[sole_rider]

Here's my journey of installing the steering wheel with audio controls from the top variant in my Sigma (base) variant Ignis.

Parts changed:
Steering wheel - part number changed: 48110M66R70-GJL
Cost: 4463

Clockspring assembly part number: 37410M68P10
Cost: 3315

Total cost: 4463+3315+1000 labor charge = 8778

I went to VM Customs Mangalore for this installation. I had enquired about it whether they would be able to install it on my car a month before when I went there for the reverse camera installation. To which he said yes. Which boosted my confidence to go ahead with this mod. The parts arrived after a few weeks. Then we decided it to be installed in my car on a Saturday so I took an appointment for 11am.

I reached the shop by 10:45am hoping they will start the work as soon as I reached. But that was not the case. I had to wait about 30 minutes more till the parts are arrived there from the service center.

The technician assigned to do the job had to make custom wiring for the installation. I expected VM customs would make custom wiring harness with proper connectors instead of cutting and splicing some wires. It was kind of sad to see I lose my car's electrical warranty. But the usefulness which brings the audio controls on the steering wheel is well worth I guess. I asked several times to the technician can he use proper connectors or at the least can the wires be crimped into the existing connectors by pulling the pins out. He was very sure about all these cannot be done and went ahead with splicing. I even asked Mr. Vishwas beforehand will I lose my warranty after this installation, to which he replied no. But even at this time at the back of my head, I was sure I will lose the electrical warranty. So went ahead anyway.

PS: I think they made a mistake in choosing the right part number for my steering as I can see two part numbers for the steering wheel.

The part number of the steering installed in my car is 48110M66R70-GJL which is listed under "Steering Wheel(N\Navigation.)", and the other part number 48110M66R60-GJL was listed under "Steering Wheel(W\Navigation.)". I request our in-house MGP expert dear @leoshashi to help me clear this doubt. Both of these parts are listed for the same amount and both had audio controls on it.
I'd be really annoyed to know if they goofed up on the part numbers required for this mod.

After all these drama now I feel like an idiot not to go ahead with the Zeta variant when I had a chance. But I was going through severe mental trauma at the time of the purchase due to losing someone very close to me earlier this year. So at that time I thought spending more was not a wise thing to do.

New steering wheel with the audio controls on it:


Old steering wheel:


My first sight of my car being stripped down:


But this is not the first time I am seeing it stripped down like this. It was when I installed the Sony head unit in it. But still it was heartbreaking to see. By this time I have decided if I ever buy another car in my life it will be of the top end variant only.

Old connectors:


New clockspring assembly:


New connectors:




Technician being worked on:

You can see the wires attached to the connector on top of the clockspring assembly in the above image.

Final look after the installation:


Some trivia:
Apparently the newer steering installed in my car was manufactured 8 days before the manufacturing date of my old steering wheel.

Manufacturing date on the new wheel:


Manufacturing date on the old steering wheel:



It took about 4 hours for them to complete the steering installation task. I was out at about 3:30pm. As soon as I started back to my horror I saw this in my dashboard:


A steering symbol with an exclamation mark next to it. A quick google search revealed that something is wrong with the power steering module. I quickly turned around and went back to the shop. Steering was working normally though. As soon as I reached there and explained it, they connected the OBD scanner. Which showed two errors 1 for EPS error and the other for air bag I think. But Mr Vishwas confirmed that it was due to some calibration of the steering angle sensor and he cleared the code. So I thanked him and left the shop to pickup my sister. Then after I reached the highway and drove about 4 km I figured there's something weird with the new steering. It was not properly centred. I called him again and explained the issue. He confirmed steering alignment is wrong and asked me to come back.
The steering alignment being corrected:


Finally after all these and filling up a full tank of gas from the Shell bunk I was back on the highway driving back to Koppa only by 7:00pm. I reached my place at Koppa by 11pm.

Some closing thoughts:
The proprietor Mr Vishwas is a really good, easily approachable, very courteous without any drama nice guy with good knowledge about all the things. All the technicians were very helpful and friendly also.

Will I go back to the shop for future upgrades? Sure yes.

Am I happy with the work carried out? Yes No. Yes because I got what I wanted. Now I can control music and calls without taking my hands off the wheel and keep my attention on the road. No because it was not actually turned out the way I expected. I expected the technicians will be professional enough to make a custom harness so as no wires will be cut in the process. But I was proved wrong and I most certainly lost my electrical warranty.

PPS: I had my pet - a shih tzu dog with me and Mr Vishwas took good care of it while I was away for lunch and I sincerely thank him for that.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[AKSarkar1]

Meticulous mod, really enjoyed seeing the process. Also nice to see a range of Maruti/Suzuki DIYs/mods on the forum in addition to the VAG ones.

I firmly believe that steering controls make driving much more safer as they eliminate unnecessary movements and attention diversions that a driver would have to make sans controls.

Wishing you happy and safer miles ahead with this steering control!

[sole_rider]

Originally Posted by AKSarkar1

I firmly believe that steering controls make driving much more safer as they eliminate unnecessary movements and attention diversions that a driver would have to make sans controls.

Wishing you happy and safer miles ahead with this steering control!

Thank you very much AKSarkar1. You are right, adding audio controls in the wheel itself truly made my life on the road a lot easier. Presence of physical buttons was the reason I went ahead with the Sony head unit. But now after this mod is done, Life has become much more easier and manyfold safer. Guys at VM customs have done a decent job with the installation.

Originally Posted by AKSarkar1

Meticulous mod, really enjoyed seeing the process. Also nice to see a range of Maruti/Suzuki DIYs/mods on the forum in addition to the VAG ones.

The mods done by other experts on this forum is my major encouragement. Especially the infinite mods done on Polos by Bhpians like fluidicjoy, gannu, the mods on the xl6 and m800 by leoshashi etc really motivates me to do more with my car.

[Raghu M]

That's a well documented mod. Quite in detail. However, I am not in favor of these mods aftermarket. I try to choose the top variant to ensure there are all the buttons and switches. However, not all models have all features. My only worry is, the aftermarket mods are done by people who are not properly trained resulting in various errors (some which we might not be aware).

[joybhowmik]

You are right about losing electrical warranty on the car - as splicing / cutting wires is a big no-no. A better way would have been to procure the OEM harness for the new steering and simply replace the old harness with it. That way there would be no cutting/splicing of wires at all.
I also think you are very forgiving - the fact that you had an error code light up, and that the steering alignment was off - isn't a sign of top notch workmanship.

[sole_rider]

Originally Posted by Raghu M

That's a well documented mod. Quite in detail. However, I am not in favor of these mods aftermarket. I try to choose the top variant to ensure there are all the buttons and switches. However, not all models have all features. My only worry is, the aftermarket mods are done by people who are not properly trained resulting in various errors (some which we might not be aware).

What you said is very correct. I chose this base variant to save me in my monthly emis. I am very new to the whole car ownership and for sure in the future i will try to get top variant.

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

You are right about losing electrical warranty on the car - as splicing / cutting wires is a big no-no. A better way would have been to procure the OEM harness for the new steering and simply replace the old harness with it. That way there would be no cutting/splicing of wires at all.
I also think you are very forgiving - the fact that you had an error code light up, and that the steering alignment was off - isn't a sign of top notch workmanship.

That was exactly my plan. I went to the shop thinking they would have procured all the necessary harnesses and connectors beforehand so as they could do this mod without cutting any wires. But the problem is in the newer Marutis every variant have separate wiring harnesses. I also think part number of the steering the shop chose is not correct. This I am not sure about.

[rkw]

Originally Posted by sole_rider

I am very new to the whole car ownership and for sure in the future i will try to get top variant.

That was exactly my plan. I went to the shop thinking they would have procured all the necessary harnesses and connectors beforehand so as they could do this mod without cutting any wires.

Always better to go with top variant if features matter. Also, why did you not opt to get the upgrade done at the authorised dealership? You could have been assured of proper part nos. & warranty compliance.

[rkw]

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

I also think you are very forgiving - the fact that you had an error code light up, and that the steering alignment was off - isn't a sign of top notch workmanship.

Very right! I was also getting the same feeling. Add to that cutting of wires in a car under warranty. And since the steering wheel also houses the airbag, I believe any upgrade should have been done at the authorised dealership or authorised service centre.

[sole_rider]

Originally Posted by rkw

Always better to go with top variant if features matter. Also, why did you not opt to get the upgrade done at the authorised dealership? You could have been assured of proper part nos. & warranty compliance.

Like I said in my post I made a mistake by not going for the zeta variant when I had a chance. I even asked the dealership can i choose the zeta but by that time I asked it was too late and they had already taken insurance and started with the registration formalities. I couldn't think straight at the time of the purchase due to the loss i had in my life. I am still not recovered fully from it. Also this purchase was an impulsive one. The nano I had at that time started to give me some troubles and I was in need of a car immediately. So this happened.

Originally Posted by rkw

Very right! I was also getting the same feeling. Add to that cutting of wires in a car under warranty. And since the steering wheel also houses the airbag, I believe any upgrade should have been done at the authorised dealership or authorised service centre.

I even asked a couple of dealerships about it. Noone was willing to do this for me. Only the shop at Mangalore said they can do it. Maybe i should've waited a little longer.

[paragsachania]

What I really want to know from the OP is regarding the wires that were sliced or cut and how they would put your car's warranty at stake. I ask this because I had installed steering mounted audio and BT controls on my first gen Ertiga when the car was not under warranty and 7 years old.

I had posted a comprehensive DIY thread here too.

My car never came with airbags (2013 VDi) and things were not as straightforward as the Ignis here that comes with airbags. However, despite of that I didn't have to make any cuts or slice any wires to achieve the end result.

First things first - Steering buttons work solely on the basis of resistance. That means they don't need power supply that forces one to tap power sources from existing wiring. The only reason why the steering buttons need power is for the illumination of the buttons. One may choose to not power them up and still have functional steering controls too. If one wants them to light up in the dark, they can always tap the power from the fog lamp switch by using appropriate t-tap connectors. That is the cleanest method to tap the power as it will work in synch with your light switch.

Secondly, the OP here has used aftermarket stereo. That means connecting 3 wires that send signals to the stereo system from the steering buttons is perhaps the easiest job as all one needs is to either connect the leads directly to the appropriate wires of the stereo harness of use 3.5mm male-female jack to achieve this.

In fact, I also see that the installer has used proper connector to wire the JST Pin on the clockspring. That itself is the harness and this along has 3 wires for your resistance that go to stereo, 2 for illumination and one for the horn grounding.

I am posting few pics so it is easier to understand how this works and I am of the opinion that this is not an installation that is either dangerous or badly executed for the Ignis.

This is the JST connector along with another image that shows how it precisely fits into the socket on the clockspring. Something similar that the installer has used on this thread too:




How I made a simple harness by extending the wires from the connector by properly soldering the joints, insulating them with heat shrink tubes and finally splitting these 6 wires into 2 (one for power and one for stereo/BT controls) and passing them through nylon cable sleeves.



Honestly, no workshop will be readily agreeing to execute these jobs because I have felt they aren't knowledgeable to execute them and secondly they are less interested too. Once I showed my workshop fellows how I achieved this on a non airbag equipped Ertiga including the wiring diagram, they were surprised that something like this was possible at all because If I remember correctly, steering controls are easier to retrofit on cars with airbags and with no airbags it is not that straightforward like it was in my case.

Thankfully for the Ignis here, the job wasn't that complex. Also, I would really like to know which wires were sliced so I can help with some corrective measures there and assure you that nothing really can go wrong with your electrical system for such a simple install if basics are taken care.

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by sole_rider

That was exactly my plan. I went to the shop thinking they would have procured all the necessary harnesses and connectors beforehand so as they could do this mod without cutting any wires. But the problem is in the newer Marutis every variant have separate wiring harnesses. I also think part number of the steering the shop chose is not correct. This I am not sure about.

The quandary that presents itself to one is what is to be done at this juncture.
Aside from the flashy new steering wheel you are also left with
a) Cut and split wires - which negates the electrical warranty
b) Possibly incorrect steering wheel part for your model
c) Someone's diagnosis and correction of steering angle sensor [ by the way , this small but important part, impacts your ability to safely drive the car]

For peace of mind, I'd recommend you to go to an auto parts specialist (online preferable as you can peacefully do your research - example boodmo). Look for the Ignis top end variant's steering system related parts and confirm the right part no. of the steering wheel. If it's not the expected part, change it. While you are at it, order the OE harness for the new steering wheel as well.
Then go to a reputed maruti authorised service center, and ask them to fit the new parts, scan for codes, do a longish test drive (this appeared to be missing last time) and then hand over your car.

It's double expenditure, but health and safety is priceless IMHO.
Wishing you the very best.

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

a) Cut and split wires - which negates the electrical warranty

Just a few quotes from notable persona from around the forum - on warranty voidance conditions for benefit of everyone.

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

I've been noticing that many, many people are worried about upgrading even the tiniest of things, thinking that companies will void warranty. Now some of those things may be helpful to them in a huge way but yet in the back of their mind they are worried about the warranty getting void.

Originally Posted by GTO

Synthetic oil will NOT void your warranty as long as you use a synthetic that meets the minimum grade & the exact viscosity required by the manufacturer.

Originally Posted by bblost

Be very careful when installing ICE.
Some installers end up cutting the wires instead of using the harness.

[Ashtoncastelino]

Quite a wonderful add-on to your Ignis I must say. Hate to see manufacturers on how much they cut costs when they can add this to car costing them peanuts. But I'm gonna be honest here, the way VM Customs have done this Mod on your car is not satisfactory. First of I don't understand why did they have to cut the Connector which came with the new steering wheel? It is a direct fit into the new Clockspring.

Originally Posted by sole_rider

The connector he made to fit inside the wheel. You can see the technician shaved a few mm from the side of it so that it fits in the female adapter.:

Notice how that connector fits directly into the clockspring.

Another thing what he could have done is depin your horn connector and tape a wire with it instead of splicing it. There is a lot of taping done and Im not sure if MASS will still retain your cars warranty.

Regarding the steering wheel part number concern , I think you need not worry .I had done this mod on my 2006 Swift VXI this year by following an extremely detailed thread by our DBHPian Paragsachania and mind you I had installed a Celerio steering wheel on my swift .



Post doing this DIY on my car , a lot of my friends enquired on whether or not it can be done on their car and till date I have done this mod on 4 other Maruti cars with no wire splicing whatsoever. Two of my friends have driven from Mangalore to my place and have gotten it done.





His thread is a HUGE blessing, the research he had put into doing that DIY is incredible and I can't thank him enough for having him guide me when doing the same on my car. I always made sure its a direct Plug and Play just like how Parag mentioned on his thread.

Regards
Ashton Castelino

[sole_rider]

Thank you all for your comments. I am compiling this reply from my mobile as I lost power here since today morning. So please excuse for any spelling/formatting errors.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

What I really want to know from the OP is regarding the wires that were sliced or cut and how they would put your car's warranty at stake. I ask this because I had installed steering mounted audio and BT controls on my first gen Ertiga when the car was not under warranty and 7 years old.

I had posted a comprehensive DIY thread here too.

. The only reason why the steering buttons need power is for the illumination of the buttons. One may choose to not power them up and still have functional steering controls too. If one wants them to light up in the dark, they can always tap the power from the fog lamp switch by using appropriate t-tap connectors. That is the cleanest method to tap the power as it will work in synch with your light switch.

Secondly, the OP here has used aftermarket stereo. That means connecting 3 wires that send signals to the stereo system from the steering buttons is perhaps the easiest job as all one needs is to either connect the leads directly to the appropriate wires of the stereo harness of use 3.5mm male-female jack to achieve this.

In fact, I also see that the installer has used proper connector to wire the JST Pin on the clockspring. That itself is the harness and this along has 3 wires for your resistance that go to stereo, 2 for illumination and one for the horn grounding.

I am posting few pics so it is easier to understand how this works and I am of the opinion that this is not an installation that is either dangerous or badly executed for the Ignis.

This is the JST connector along with another image that shows how it precisely fits into the socket on the clockspring. Something similar that the installer has used on this thread too:

Attachment 2242407

Attachment 2242408
How I made a simple harness by extending the wires from the connector by properly soldering the joints, insulating them with heat shrink tubes and finally splitting these 6 wires into 2 (one for power and one for stereo/BT controls) and passing them through nylon cable sleeves.

Attachment 2242409

Thankfully for the Ignis here, the job wasn't that complex. Also, I would really like to know which wires were sliced so I can help with some corrective measures there and assure you that nothing really can go wrong with your electrical system for such a simple install if basics are taken care.

Sir, thank you very much for the comments and the way you have upgraded the steering wheel on your ertiga is brilliant. The amount of research went into making that mod work would be insane. After going through your meticulously documented thread I now have better understanding about why the technician would have spliced/cut some wires in my case.

I just removed all the cowlings around steering column and removed the airbag module then had a good look at the installation and took a few pictures.

The first wire he spliced is the ground cable for the horn. This is because i think the clockspring assembly/contact coil does not have a proper female adapter for this connector.
He then spliced the headlight wire. This I believe is to power the lights in the steering mounted buttons. Both of these can be seen from the image given below.


All the wires cut are inside the steering wheel. This I believe is because the connector(jst?) That came with the wheel was not compatible with the female socket on the top side of the contact coil(inside the wheel). So he cut wires here(steering wheel side) and joined them to the wires attached to a custom made a male connector. You can see it in the images below.








The connector he made to fit inside the wheel. You can see the technician shaved a few mm from the side of it so that it fits in the female adapter.:


Sir, like you mentioned there are 6 wires connected to the jst connector at the bottom the contact coil. 3 from the stereo one for the ground cable for the horn and the other one he tapped from the right control stalk would be the power cable to the lights in order to power the illuminated buttons on the steering wheel. The remaining wire is the one i don't have any clue about.

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

The quandary that presents itself to one is what is to be done at this juncture.
Aside from the flashy new steering wheel you are also left with
a) Cut and split wires - which negates the electrical warranty
b) Possibly incorrect steering wheel part for your model
c) Someone's diagnosis and correction of steering angle sensor [ by the way , this small but important part, impacts your ability to safely drive the car]

For peace of mind, I'd recommend you to go to an auto parts specialist (online preferable as you can peacefully do your research - example boodmo). Look for the Ignis top end variant's steering system related parts and confirm the right part no. of the steering wheel. If it's not the expected part, change it. While you are at it, order the OE harness for the new steering wheel as well.
Then go to a reputed maruti authorised service center, and ask them to fit the new parts, scan for codes, do a longish test drive (this appeared to be missing last time) and then hand over your car.

It's double expenditure, but health and safety is priceless IMHO.
Wishing you the very best.

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

Just a few quotes from notable persona from around the forum - on warranty voidance conditions for benefit of everyone.

Thank you for your comments @joybhowmik. After going a little deep into the similar mods done by other experts on this forum i now have a deeper understanding about it. From the looks of it this mod is not that complex. Also this in no way hinder the proper functioning of the airbag since we do not touch anything that might break its proper working. And that steering angle sensor error would be because when the technician first installed the steering it was not properly center aligned. I could be entirely wrong here as I am not at all an expert and everything I said is purely from a layman's perspective. The steering angle must have been back to normal once the steering is properly aligned.

I already looked at the parts catalogue of Ignis and I see two part numbers for the steering with audio controls. I am waiting for someone expert in this field to clarify this for me. If the shop indeed used a wrong part number i may contact them or change it by myself.

Originally Posted by Ashtoncastelino

Quite a wonderful add-on to your Ignis I must say.

Thank you Ashtoncastelino.

But I'm gonna be honest here, the way VM Customs have done this Mod on your car is not satisfactory.

Yea, but the person who runs the shop is a genuinely nice guy that is why I am not mad at them even though the work done is not to my satisfaction. Reason being nobody else were even willing to do this mod. He agreed to do this mod as well as some other mods which I already planned to do in future. Maybe the technician who did the work could be looking for some easy ways to implement this.

First of I don't understand why did they have to cut the Connector which came with the new steering wheel? It is a direct fit into the new Clockspring.

This part is baffling me even. As soon as they found the connectors don't match, they cut it. Only after confirming we got the right part we can reach reach to a conclusion I think.

Another thing what he could have done is depin your horn connector and tape a wire with it instead of splicing it. There is a lot of taping done and Im not sure if MASS will still retain your cars warranty.

Even I asked him multiple times can you de-pin the wires from the connectors and re-crimp it or at least use proper soldering rather than simply twisting and taping it. But the technician was against to all this. He even said to me don't post the pictures anywhere as it will reveal his techniques to his competitors. Now I know why he said that.

Post doing this DIY on my car , a lot of my friends enquired on whether or not it can be done on their car and till date I have done this mod on 4 other Maruti cars with no wire splicing whatsoever. Two of my friends have driven from Mangalore to my place and have gotten it done.

Can you count me in as well? I have no problem driving down to Manipal from Koppa.

His thread is a HUGE blessing, the research he had put into doing that DIY is incredible and I can't thank him enough for having him guide me when doing the same on my car. I always made sure its a direct Plug and Play just like how Parag mentioned on his thread.

True brother. That thread is a testament to true research, planning and beautiful execution of a perfect mod. To add to that, I remember reading that thread before I got any car. But not after I owned one and worst before doing this mod.

Originally Posted by sole_rider

Here's my journey of installing the steering wheel with audio controls from the top variant in my Sigma (base) variant Ignis.

Parts changed:
Steering wheel - part number changed: 48110M66R70-GJL
Cost: 4463

Clockspring assembly part number: 37410M68P10
Cost: 3315

Total cost: 4463+3315+1000 labor charge = 8778

PS: I think they made a mistake in choosing the right part number for my steering as I can see two part numbers for the steering wheel.

The part number of the steering installed in my car is 48110M66R70-GJL which is listed under "Steering Wheel(N\Navigation.)", and the other part number 48110M66R60-GJL was listed under "Steering Wheel(W\Navigation.)".

New clockspring assembly:

My dear BHPians, I think I solved the mystery why they had to cut wires inside the steering wheel inorder to make it fit properly to the contact coil.
They used a wrong clockspring assembly. The part number they used is 37410M68P10 which as per boodmo is for Swift, Ertiga and Baleno 2nd gen.

This is the packaging of the clockspring assembly/contact coil they installed in my car:


Right part number for the contact coil/clockspring assembly is 37410M68P20.

I even had posted a query in our DBHPian leoshashi's MGP parts query thread and i got it confirmed there on November 10 itself.

But the idiot I am now, didn't cross check it at the time of installation.

I had even sent an image of the parts catalogue to the VM Customs earlier to make sure they get only the correct part.


Now the only way I guess is to start from the beginning. But since the wiring is already done and it is verified that this mod will work without any issues I can go ahead and place fresh orders for these parts and do it by myself.

Now the only thing that needs to be clarified is the part number for the steering wheel.

Thank you all for your valuable suggestions.