AllData, Clock spring, and $100

If you read the blog written before this one, you will have read about a cool web site called AllData. I have used that web site extensively. Here's one example.

To the left is a very crucial piece of your car called a clock spring. It is what allows your steering wheel to have electronics like cruise control, radio controls, and a functioning airbag. If this goes bad, your car loses some of its fun. This was the state of our van when we bought it.

Using AllData, I was able to narrow down what the symptoms were. With the help of my father-in-law, we took the steering wheel apart and were able to verify this and determine that what was needed was a new clock spring. I knew from AllData that the part was going to be around $40. After getting one from a dealer for $50, we were set. I had looked at the diagram for accessing and replacing the clock spring. That, coupled with the fact that my father-in-law had already showed me once before, I was able to spend 1.5 hours replacing it myself.

End result: We saved $100 in labor (what the dealership would have charged), the cruise control works, the radio controls work, and the horn works.

By the way, before finding out the clock spring was causing the horn to not work, I was able to download and print roughly 8 pages of diagrams, step-by-step troubleshooting instructions, etc on how to fix the horn. Good thing it was easier than initially anticipated.