Installing M-tech II steering wheel in airbag car

[roguetoaster]

This is not surprising given the airbags are 32 years old. You can't buy a new one from the dealer, they are NLA. I recommend you do what I did, remove the entire airbag system including all sensors, wiring, airbag itself, and control box. It took only about one hour. Then install a nice pre-airbag steering wheel such as an M Tech I or II.

The manager of the parts department at my local BMW dealer told me it is safer to remove the old airbag than to continue driving with it in place.

That wasn't a real post you responded to.

As to removing an airbag, first off, most of our crash sensors on higher mileage cars are likely defective, but the airbags still work just fine, and 4/4 I have powered outside of a car have gone off flawlessly, without shrapnel or other crap going with the bag. That's pretty much how it is for many early airbag cars, but outside of aesthetics, removing the airbag probably does nothing, but there is an outside chance that you are removing a functional safety device.