[eadenniston]

My base 2004 MDX needs replacements for the steering wheel volume controls. Does anyone have suggestions on where to find them other than having it serviced by a dealer?

 

[Maguffin1995]

Why do they need replacing? If they are acting erratically, there is TSB for adding a better ground.

 

[eadenniston]

Thanks for the quick response!

The Up and Down volume control buttons are gone, the car came to me that way. I'm not sure any of the steering wheel controls for volume and channel changing work at all. Running the radio/CD player the old fashioned way reaching to the center of the dash is a minor inconvenience.

It's possible the whole assembly needs to be replaced. I got what I paid for in the car. All the important bits work really well in particular the entire drivetrain.

 

[habbyguy]

Replacing an entire steering wheel isn't that big a job (on most cars - I assume the MDX isn't particularly different). You might have to move over the air bag, but either way you WILL want to power down the car (disconnect the battery) prior to doing the job. You will probably need a wheel puller (you can probably borrow one from the local Autozone). And as Magmuffin1995 suggests, check to make sure that you get that ground connection "upgraded".

 

[eadenniston]

Hi there, habbyguy, thanks for the response and the suggestion! Unfortunately, a steering wheel replacement is not viable for what is a car I got for next to nothing.

 

[habbyguy]

Then it's a junkyard candidate. Used wheels are sold for chump change, and the effort to swap one over is trivial... must be a really nasty vehicle!

 

[eadenniston]

Once again, thanks the great tip and orientation on how easy it should be to get a new wheel and do the swap. I had thought that re-setting the airbag might require a certified shop to do it and bigger dollars. My car runs superbly, only has some minor, mostly cosmetic issues and is classified as salvage with low mileage for its age. Just not one I want spend a mint on. I appreciate your time and effort.

 

[habbyguy]

The only problem you'd run into is if you powered up the car with the airbag disconnected. Otherwise, it's a simple enough swap. These are great cars - much nicer than the current value, IMHO.