Steering wheel audio controls are one of those features that, once you've had them, you genuinely miss. Keep your eyes on the track, tap a button, skip a song, take a call. Simple. The problem is that a huge number of popular 4WDs, particularly the pre-facelift Toyota 70 Series LandCruiser and the N70 Hilux, never came with buttons on the wheel at all. Owners who've swapped in an aftermarket steering wheel face the same situation: a bare rim with no way to talk to the headunit.
For years the only real fix involved running wiring through the clock spring, a fiddly job that can compromise your ADR compliance and void warranties. That's the problem PVS Automotive set out to solve back in 2018 when it launched its wireless steering wheel control module, the product that effectively launched the company's entire steering range.
At a Glance
- Wireless Bluetooth steering wheel controls eliminate the need to rewire through the clock spring
- Designed for older 4WDs like the pre-facelift 70 Series and N70 Hilux that have no factory audio buttons
- The button pad is fitted to the steering wheel itself and transmits wirelessly to a receiver module at the headunit
- The kit works as part of a complete setup, paired with a compatible steering wheel that has the control pad already fitted
- Priced at $499 with a lifetime warranty on the electronics
The problem with older 4WD steering wheels
Pre-facelift 70 Series LandCruisers and their contemporaries were built tough, not tech-forward. The steering wheels are functional, durable and completely bare of any audio controls. For owners running a modern aftermarket headunit, that means reaching across the centre console every time you want to change the volume or skip a track, not ideal when you're navigating a rough track with both hands needed on the wheel.
Aftermarket steering wheels introduce a second layer of complexity. A quality leather or carbon wheel can transform the feel of a classic 4WD, but most bare aftermarket rims come with no control buttons whatsoever. The traditional solution, wiring new buttons through the clock spring, requires significant modification to the steering column. Get it wrong, or use a non-compliant setup, and you're looking at ADR compliance issues that could affect your vehicle's roadworthiness.
How wireless steering wheel controls actually work
The concept is straightforward once you understand it. A control pad fitted directly to the steering wheel transmits button presses wirelessly via Bluetooth to a small receiver module mounted near the headunit. The module translates those signals into inputs the headunit can understand, volume, track skip, phone calls, voice activation, depending on what your head unit supports.
The critical point here is what doesn't happen: there are no new wires running through the clock spring. The clock spring, the coiled electrical connector that allows your steering wheel to rotate while maintaining electrical contact, is left completely untouched. That's not just a convenience, it's central to keeping the installation ADR-friendly, since modifying clock spring wiring can put your vehicle outside compliance.
It's worth being clear about what the module is and isn't. This is not a standalone add-on you can bolt to any bare wheel. The system works as a complete package: the steering wheel itself needs to have the control pad fitted to it, and the receiver module connects that pad's wireless signal through to your headunit. PVS pairs the module with its own LandCruiser 70 Series steering wheel upgrade kits, so the pad, wheel and electronics are designed to work together from the outset.
What it pairs with
The PVS wireless steering wheel control kit is designed to integrate with PVS steering wheel upgrade kits and with the MK4 headunit. If you're building out a complete upgrade for a 70 Series or similar older 4WD, that combination covers the three key touchpoints: the wheel itself, the controls and the headunit, all talking to each other without requiring invasive wiring changes.
For 70 Series owners in particular, where a quality steering wheel upgrade is already a popular modification, adding wireless Bluetooth steering wheel controls to the setup is a logical next step rather than an afterthought.
Warranty and value
The kit is priced at $499, and the electronics carry a lifetime warranty. Given that the module is the core of the system and the component most likely to concern buyers from a longevity standpoint, that's a reassuring commitment. PVS has been refining this technology since 2018, making it one of the more established wireless steering control solutions available to Australian 4WD owners.
If you've been putting up with a bare wheel because the wiring alternatives seemed too messy or too risky, the wireless approach is worth a closer look. No clock spring drama, no compliance headaches, and no more reaching for the head unit on a corrugated dirt road.
