Can the aluminum circle on the airbag be removed(steering wheel)? And it might not even be aluminum..?

 

think your going to have to tape everything up

 

I should just be able to remove that part of the steering wheel(air bag), so I can mask just that.

 

The airbag is attached to the cover, you'll have to remove the cover to see if you can disassemble it; I'd like a cover with just the Audi rings, it'd look a lot cleaner

 

I don't think it is removable. IIRC, Meem, the resident OCD cleaner on AW found that it is a part of the assembly. You may be able to mask around it and refinish yours.

Before you take the Airbag off, be sure to remove the battery ground cable. You wouldn't want the bag to go off in your face.

 

Anyone know how to pull the airbag portion of the steering wheel?

 

You have to remove the steering column trim, and there are three torx screws holding it onto the wheel; once you get those out you'll also need to be careful with unplugging the assembly

 

Can I drive without it in?

 

yes the trim is removable. i dont think you have to take anything off. aside for the airbag. the airbag is held in by 2 screws i think, maybe 3 on the opposite side of the steering wheel. center the wheel and look on the back side. you will see a hole on each of the steering wheel legs on the left and right side. you will need a torx bit to loosen the bolts. once the bolts are out unplug the airbag its a yellow plug. you will notice there are rivets along the edges. those have to be drilled out so you can take the plastic cover off. Dont worry about it it wont damage anything. the plastic cover will pop out. on the inside you will see the silver ring tabs. bend them straight so you can po the ring out. Dont rush here. get a heat gun and warm up the ring. there is double sided tape between the ring and the plastic. if you try to pry on the ring you will surely rip the plastic as if your airbag has deployed. once you warm it up enough it will come out. Upon reassembly you dont need the double sided tape. just pop the old rivets out and replace them with new ones. which can be had from a hardware store. thats it. i did this when i covered my airbag in suede.