Out of all the popular automotive creature comforts of the 21st century, the heated steering wheel has to be my favorite. It’s like gloves without gloves, freeing your fingers in the winter for precise operation of controls without freezing them on a cold wheel. But you know the saying: “Anything’s a smoke machine if you operate it wrong enough.” Turns out, it really can be anything.
There are several things steering wheels are supposed to do. They’re supposed to turn, they’re supposed to be round-ish or at least a squircle, they’re supposed to not fly out of the window while you’re driving, they’re supposed to not be upholstered in razor wire, and they’re definitely supposed to be smoke-free.
I need to take a quick poll of the room to see what the normal response to seeing smoke rising from your steering wheel is. Turning off the heating function? Turning off the car? Getting the eff outta dodge? All of those seem like more appropriate, more self-preserving, more sensible actions than taking a photo while driving and asking Reddit if the smoke is normal.
Is this a normal behavior for steering wheel heating?
byu/Academic-Earth-1542 inBmwTech
Your eyes do not deceive you, that is indeed a smoking steering wheel. Specifically, it’s the smoking steering wheel of a Bangle-butt BMW 7 Series having some sort of hideous electric problem, as they’re often prone to. I’ve seen rear air ride tilted like a Yankees cap, I’ve seen fiber optic issues, I’ve seen Christmas tree dashboards, but a smoking steering wheel? That’s a new one.
Yet, with two indelible pictures and one line that says it all, this Redditor has captured something unforgettable. “Is this a normal behavior for steering wheel heating?” No, no I don’t think it is. I can’t find anything in the technical information system on whether the steering wheel has some secret hotboxing mode that’s an easter egg or something. If I were to hazard a guess, something’s gone wrong with the heating control to the point where the temperature of the element underneath the steering wheel leather exceeds the smoke point of the glue used to hold it on.
Strangely, this almost feels like business as usual E65 BMW 7 Series. The V8s are known for leaky valve stem seals and the so-German-it-hurts problem of leaking alternator brackets. Want a V12? Prepare your entire bank account because a replacement genuine high-pressure fuel pump costs almost as much as a new Versa. Anyway, if white smoke signals a new Pope, what does steering wheel smoke indicate? Answers on a postcard, please.
Top graphic image: Reddit
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I know a certain type of German loves burning incense, so that might be it. If it smells of sandalwood…. Smells like burnt carpet, probably cheap dope.
Mind you I once had a clutch cable on a R4 catch fire.
Would not think it possible.
But sure enough a previous owner had detached the cable from its mounts — it had to go over the engine to the cutch in front of the motor, because it is French — and the cable started rubbing against the battery terminal.
The wheel on my E61 is so worn that if you touch it with a wet hand or glove, it will smoke and burn you. So…. this is normal.
Back in 2013, my now-ex had a 2005 Passat. While driving, the seat started smoking leaving a cigarette-type burn on the seat. I checked and there had been a recall on Passat heated seats, but not that year. And with 115k miles on it, no hope of getting it covered under any kind of warranty.
So I thought. I called my local dealership (Don Jacobs in Lexington) and told them what happened. They recommended me call VW of America, so I did. They spoke with the dealership and surprise! They had the dealer replace the offending seat bottom for free. Given we were broke college students at the time, the $400 repair bill for a seat heater would have been too much of an expense to justify.