Re: loose mystique air bag

On Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:32:19 -0400, clare wrote:
>On Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:29:30 GMT, Jeff wrote:
>>clare at snyder dot ontario dot canada wrote:

>>> Has anybody ever had the driver's airbag come loose by itself? (1996
>>> Mystique)
>>> I suspect someone was trying to "pinch" it sometime when either the
>>> daughter or wife left the door unlocked for a short time and got
>>> scared away before they got it, because looking at the screws in the
>>> back of the steering wheel (with a mirror) there appeared to be fresh
>>> scratches in the allen screw heads ( they are NOT real easy to get
>>> to!!)
>>
>>Take the car to a dealer and have it checked. You seem to be making the 
>>assumption that there is a working airbag in there. And you seem to have

>>a loose air bag. Perhaps they got the airbag out, and just reassembled 
>>the steering wheel.
>
>Nope. It is still there. P***** diags. (I'm an ex mechanic)

  Well, there are two things it can be:  Either somebody interrupted
them before they got the airbag out, or they had enough time to steal
the good airbag and plug in a blown and dummied airbag with an End Of
Line Resistor to replace the squib, so the bag looks like it's still
there to the computer.

  (The crooks who salvage and resell wrecked cars came up with fake
airbags so they don't have to spend $2000 on a new set - they just
fill the bag space with some spray-can foam or Bondo and fold the flap
closed, replace the ripped Vinyl steering wheel cover pad, and
disconnect the warning light or computer power so the light never
comes on.  It's happened enough that California made this a felony a
few years ago.)

  Either way, if you don't want to pay someone to pop the steering
wheel open and take a look to make sure it's the right one in there
and unblown, and you consider yourself qualified to do it, I'd still
insist that you track down a copy of the "Super Seekrit" Airbag
Servicing Procedure before trying to do it yourself.

  Things like handling Explosive Ordnance you REALLY don't want to do
yourself without the proper detailed instructions, and the special
tools and training where necessary.  The f**k-up potential is way too
high, and can involve losing bodily parts permanently.

  --<< Bruce >>--