Heated steering: self-installation

The world's first device for heating the steering wheel was invented 100 years ago. However, then it did not gain popularity. After 60 years, the design was perfected by Korean engineers. After that, the option became available on some auto brands. But even now, not all cars are equipped with a function such as heating the steering wheel. Installation of the option is provided for expensive cars and is almost never offered to consumers in cars of budget class.

The device and the principle of operation

In most cases, the cost of an additional option of heating the steering wheel, if it is provided by the manufacturer, fluctuates in the range of 10-20 thousand rubles. We will do the installation ourselves, and save a fabulous amount.

The design of the product is extremely simple and consists of a special wire (heat conductive), a regulator for changing the temperature and terminals that are connected to the vehicle's on-board network. It would seem that nothing is complicated, and it really is. The device operates on the same principle as the rear window heating, and there is no fundamental difference. The greatest difficulties are in the installation. We will talk about this.

Required tools and materials

A heat-conducting cord (heating) can be obtained from an ordinary hot-water bottle. Its value is not more than 1000 rubles. From there we remove the thermostat. It is necessary to switch off the heating when a certain temperature is reached. In addition, you need to stock up electrical tape, as well as quick-setting glue. In the priority, it should be colorless, although this is not a determining factor if you perform the work carefully.

A clerical knife is also useful, as well as a quality sealant. For the final stage - a soldering iron. With its help, we will connect all the contacts together, and everything should be made, but it's still too early.

Preparation and commencement of work

Installation of heating the steering wheel begins with the dismantling of the "steering wheel". This is done in different ways, depending on the brand of the car, and should not cause any special difficulties. Then take out the wire and the thermostat from the preheater. Next in the course is a marker. With its help draw a contour along which the wire will pass. The main thing is that it completely covers the steering wheel, well, and choose the distance between turns.

After the marking is done, we take a knife or a blade in our hands and make cuts on the contour neatly. , у вас должны получиться круговые витки небольшой глубины, чтобы туда лег провод. Accordingly , you should get circular turns of a shallow depth, so that the wire lay there.

To make the product come out of high quality, it is necessary to fasten the wire with the help of glue (pointwise), and in places of kinks and kinks - with an electrical tape. In general, the installation of heating the steering wheel with their own hands is almost complete, leaving a few small details.

The final stage

After you have laid the wire in the grooves and glued and in some places wrapped with electrical tape, it must be filled with sealant. Therefore, the wires should not be visible, and they will be as one with the steering wheel. From above, sew any material that the soul desires. It can be leather or any other braid. The main thing is to do everything qualitatively, so that there are no signs of interference.

The next step is to set the steering wheel to its proper place and connect the wires, only after that the heating of the steering wheel will work. Installation is completed, it remains quite a bit. In general, you can connect where you want. If there are loose stubs, say, near the heated seats, then this is very good. We feed the heating of the steering wheel to the seats, and everything will work.

Heated steering: installation kit

Currently, there are special kits that allow one to quickly and efficiently organize heating the steering wheel. The kit includes a thermal conductive cable, a relay, a disconnecting device, and a wire for connection. You are required, as in the previous case, to dismantle the steering wheel. Only here you do not need to cut it. It is due to the fact that the wire is flat and they just need to wrap the steering wheel and fix it with scotch tape.

Thus, heating the steering wheel, installation of which does not take long, will be performed more aesthetically. It will not be necessary to use a knife and sealant. True, there are some drawbacks here, such a kit will cost an order of magnitude more expensive than an ordinary car heater, which in the previous case acted as the main "donor". But it saves installation time and nerves.

Important points and nuances

Since in the process of work you have to use a soldering iron, without it, nowhere in this matter, it makes sense to solder the weak points. In particular, the stalk switch is a sore spot for many cars. It is not necessary to do this, but to avoid climbing to the same place several times, it is better to do the work in passing.

Do not forget that there should be no exposed wires in the place of the solder. It is desirable to additionally isolate them in order to avoid a short circuit. Another important point is the output of the button. The simplest option - to take from the car VAZ. Although if the heating installation of the steering wheel is "Kia" or "Ford", it is better to order the original, it costs a penny and will not stand out. You can choose the location of the button. It will be located at the button unlocking the trunk or near the gearbox - it's entirely yours.

Finally

The speed of warming up the steering wheel depends entirely on the cable used. If it's quality, then it's 10-15 minutes - and for the "steering wheel" it's nice to hold on. If you buy a low-current tape from the kit, then it gets warmer a little longer - 20-30 minutes. But already in 5 minutes after the launch the steering wheel will not be icy.

This option is extremely relevant in the winter season. Without heating, hands freeze very quickly, but there is not much good here. In addition, various kinds of fur braids do not always save. First, they collect a lot of dust, and secondly, they get very dirty very quickly. In general, this is all that can be said about how the heated steering is mounted. Installation does not take much time, although it requires certain attention and skill to handle the soldering iron.