iansanderson

well, my steering wheel was looking very old and beat up. It was really the only thing in the car that showed a lot of wear. idk why.. i am guessing hand oils, dirt, abrasion just causes the leather to wear from it. So, onto eBay and found an 01-02 MDX Accessory Wood steering wheel part no: 08U97-S3V-270.. retail is something like $499.. i got this one NiB for $95. I completely understand why Acura might have an overstock of these things. It's nice, but not worth $500 (plus install!) at the dealer.

I used saiko_cl_duck's write up for steering wheel replacement as a guide which can be found here. I didn't need a steering wheel puller btw.

here's the stuff. It includes two new T-30 torx screws which are to be replaced whenever you remove the airbag.


it's all PnP! The back cover, radio, CC buttons and airbag all fit right up to the new wheel.




here's a close-up of the wood.. perfect match! I kinda like the way the wood feels sometimes. I would never want it on a sports car.. but CL = Luxury!!



another shot.. The color of the leather compared to the airbag is slightly off. I can only assume it's due to fading or production variances from the MDX, but overall it looks great I think! Should have been standard on the Premiums IMO.



I put this option as a 4 from 1-10 on must have's. It's nice, but I'm glad I didn't pay over $100 for it.

mitch14

nice install and pics
i'm considering doing this to my car, as my steering wheel is getting pretty bad, only thing is i have a 97 so i would need to buy an airbag aswell

spencer_homer

yeah im probably gonna look into doin this too. im keeping my leather and wood in the front, with tan rsx seats. then right behind the front seats, gutted to the back.

Mach30SiR

Nice! The colors aren't due to fading though, the MDX interior is a different tan/brown than the parchment in the CL's

Blazin Si

Looks great. Is the MDX steering wheel thicker than the old one? I hate how thin our steering wheel is.

iansanderson

no, it's not thicker. It still feels thin, though I like the smooth finish. I can't think of an OEM honda/acura wheel that would fit our cars that is thicker.

iansanderson

hmmm, i'm not sure if a 98-99 / 01-02 airbags would work on a 97. but, here's another one if anyone's interested..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ACURA...Q5fAccessories

iansanderson

and one in charcoal..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HONDA...Q5fAccessories

GhettoNinja06

iTrader: (1)

Oh my secks! That looks niiiiice! I would already done this if I had a 98-99...

NitiNiteZ

iTrader: (1)

just curious... do you have a horn? I know that i have a 97 and my horn buttons are on the side... not a push the airbag horn...

fliplyricist1

oh holy crap dude that's sick!!


man imma do that mod now....except in black...looks perfect for the luxury theme I'm trying to keep

very well done

dragon084

surprised more people dont do this mod.

South Jersey CL

thats sick man

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Can't wait to install my CL-S wheel looks good man

DoubleSh0t

iTrader: (1)

Looks awesome - I love it

The 98-99 you just push the center - the 97 was the only year that had buttons

iceman34

Is it possible to do this mod on a 97 3.0? I was under the asumption from other threads that it could not be done. Any info would be much appreciated.

mitch14

it can be done, except the 97's have a different airbag, so you would have to buy a 98-99 cl airbag (or other ones, not sure what else fits) to go onto the mdx wheel which might be really costly
you can tell that the styles are different, the spokes look longer and there are no horn buttons on the newer wheel/airbags

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

You need all this for a 97

732xghost

iTrader: (1)

eh idk its a cool mod. but its too damn big, thats why i ditched my OEM wheel with an 02-05 civic si steering wheel.

f22vtec

^how much did u pay for yours?

732xghost

iTrader: (1)

125. defenitly a stolen part. thats an absurd price.

AcAttAcK98

iTrader: (1)

I agree.. I got mine almost a year and a half ago and I paid a great bit more.. Not hating, but I'm just saying..

I Loved the mod when I did it too.. Good work bro..

732xghost

iTrader: (1)

you have an EP3 wheel?