No, you don't need to remove steering wheel at all.

Dennis, if you want to try it, I know for you 300E, you need to first disconnect speedometer cable, though it's not necessary for 400E.

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99 BMW 540i 6-speed 110K Km
03 SAAB 9-5 wagon 80K Km
92 400E (Sold) 245K km
Still missing the days with the Benz, it kept me busy.