Airbag/emblem disassembly

I've been searching on here for hours, with no luck finding anything... Has anyone previously disassembled the center part of the steering wheel where the airbag is to be able to tell me if the current emblem on there can be removed? I was just about to purchase a steering wheel and airbag set-up from another car manufacturer (Lexus, if you can consider them a different manufacturer...lol), with the intent of replacing the steering wheel emblem on my car. The only way to get the 65mm wide x 44mm high SIZE emblem is from a 2001 RX300 steering wheel/airbag assembly. I was just about to make the expensive purchase (which would ultimately be just for that little emblem off of it) when it occurred to me that maybe the chrome emblem on our steering wheel is permanently manufactured onto the black plastic some weird way and can't even be removed if I take the steering wheel apart...... The Lexus emblem is just put on with little posts that stick through holes in the airbag cover, which are then bent/malformed on the ends to prevent the emblem from coming off (under normal circumstances). The ends just have to be clipped off and the emblem then comes right off.

So, does anyone know this perplexing dilemma of the universe regarding the removability of our steering wheel emblem? I thought maybe some of our previous members who had replaced their steering wheels might have stumbled across this info during their endeavors.

This is my DESIRED end result:



Worth $300?? Heck yeah!

 

ha ha...lol!! too funny! You know, I have been trying for months and months to discover the "hidden model" that the Lexus emblems come off of for the outside of the car, with no luck. The latest CT200H blue front emblem fits, and one of the the RX300 black emblems that has a black "carbon fiber-esque" background also fits the front. NOTHING else has so far.... I've bought 60 Lexus emblems, just trying to find out which ones beverly-auto.co.jp/ used that I had to pay $498 for. After a few dozen Lexus emblems for the steering wheel that I've bought, the steering wheel one is from a 2001 RX300... No other model RX300.... ONLY the 2001 year, as it was a special size.....

 

Sorry, didn't see your message yesterday! Yeah, a Matrix pimped out with Lexus badges would be something to see!

Regarding the battery, you are meaning to take the airbag apart? And, I'm sure doing so is a simple wire disconnect, but I have no clue about anything like that, but could prob pull it off if I knew what to do.... I keep thinking I'll try the mirror stuff myself that I need done, but sure as anything, I'll get everything torn apart and then will hit a brick wall with something and not know how to continue...

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/43208-d-i-y-steering-wheel-emblem-guide.html

 

Hopefully, my car is finally entering the painting process this week, and after that I intend to do the steering wheel emblem thing. I won't disconnect the battery. I agree.....not enough action going on in that process to make the airbag go off.

 

Do you unhook the battery up front or the one in the back?