Driving is a tactile experience

Arde

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Secret research by Google on self driving cars shows that fancy screens are not enough to provide a full sensory experience. Self driven car design is being influenced by experiments where regular drivers are put on self-driven cars for 30 days. A third of these drivers presented signs of tactile experience deprivation where they regressed to sucking their thumbs, biting their nails, and in some cases molested the person in the passenger seat.

Yes, driving is a highly tactile experience, not just visual. For that reason I left my newest steering wheel with Hugo for leather repairs and had to drive the E24 for two days with the old one. A ripped, worn steering wheel mounted crooked is enough to ruin an otherwise perfect car.

Most of the process is identical to the E9, so I thought I would post here.
Here is the old one, really depressing:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-.../AAAAAAAACSc/S7f6riz8c8g/s800-Ic42/wheel1.jpg


Removal with a 22mm. socket, just like E9. The hardest yet funniest part of this job is pulling hard to no avail, and then when it works you smash the steering wheel into your face. A very educational experience as you try to get better next time, and also understand the why of airbags.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-.../AAAAAAAACSk/bHtrQTFzVOM/s800-Ic42/wheel2.jpg


Inside we see the coarse spline (the one that you can never quite align by rotating the wheel), you see the contact (carbon) for the horn ring which is original as it is still mounted with rivets. When replacing it folks cut the rivets and use screws to mount the new one. BMW bet the E9 would rust before the carbon will wear so they used rivets...

For the E24 the wheel does not come out unless the key is turned on (you may see the pop-up piece at the top that blocks it). So you pull really hard and nothing, then you turn on the key without conviction so you pull equally hard and smash it against your nose.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-.../AAAAAAAACSs/tdR_3CNVfpg/s800-Ic42/wheel3.jpg


Put some new grease in the horn ring. I am using that reddish grease probably invented by a mother in law to seed discontent in a marriage because wives can tell faster that you ruined your newest shorts with grease if it is colored in red. You may have also ruined your new shirt with your nose bleed. Red grease can save your pride if you lie and say it is all grease.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-.../AAAAAAAACTE/oDbWhbgcEX4/s800-Ic42/wheel4.jpg

The reconditioned wheel is in. Hugo used fine sand paper, filled cracks with something only he knows, and painted it in a silky matte texture that makes me wish my trip never ends.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-.../AAAAAAAACS8/-MLXgmx0sOw/s800-Ic42/wheel5.jpg

I am thinking of recovering the old one to perfection and carry it with me when I ride Uber or self driven cars. Security blankets for adults.
 
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