Clock spring, new OEM, used OEM, or cheap knockoff?

[mauthner]

I'm pretty sure I have a faulty clock spring on my 2005 Vibe AWD. The airbag light is always on. If I turn the wheel all the way to either side and then turn the car off the light will be out when I start it again. But as soon as the wheel straightens out the light will come back on. Sounds like a clock spring right?

So, the question is from where do I get the part?

Here are my options in descending order of $$$:
$235 -- new Toyota OEM
$90 new aftermarket part from monkeywrenchracing.com
$41 new aftermarket part from partsgeek.com
$40 used Toyota OEM from ebay

It is a 15 year-old car with $90K miles on it (lots of in-town driving). I'm tempted to just get the used OEM clock spring from ebay. But am I better off going new? And if so should I spring for the true OEM or go with one of the aftermarket options? I like saving money but I don't want to compromise safety.

[andrewclaus]

I have recent experience with another Toyota car. I went with the cheapest knockoff I could find and it worked out okay, maybe because i only planned to keep the car for another year or two. And for me the labor if I needed to replace it again was free. If your car is staying in the family for years and a loved one is going to be the primary driver, I'd go with OEM.

I don't know if it's an issue with the Vibe, but for me it was very important to use the VIN when ordering the cable because of all the possible options in steering wheel wiring. The first one I got almost worked but not quite.

I'm surprised the airbag circuit would fail. As I recall, it looked very robust and redundant.

If you haven't done one of these before, be sure you're good with airbag safety. And leave the nut on the column when you pop the wheel, so it doesn't fly off and pull the old cable apart.

[zbyers]

Go with the cheapest you can find. There isn't much to them, and one that functions is better than one that doesn't.

[mauthner]

If you haven't done one of these before, be sure you're good with airbag safety...

I've never done one before but I've watched a lot of youtube videos in the last few days. As far as I can tell the only consideration for airbag safety is to disconnect the battery and wait for ~20 minutes before messing around with the airbag. Is there anything more to it?

[zbyers]

If you haven't done one of these before, be sure you're good with airbag safety...

I've never done one before but I've watched a lot of youtube videos in the last few days. As far as I can tell the only consideration for airbag safety is to disconnect the battery and wait for ~20 minutes before messing around with the airbag. Is there anything more to it?

that's basically it. and, make sure to hook the airbag back up BEFORE hooking the battery up.and put the airbag away from anyone/thing that you don't want to get damaged should it spontaneously combust.

[andrewclaus]

If you haven't done one of these before, be sure you're good with airbag safety...

I've never done one before but I've watched a lot of youtube videos in the last few days. As far as I can tell the only consideration for airbag safety is to disconnect the battery and wait for ~20 minutes before messing around with the airbag. Is there anything more to it?

that's basically it. and, make sure to hook the airbag back up BEFORE hooking the battery up.and put the airbag away from anyone/thing that you don't want to get damaged should it spontaneously combust.

Yeah, don't leave it on the seat beside you in the car, for example.

And store it bag side up, so the metal base isn't propelled into anything.

[Bookworm]

I've never done one before but I've watched a lot of youtube videos in the last few days. As far as I can tell the only consideration for airbag safety is to disconnect the battery and wait for ~20 minutes before messing around with the airbag. Is there anything more to it?

that's basically it. and, make sure to hook the airbag back up BEFORE hooking the battery up.and put the airbag away from anyone/thing that you don't want to get damaged should it spontaneously combust.

Yeah, don't leave it on the seat beside you in the car, for example.

And store it bag side up, so the metal base isn't propelled into anything.

That doesn't make me feel any better about having it in my face every day

[zbyers]

that's basically it. and, make sure to hook the airbag back up BEFORE hooking the battery up.and put the airbag away from anyone/thing that you don't want to get damaged should it spontaneously combust.

Yeah, don't leave it on the seat beside you in the car, for example.

And store it bag side up, so the metal base isn't propelled into anything.

That doesn't make me feel any better about having it in my face every day

stop resting your face on the dash.