How To: Retrofit a heated steering wheel to a mk3 Octavia

[Purpletom]

2 minutes ago, Inex said:

You don't have to give up the flat bottom for this to work. There is a flat bottom version for the 3rd gen which works absolutely fine. Find my post somewhere on last months activity for the part number. It cost 720 eur but then again, nobody said this will be a cheap mod ✌️ good to hear the 4th gen also works but I am not a fan of mods that work only partly. Purpletom and Apretature's feedback on the topic was really helpful 💪

Was that a manual steering wheel or DSG? I hunted high and low for a manual flat bottomed mk3 wheel and couldn’t find one or a part number for one anywhere. 

[STU3Y]

31 minutes ago, Inex said:

You don't have to give up the flat bottom for this to work. There is a flat bottom version for the 3rd gen which works absolutely fine. Find my post somewhere on last months activity for the part number. It cost 720 eur but then again, nobody said this will be a cheap mod ✌️ good to hear the 4th gen also works but I am not a fan of mods that work only partly. Purpletom and Apretature's feedback on the topic was really helpful 💪

Sadly can't afford to spend that much just for  a heated wheel, especially when it will still need the clock spring and loom on top.

[STU3Y]

31 minutes ago, Purpletom said:

Nope, just the button to switch on the heat and the ACC button. The rest work fine but you do need that LIN adaptor otherwise the buttons on the right don’t function properly through the menus on the dash. 
 

It’s very subjective but I tried the round mk3 wheel and wasn’t a big fan, especially after the retrim as it ended up a bit too thick for my liking.

 

The other option for you would be to find a DSG wheel then remove the DSG paddles and make some sort of cover for where they mount. I wondered about doing that and then 3D printing some covers that clip into place. 
 

Quite a few options really, but none of it is 100% straightforward.

What did you do with the round wheel?

 

Also do you have any links for the crimp connectors that you used on each end of the power and ground wires. If I do it I am not sure what fuse I would use, so trying to source some for the mini fuses and standard fuses 

 

I believe the mini ones are mcp2.8 terminals but not sure about the standard ones.

[Purpletom]

I sold the round wheel on eBay, only about a month ago.

 

With the connectors for the terminals, I cheated and bought an MQB fusebox from a breaker for a tenner that had a good chunk of the car harness with it. Had plenty of connectors on it as well as a load of fuses and relays. Plus I used it to work out where I was going to wire the HSW in. 

[STU3Y]

Have you seen this one 

https://www.cars-equipment.com/en/shop/radio-adapter-can-bus-decoder-22/canbus-adapter-reduction-for-steering-wheel-2/

 

This suggests that it solves the menu option and makes the heated steering wheel button work?

[STU3Y]

Im leaning towards the Mk4 wheels, but can't find any heated ones for less than 350 at the moment.

 

Although there is this one on eBay

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145474916031?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=TwLt6nBIS1-&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=bgl1-3D-RMG&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

It will be plus Vat and import fees, so could be less than 300.

 

Would still need airbag, the Vrs bottom trim piece, clock spring and wiring.

 

Search everywhere for the Vrs trim piece, most places want £40 quid. Crazy. Not sure why but almost all the wheels for sale have it removed. 

 

[Purpletom]

34 minutes ago, STU3Y said:

Have you seen this one 

https://www.cars-equipment.com/en/shop/radio-adapter-can-bus-decoder-22/canbus-adapter-reduction-for-steering-wheel-2/

 

This suggests that it solves the menu option and makes the heated steering wheel button work?

It didn’t work for me unfortunately. The heated steering wheel button is still non functional. 
 

It is worth keeping an eye on eBay for the wheels - they do come up - I paid £120 for mine. I think the trims are removed because of the value in selling second hand.

Edited 19 March by Purpletom

[STU3Y]

4 minutes ago, Purpletom said:

It didn’t work for me unfortunately. The heated steering wheel button is still non functional. 
 

It is worth keeping an eye on eBay for the wheels - they do come up - I paid £120 for mine. I think the trims are removed because of the value in selling second hand.

This is different to the one you linked, Did you try this one as well? 

[STU3Y]

How much did you pay for the airbag?

[Purpletom]

6 minutes ago, STU3Y said:

This is different to the one you linked, Did you try this one as well? 

I was recommended to go for the ‘basic’ one but noticed the ‘high’ one so spent the extra and found it didn’t work. That’s why I linked to the basic one.

 

I paid £175 for the airbag.

[STU3Y]

17 minutes ago, Purpletom said:

I was recommended to go for the ‘basic’ one but noticed the ‘high’ one so spent the extra and found it didn’t work. That’s why I linked to the basic one.

 

I paid £175 for the airbag.

Ah ok. Thanks. I will keep looking, will be summer before I find parts I bet..

[STU3Y]

4 hours ago, Purpletom said:

It didn’t work for me unfortunately. The heated steering wheel button is still non functional. 
 

It is worth keeping an eye on eBay for the wheels - they do come up - I paid £120 for mine. I think the trims are removed because of the value in selling second hand.

Have you enabled the button in the coding

[STU3Y]

A few helpful links related to this topic:

 

Changing the wheel

https://wirer.sk/o3_volant22-vymena/

 

Convertor module to menus

https://wirer.sk/o3_volant22-modul/

 

Getting the heated wheel button working 

https://wirer.sk/o3_volant22-vyhrev/

 

 

[STU3Y]

Anyone got any tips on sourcing a Mk4 flat bottom heated wheel? All between 200-400 without airbag

[STU3Y]

What is the difference between airbags. There seems to be so many different characters at the end.  I.e 5e3 880 201 S

 

I have acquired 5e3 880 201 AA. 

 

I have no idea what the difference is and just need to know it will fit the Vrs flat bottom wheel when i finally get hold of one.

 

Was removed from this wheel 

Edited 26 March by STU3Y

[Purpletom]

I’ve no idea what all the differences are, but it looks externally the same as the one that I’ve got. Should be fine 👍🏻

[STU3Y]

It seems like most people remove the plastic trim at the base of the wheels, especially the Vrs ones, I can only assume that it is to sell them, but despite almost every wheel having it missing i have not found a single used one for sale anywhere. Where do they all go?

Edited 27 March by STU3Y

[Purpletom]

Try eBay, took me 2 mins to find this:

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/266632758464?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=pV0idlR-TOO&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=_BjIvh5xQJC&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[STU3Y]

I've seen the new ones for sale, but where are all the used ones that people have removed. Would hope to pay half that for one.

[STU3Y]

@Purpletom Did you try the coding I added for the heated wheel button. 

 

 

 

 

This has to be dine prior to installing the adapter.

 

I have been talking to a Russian guy that makes these and he says it doesn't matter which version of the adapter you have i.e basic or full, as the button is operated by the coding only.

 

To get it to work for you now, you need to remove the lin adapter, plug everything in without it. Then do the coding, once coded plug the lin adapter back in again and it should all work.

Edited 29 March by STU3Y

[STU3Y]

@Purpletom Still gathering the parts for this. One question... where did you route the positive and ground for the heated wheel.

 

I am using a kufatec replica loom rather than re-pinning the original, just incase anyone ever wants to revert back To the original Mk3 wheel.

 

I have run the loom from the fuse box, fuse box diagrams i found online suggest original position for heated wheel should be port 4. I have pinned this, and ran the ground to an earth point in the side compartment by the fuse box.

 

I have then run the loom across below the fuse box, behind the media screen and into the steering column shroud.

I haven't removed anything else yet as don't have the lin convertor. Not being able to see exactly where the loom connects i am bit concerned mine is too short

Edited 13 April by STU3Y

[STU3Y]

@Purpletom

 

I have finally completed this modification and all buttons work perfectly, including the button to turn on the heat on the wheel itself. This was just a matter of coding as I posted above. 

 

 

 

 

I have a fault code though 

 

I have spkken to the Russian guy who supplied the lin adapter, and he states that it is just caused by the lin bridge but doesn't affect the operation or safety of the vehicle.

 

Do any of you guys have this fault code.

Edited 18 April by STU3Y

[STU3Y]

Realised then cruise control wasn't working. Spent ages trying to sort it as i thought I had a dodgy clock spring. 

 

Put the old wheel on and off several times. Then realised the clock spring itself needed to be coded under steering column.

 

After this everything worked. And randomly the fault code above has disappeared for now 

Edited 18 April by STU3Y