Steering Lock: cut one wire. /switch optional

takjak2

Are the special connectors driving that price? I was hoping for cheaper, might just go cut.

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bdl99

It is really the low volume that drives the price. The connectors are very hard to come by unless you are prepared to order several thousand and even then you will be faced with long lead times (14-16 weeks is typical). The plug connector is easier to come by because they are used for harness repairs, but the sockets are the problem. If you think about it the socket is on the unit that the harness is plugging in to (be it steering lock, AV unit, etc etc) so in the case of a repair they would replace the unit and therefore don't stock/sell the sockets.

If you were to order 10K and get them mass produced you could probably get it for 1/5th-1/10th of that price, but this is small volume making the connectors more expensive and hand made. The other problem with the mass produced route is the lead time would be 3-6 months with money up front.

Cutting the wire is always going to be the cheapest option. The harness is just for those who don't want to or what to be able to easily reverse.

kenchan

bdl99- can the wire be shorter? like 2-3" lenght from plug to plug?

or is there a reason why it is so long?

gotchu99

Just cut my wire on the stock plug. All is well, no more lock, and no lights. Takes literally 2 minutes to do. Figured i would chime in because not many have cut their wire. Many thanks to Fritz. Not knowing if my 09 rev B would disengage each time was getting to me. Thanks again.

TonyBPD

could you take a pic of what you did? location etc

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kenchan

there's not much room down there. hahaha!

i think it'll go something like this. first put your car in ACC (dont start the engine). make sure you hear the steering lock wind.

i suggest pushing back your driver's seat all the way back, put a towel on your side step/door sill area, and lay completely on the floor with your head in the foot well area.

look up and you will see the steering lock just forward of the OBD2 port. you will then pull back the wire harness tubing and find the wire to cut. i think it stated the brown wire. after you cut, then e-tape it.

DO AT YOUR OWN RISK.

TonyBPD

I just wanted to see it out of curiousity. I'm going to opt for the harness.

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bdl99

That length was based on the suggestions of those who had looked at the harness or cut the wire.

Is there any reason for wanting it shorter? From what I understand there is plenty of room and the extra length will probably make installing easier and for those wanting to add switches or perhaps further mods in the future those extra few inches may come in useful.

kenchan

bdl99- i dont like dangling wire down there. this is the only reason why i asked. if one wants to wire a switch, i suppose they can do that while the harness is out of the car (pre-wire the switch with more wire they get on their own) and mount it somewhere.

bdl99

I understand, but I'm only going to make one version, so if everyone agrees for shorter then I will. I just cant be making different version, it is hardly worth it as it is and multiple SKUs for such a small volume unit is just not worth it.

Perhaps one of the beta guys can comment or better still post a picture because 8in is hardly going to be dangling.

kenchan

that's understandable!

and yah, i can always zip tie it so it's not a huge deal, but just wanted something that isn't too long.

SiXK

In my case this was a non-issue. The wire curled up and sat right on top of the plastic panel below the steering wheel. The factory wire comes from the left of the car then bends back sharply to plug into the right side of the lock unit. When you add the harness in, the lock unit and the plug from the original harness hold the new harness in place. The pieces of that OEM connector cannot move too far apart, there's no slack in the wire, hence the reason for the harness.

A small zip tie or two would secure the add-on harness just fine. I plan to do that but didn't, it was raining and I was just testing the harness. Now that it has passed the test, I'll look at it and see if it needs any extra securing. As it is, it cannot be seen down there due to resting on top of the panel under the steering wheel. In my opinion - whatever that's worth - I'd say the length of wire is just right.

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Nick911sc

I just stumbled upon this thread and I'm excited to see a solution to this problem. I read the whole thing and I'll admit, for me, its difficult to picture any of this without any pictures for a DIY.

From what I understand, to do a wire snip you just have to get under the dash, pull back the wiring that leads into the Steering Lock and snip the brown?

Can anyone explain how the wire harness will attach compared to snipping the wire?

bdl99

Correct regarding snipping.

The harness fits between the existing plug and socket on the steering lock, like a very short extension cable. You would:
1) Unplug the connector on the steering lock
2) Plug that connector in to the socket of the harness
3) Plug the other end of the harness in to the steering lock

The benefits of the harness over cutting the wire is that:
- You don't have to cut a wire on the car harness
- There is not much wire to play with when taking the cutting route
- Access is tight when not using the harness and especially when wanting to modify the car harness for switch etc.
- Harness has easy option to add a switch if you wish

Nick911sc

That's awesome, so basically with using the harness, you unplug the harness from the steering lock and put new new harness in between the two(that has the brown wire pin missing). Couldn't think of an easier solution.

I might have missed it in the thread but, have you decided on a set cost? And when they'll actually be available? I saw you said it was difficult to find them without purchasing in bulk.