakes and see how far you get.

[MDMA .]

I put a momo wheel on an old vr6 I had. part on the kit included a 2 pin resistor that you plugged into the air bag connector behind the wheel. fools it so the light comes on and goes off after a few seconds.

[AshBurrows]

I MOT my track M3 with the light on. Nobody ever says owt.

[brman]

kambites said:

sausage76 said:

They can't MOT whats not there.

Of course they can. Try putting your modern car in for an MoT with no seat belts or no brakes and see how far you get.

but you really need to read the whole manual, not just little bits of it.....

eg
"Where a vehicle has been extensively modified or converted, certain
Reasons for Rejection, such as for components ‘missing where fitted as
standard’ should not be applied, for example:
 a car converted for rally use (i.e. rear seats removed and fitted with
a roll cage and full harness seat belts etc.) may have been
converted so as not to require a brake servo, power steering or
airbags"

[kambites]

brman said:

"Where a vehicle has been extensively modified or converted, certain
Reasons for Rejection, such as for components ‘missing where fitted as
standard’ should not be applied, for example:
? a car converted for rally use (i.e. rear seats removed and fitted with
a roll cage and full harness seat belts etc.) may have been
converted so as not to require a brake servo, power steering or
airbags"

I'm aware of that but it doesn't sound but me if the OP's car is that heavily modified.

Mind you I guess it's woolly enough that finding a friendly MoT tester willing to bend the rules to suit might be easier.

[feef]

brman said:

kambites said:

sausage76 said:

They can't MOT whats not there.

Of course they can. Try putting your modern car in for an MoT with no seat belts or no brakes and see how far you get.

but you really need to read the whole manual, not just little bits of it.....

eg
"Where a vehicle has been extensively modified or converted, certain
Reasons for Rejection, such as for components ‘missing where fitted as
standard’ should not be applied, for example:
? a car converted for rally use (i.e. rear seats removed and fitted with
a roll cage and full harness seat belts etc.) may have been
converted so as not to require a brake servo, power steering or
airbags"

That's the basis that my MX5 passed with a Nardi Classico wheel in place of the OE airbag item. it does need to be 'extensively modified' but that's at the tester's discretion. In my case, the car was supercharged, had a roll-bar and FIA tow points as well as obvious ignition cut-off switches.

Sticking a non-airbag wheel in a car that's otherwise stock might not pass unless you have a very understanding and friendly tester

[SonicShadow]

kambites said:

That's not what the rules say - the rules say if an air-bag was originally installed and is no longer present, it's a fail. Exactly what's enforced, I don't know.

I wonder if people these days are swapping the OEM wheel back on for the MoT?

Don't have an issue on my MR2 with an OMP wheel. It doesn't have an airbag light anyway though, the original one is a mechanical self contained system. Never do trust it on removal , do some weird car yoga to make sure no part of me in is in front of the thing when removing the arming pin.

[DegsyE39]

Ive heard black gaffer tape over the led works well *cough*

[feef]

DegsyE39 said:

Ive heard black gaffer tape over the led works well *cough*

I find it easier just to remove the blub

[Slow]

Doesn't the airbag light have to come on then go off so removing the bulb is of no help.

In regards to the rally car use, the car would be on coilovers, buckets, different steering wheel and partially stripped. Would this classify if I had a kind tester?

[vtecyo]

Slow said:

Doesn't the airbag light have to come on then go off so removing the bulb is of no help.

In regards to the rally car use, the car would be on coilovers, buckets, different steering wheel and partially stripped. Would this classify if I had a kind tester?

I know loads of people with cars to that spec and the bulb is removed and it's never flagged. One person even claimed to have put some tape over it to see if they would remove it or not and they didn't. Same as the advisory notices for having engine plastics and undertrays fitted. They can't remove them to check.

He is known for talking st though so that could well be rubbish.