I changed steering wheel buttons panel in my C4 to extended one. With extra buttons on the steering wheel. I have bought it for 15 Euro from used parts dealer.
Before installing I have disassembled it to pieces.
How:?
First you need to remove steering wheel air bag. First thing – unplug “-” from car battery (accumulator). Do it to avoid air bag accidental explosion. In documentation it is not mentioned that to do it you need remove plastic “hood” from road lights controls on steering wheel (careful! a lot of small plastic hooks – be delicate). Whole airbag is held by only one wire spring. 4 strong hooks are beneath airbag relying on this wire. When you will remove hood you will have easier access to the wire.
In theory you need to push wire spring in two places with flat screw driver and also there is hole below steering wheel collumn that requires long screwdriver like tool.The places are behind road lights status icons. The airbag should be removed that way.
Now easy part – unscrew panel and switch it with one you want to install that is it.
The plug is the same. Only 4 wires are in it. Panel has inside electronics boards that take care with sending correct signals.
And now the best part – I have disassembled both button panel as I wrote in the beginning.In side they have the same electronic components. Only difference is that the the basic version do not have physical buttons and roll – but there is empty place for those buttons. Micro switches on electronic board are in place already.
I have changed boards between two buttons panels and the effect is the same – both boards are working the same way. In addition lower version board have one additional micro switch, but it does nothing I could notice.
Effect:
I got whole right side of the buttons panel working – radio menu navigation and so on. I have basic display version (the simplest one – “A” type). On the left side original buttons work for upper part. For lower left part – only roll dimming the luminescence of displays work.
Telephone button voice control do not work (I do not have loud speaking system and microphone nor telephone on board so I think this is normal) Programmable button and close air circulation steering wheels buttons do not work.
After changing central display from “A” tape to “C” type I am now able to use additionally configurable button from steering wheel
Telephone button works (it reacts by saying I do not have phone connected, that is actually true, so it works fine)
Close air circuit still does not work – but I believe it is due to lack of automatic air conditioning – I have only base version.
In Lexia testing functions confirm that all buttons are active and working fine, so change was successful
For phone, I think you need radio and display with Bluetooth option. With that, you can connect phone via BT. I’m trying to make it work, just need to find microphone location. Maybe it’s located beside interior light…
Bluetooth in early C4 was available either by device called Nomad (for radio RD4) or came with radio that had navigation set (RNEG, RT5). Nomad had 2 versions – only Bluetooth or Bluetooth + USB. There was later on added radio RD45 that has Bluetooth on board. It requires not only display type “C”, but also display with software version at least 71.00.
Did you do any reprogramming to get radio controls to work?
No, no reprogramming was necessary. But as I wrote I had no original Bluetooth in the car, so I do not know if it would be needed if I had one.
Could you provide some sort of contact? I’ve tried reaching out to you but got no response!