Steering wheel change

I bought a replacement steering wheel for my 2002 Vauxhall Vectra C. When I removed the old one, I had the wheels and the steering wheel set in the straight-ahead position. The connector for the steering wheel audio controls and the airbag wiring were in the 12 o’clock position when I removed the old steering wheel.

When I went to get the new wheel and came back the connectors, etc, had moved to the 5 o’clock position without anything being moved or touched. I could not move the centre spindle either way to put it back in the 12 o’clock position. So I have had to fit the wheel in the position they were in, as the cut-out in the wheel for the connectors is in a set position. Now the steering wheel is over 90° out in the straight-ahead position, which is severely limiting the view of the instruments.

Is there any way to reset the centre spindle connectors to the correct position? I will be going on a 600-mile round trip at the weekend so I would like to sort this out ASAP! Before I had a chance to respond, Craig sent me another email to say that he had sorted the problem on his Vectra. In order to help other readers who may be in a similar predicament, I asked Craig to let me know how he resolved the situation. Here’s his answer: I loosened off the CIM and pulled it forward, away from the steering column, but without taking it right off. This allowed me to turn the centre spindle that has the connectors attached anticlockwise to move them back to the 12 o’clock position. There are also arrows on the centre spindle and the CIM body that need to be lined up. I still don’t know why the centre spindle turned out of position when it should have stayed still. Craig Christie