Replacing Broken Horn Buttons
Have you gotten into your Saab 9000 recently and noticed that the horn buttons don't seem quite right?
Do they look like that aren't sitting flush with the spokes of the wheel anymore?
Jeff and I are of the opinion that Saab doesn't design their steering wheels very well.
The SPG/900 3-spoke wheel is one of them.
You leave the car running and get out to let someone in the back seat...the seat tips forward and hits the steering wheel and the horn sounds.
Well, the standard Saab 9000 steering wheel isn't trigger happy like that. Instead, the horn buttons break and come off.
Luckily, there is a replacement kit available for just such an occasion...
Image courtesy of eEuroparts.com. |
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eEuroparts.com sells the horn button replacement kit on their site for under $17! This is where I purchased the kit I used for this repair. On my car, the right button had broken so badly, that I could pull it right off. |
| Pry the old buttons off the wheel. Since you are replacing them, it's ok to use brute force if necessary. I replaced both buttons even though only one was broken. When you get the buttons off, you'll see the contact holder. |
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On the left is my broken button. You can see two of the four legs had broken off. On the right is a new button with all legs intact. |
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Carefully pop the top contact point out of the holder. Pull it aside to expose the two small screws the attach the contact holder to the wheel. Use a small screwdriver to remove the screws. Be careful not to damage the screws, the kit does not include new ones! |
| With the contact holder removed, carefully pop the lower contact point out of the holder. You'll need to push the small notch in the contact up from underneath. This notch locks the contact point into the contact holder. |
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Take the new contact holder and replace the lower contact point. Re-attach the contact holder to the steering wheel and carefully put the upper contact point back into place. Once installed, snap the new horn button onto the contact holder. Don't force it, or you could break a leg on the new button. |
| Total cost of this job is about $17 and about 20 minutes of time. You now have two new horn buttons with clean white pictures on them...better clean the wheel and dash too! You did remember to test each button to make sure it worked, right? |
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