Just finished replacing the tie rod and all four control arms on the passenger front.

Until I get an alignment, how do I remove and straighten the steering wheel (can't seem to find the process via forum search)?

My wheel of is the four-spoke variety.

 

I would wait and get it aligned as soon as possible. If your steering wheel was straight before, then trying to play with it now will likely make it impossible to straighten once you get an alignment.

I have a 3 spoke steering wheel. If you're set on trying it, disconnect the battery and remove the airbag and steering wheel. Just beneath them is the....object you're looking to move. I'm not sure what it's called. It moves freely and will likely try to move on you when you put your steering wheel back on. If it moves at all, your steering wheel will not be straight when your car is moving in a straight line.

This DIY will help you to see what I mean: http://www.audiworld.com/tech/elec114.shtml

You can see it in this picture. It's the circular object with prongs sticking towards the driver's seat on each side of it. It also has the an object on the top of it where the airbag plugs into.



I do not recommend trying to mess with it. It will be a challenge to re-straighten afterwards even if you do mark where it should be.

 

Thanks -- okay sounds like I should just leave it alone.

 

Easiest way is to put the front wheels on blocks and turn the tie rods 1/4 turn at a time until the wheels strait. you can also Google home alignment

 

Okay so I got an alignment and of course the steering wheel is off just enough to be annoying. I don't feel like going back to the shop as it's a pain to get to work after dropping the car off there.

How do I straigthen the steering wheel?

This is my understanding of how to do it:
1. Drive on the highway and figure out how much the steering wheel is off-center (in my case, about 8 degrees counterclockwise).
2. Park then car with wheels straight ahead, based on the steering wheel position identified in step one.
3. Disconnect battery.
4. Remove steering wheel/airbag assembly by rotating wheel 90 degrees left and right and unbolting (2x) small torx.
5. Using large torx driver remove steering column retaining bolt/nut.

Then what? Are there splines for the plate that connects to the steering wheel (my old Porsche had splines and it was easy to just move the wheel a couple notches), or does it spin freely?

 

I'm not mechanically inclined enough to use the correct terminology, but the wheel sits on the column in spines (the circular metal object in the middle of the column in the picture above). There's a black piece of plastic that freely rotates. The position of the plastic piece is what sets the wheel straight. It has a warning on it not to move it from the factory settings, but once the wheel is off, it will be challenging to restore it perfectly straight. This is because when you put the steering wheel back on, you will likely tap the freely rotating piece unless you have super steady hands or are able to figure out a way to hold the freely rotating piece in place. You may be able to hold down the rotating piece with a strip of metal or something slender enough to fit behind the wheel as it goes on.

It's all pretty straightforward. You'll see what I mean when you go to do it

 

what i did is just adjust tie rod ends. if the car drives straight but the steering wheel is aiming left (like mine) youd have to turn the left tie rod end in one turn and pull the right tie rod end out one turn. this would make the car want to go more left thus making you turn the wheel to the right to straighten it out. seems screwy but it pretty much worked for me. youd still wanna get an alignment though. i really see no need to remove the steering wheel. if youre in that far just bring it in to get aligned

 

Thanks -- I got it aligned, and just like the last several alignments I've gotten, the steering wheel is off a little. Just enough to be annoying.

I'm going to make a thin tool to hold the rotating piece for re-assembly, once I see what that piece looks like with the wheel off.

Will likely need my radio code and have to re-program at least one of my fobs.

 

You'll definitely need the radio code but you shouldn't need to re-program a fob. If you don't have your code, you can call Audi of America with your VIN handy and they can give you the code for free. Don't pay a dealership to do the same thing.

 

Thanks. Fortunately the stereo user manual in the glovebox still has the page with the 4-digit code on it, as I found out the other day. I thought I had looked for the code and it wasn't there but was pleasantly surprised when I looked again a second time.