cuetip

Hi guys, decided to get my wife a car start system for the cold Calgary days. I did a little research an settled on the Directed Dball2 and SmartStart. This system uses the factory starting system so there is no need for an actual starter.

Anyways, the install went remarkably easy so I figured I would post the step-by-step. I didn't take very many pictures but I did run across some things that were not included in the instructions.

Keep in mind my car is a 2013 A3 so other years may be different.

Please Disconnect Negative Battery Terminal As You Will Be Working on The Ignition and Airbag Systems.

Tools needed:
T55 Torx Bit
Assorted smaller Torx bits
Phillips Screwdriver
10 & 8mm sockets
soldering iron
Wire cutters
Razor knife or easy to use wire strippers
Needle Nose Pliers (I find them useful for making a good in-line splice). I use this method.
shrink wrap

Step 1 - Removal of Steering Wheel

• Jack up front of car to prevent dry-steering.
  
• Turn ignition key to run position or unlock the steering column.
  
• Turn steering wheel 90 degrees to either side. Remove little caps on the side/back of the steering wheel. One on either side. Underneath are torx screws feel to find the right size. These screws will not fall out when fully loosened as they are held in place so don't waste time trying to wiggle them free.
  
• Gently pull airbag assembly out of wheel. Disconnect two plugs underneath.
  
• Use T55 Torx to loosen center bolt.
  
• Ensure there are markings on both the wheel and shaft so you can find center again before removing wheel. If there are then just tug the wheel free.

Step 2 - Remove steering column surround.

• Unclip upper cover from lower cover by pressing in above the seam on the part of the casing previously covered by the steering wheel.
  
• Unbolt the two torx screws underneath holding the lower cover in place.
  
• Remove the two torx bolts holding the steering column adjuster lever handle in place and slide the handle off towards rear of car.
  
• Unbolt torx bolt on underside of steering column.
  
• Pull lower cover free.

Step 3 - Remove lower dash panel.

• There are two 8mm socket bolts under the dash as well as one in the fuse box compartment.
  
• You will also need to remove the dead pedal. Be careful here, unscrew the Phillips scew (pretty sure this is the only normal screw in the entire car) then slide the pedal upward. There is a hook behind that holds it in place as well as a hook that links in with the left side kick panel and the lower dash. The way I removed it was by sliding up until the lower part swung free then twisting out to free the other two hooks.
  
• Once this is free simply pull the dash panel off by gently tugging. There are 3 clips, 2 on the left of the steering column and one on the right.
  
• Remove the clips for the light controls and OBD connector.
  
• There you go, panel is free.

Step 4 - Wiring in the DBALL2

• Now, the instructions for the DBALL call for wiring into the CAN BUS at the BCM module. The instructions are very complete so I won't repeat them here. However I will give a few tips to make life easier.
  
• Get a few spools of 22g stranded wire in a few different colours. I find it much easier to splice into a wire if I extend the original one a couple of inches. Solder all connections and shrink wrap to prevent future problems.
  
• Go through the instructions very carefully and cut all of the wires on the DBALL harnesses you WON'T NEED down to a couple of inches or so to prevent confusion - don't cut them too short in case you made a mistake and you need to splice in an extension later.
  
• You will not need the red plugged 14 pin harness at all.
  
• You will only need the PINK wire from the black plugged harness. Careful, there is also a PINK/WHITE so don't get confused.
  
• The CANBUS wires you need are the only twisted pair in the harness that goes to the brown plug at the BCM. This is located on the left hand side of the car behind the OBD connector. There are also CANBUS wires going to the ignition as well as to the OBD connector, these may be on a different network so I recommend going with the ones Directed recommends.
  
• Don't worry about the pins for these wires - they are the only twisted pair in the harness. Carefully cut back the zip ties and fabric tape wrapping the harness as far as possible to give yourself room to work.
  
• I found it much simpler to extend the CAN BUS wires a few inches so that I could solder the connections without tension. You can make your own call here. You will also probably need to untwist them for a few inches so you can make your connections. Keep this as short as possible as the twisting shields the signal from interference.
  
• Make sure to twist the CANBUS wires on the DBALL harness to ensure a good signal. This is not in the instructions but should be.
  
• I didn't get the plug with my DBALL for the key bypass. I just went to a local electronics shop and found a connector that almost fit then filed it down until it did and made my own harness, I epoxied this connector in place.
  
• Finally, if you are installing the SMARTSTART module like I did, make sure to connect the grey ground wire to a solid ground. I simply extended it and connected to the black ground wire on the main harness.

LOCATIONS FOR GOOD GROUND AND +12V SOURCES

You can connect all the +12v wires on the main blue harness to each other then run one wire to pin 16 (RED/BLACK) on the OBD connector harness. The ground wire can be run to either pin 4 or 5 (BROWN) on the OBD connector.

FINAL NOTES ON DIRECTED WIRING

You will not need to connect the hood pin, brake pedal signal or hazard signal wires as these are all integrated into the CANBUS on our cars. This may not be the case for cars built prior to the 2010 refresh.