We will tell you about how to properly replace the airbag, what pitfalls there can be when replacing it and what parts besides the airbag itself fail additionally. pillows fail additionally.
Airbags are considered an important safety item in a car. It is simply impossible to imagine a modern foreign car without such a security system, since most of the standards provide for a mandatory presence even in basic configurations. The security system is often referred to as AirBag or SRS. Some drivers think that airbags will deploy when the car is hit hard on the hood. But in reality this is not at all the case, they are triggered in a hard collision and at a speed of more than 30 km / h. It is at such a moment that the car receives a negative movement, which is recorded by special sensors.
The photo shows the SRS safety system
The entire security system consists not only of a tissue ball, which is filled with compressed air, but also a number of sensors, sensors, an on-board computer and a control unit. Therefore, it will not work to replace one pillow on the steering wheel.
General tips for replacing the SRS
If you are weak in electronics, then I will immediately say that you should not start this business yourself, you will not be able to get by with just unscrewing the bolts and replacing it with a new part, you will have to rearrange the sensors, flash the control unit.
The on-board computer has its own nuances, and when the airbag is triggered, the on-board computer writes the error into memory. Therefore, it will also have to be replaced entirely, if not flashed.
Consider the replacement process itself, when the impact fell on the front or rear bumper, these are the situations that arise most often. To do this, we need to replace two pillows, the driver's on the steering wheel and the passenger.
Replacing the driver's airbag
First, disconnect the battery terminals. This is done not only in order to secure the work, but also when you change the pillow, the sensor at this time will be turned off and the on-board computer will perceive it as if the damaged one was not disconnected. Otherwise, it will give an error, and the on-board computer will write it into memory. The steering wheel cushion changes easily, it is worth snapping off the central part, disconnecting the contacts and installing a new one, collecting everything in the reverse order.
Replacing the passenger airbag
As for the passenger airbag, there are problems with its replacement, since most of the airbags are hidden behind the torpedo and, when triggered, spoil its skin. Take a Mercedes-Benz E-Class from the 2000s as an example. To replace it, you will have to remove the entire torpedo, since the system is attached to the body frame, under the torpedo. Dismantling should start from the steering wheel. It is on it that the most exposed parts, bolts and latches are located. Remove the steering wheel cover, and unscrew the airbag on the steering wheel, regardless of whether it worked or not. Under it is the mounting bolt of the steering wheel itself, by unscrewing it, we can remove the steering wheel. After removing the steering wheel, go to the bottom of the protection above the pedals, for this you will have to unscrew the latches around the perimeter and a few bolts under the steering wheel cover. Having removed the protection, you can easily reach both the on-board computer and the center console.
Now we get access to the center console, most of it is held on the latches from the inside, prying with a screwdriver, you can pull out the radio and everything that keeps on the front console, now you can easily remove the torpedo.
It often happens that the pillow damages the torpedo skin, so the entire panel will have to be changed completely, we are considering the case when only the pillow itself needs to be changed. It is worth removing the panel carefully, since you can damage the trim or fasteners, immediately tune in to the fact that there will be a lot of fasteners and latches in a foreign car to remove the panel. It is best to carry out such a procedure in a covered room or garage, since you cannot invest in a couple of hours, it sometimes takes several days, given that the damaged bumper will also need to be replaced. After removing the torpedo, we proceed to replace the airbag, since these models provided for the case of replacing the airbags without replacing the torpedo.
Do not forget that in addition to the damaged torpedo and steering wheel, the seat belts and the windshield of the car can be damaged in the cabin.
Disconnecting the wires, remove the airbag mechanism, install the new airbag mechanism in reverse order and connect the wires.
On average, a driver's pillow costs about $ 250 to $ 400, a passenger pillow costs from $ 300 to $ 400, it all depends on the year of manufacture of the car. Some services offer services for the repair and replacement of the airbag, such work costs 3000? 7000 rubles for a passenger, and repair of the driver's airbag (steering wheel with a squib) - 5000? 12000 rubles.
Here is the price list of a Moscow auto studio with prices for AirBag repair services (prices as of 04/28/2015):
- repair dashboard dashboard from 10,000 to 12,000 rubles
- replacement of the squib in the torpedo from 4000 to 5000 rubles
- repair of seat belts 1500 rubles
- repair of the driver's airbag 3000 rubles
- replacement of the driver's squib from 4000 to 5000 rubles
- repair of the airbag control unit from 3000 to 5000 rubles
After replacing all the sensors, deployed airbags and other damaged parts, you should not rush to assemble the torpedo back, since you still have to deal with the on-board computer, you will have two options for solving the problem:
- The first is a complete replacement of the on-board computer with a new one. The cost of a new one will cost about $ 1000.
- The second option is to flash new software, at a reputable service station, the cost of such a firmware can range from $ 100 to $ 200, but it does not guarantee that it will work even when there was no impact.
The cost of a complete car repair with the replacement of pillows and other damaged parts largely depends on the nature of the damage and usually starts at $ 1000.
If you decide to flash a computer at home, then for this you will need a laptop, special software exactly for the make and model of your car, a cord for connecting the laptop to the on-board computer, and a good knowledge of using the computer. This is worth starting if you plan to repair and replace SRS pillows in the future, since the cost of one cord can start from $ 50, not to mention software or a laptop. The process of flashing itself is not worth describing, since it is unique for each car model.
The whole point is to replace the software in the block, in new foreign cars I would still advise you to completely replace the block, since the response sensor is disposable, even if you do the whole procedure correctly, you will not have the result you want. That is, the next time the pillows may not work. For more reliable operation and verification, I would advise you to first collect everything on old pillows with a fresh control unit and a reset error in the on-board computer. In this case, everything should work, as before, the AirBag indicator on the dashboard should not blink, but if something is wrong, the indicator will show an error in the operation of the airbags.
Do not rush to plug in new pillows when flashing, as incorrect software replacement can cause new ones to work and you will have to buy them again.
If the firmware was successful, then you can safely collect everything in the reverse order, you will definitely save money not small than what you would have to pay at the service center, but for this you will need to re-read a lot and tinker around the car.
The most difficult thing is the firmware of the on-board computer, especially in new cars, where it is in full control of the car.
