Interior 1st Gen Dash Dissasmbly How to?

Discussion in 'Tuning and Performance' started by goaljnky, Mar 31, 2010.

  1. goaljnky

    goaljnky New Member

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    #21 goaljnky, Apr 3, 2010
    Last edited: Apr 5, 2010
    I will concur with that. I have yellow gauges on my Tach/Speedo gauges. (Chrono pack). They both look so much better now. So much clearer and so much more ... true. It's like one enhances the other. And the dash gauges look better, also. Gonna have to find some color matched gauges for those now. Hehe.
     
  2. rkw

    rkw Well-Known Member

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    Okay, I did some testing and I have to admit that it is much more difficult to pop out a speedo/chrono trim ring than how I described in my instructions. I'm surprised now that you are the first to bring it up.

    My car has Nav, and its trim ring isn't difficult to pop off. I assumed that popping off a speedo/chrono ring would be similar. I had multiple testers for speedo/chrono configurations, plus customers who installed after InvisiLens started shipping, and I didn't hear feedback about any problems with it.

    So just now I tried it myself. I popped off my Nav trim ring and snapped on a speedo/chrono ring (it fits because the dash center trim piece is the same whether you have Nav or not). It was really hard to pop off. I need to find a better method to do it, or I might just advise removing the dash trim.

    I think you would have actually succeeded by prying with more force. It would feel like it will break, but the tab would have released before it did. However I understand why you stopped.
     
  3. BlimeyCabrio

    BlimeyCabrio Oscar Goldman of MINIs
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    Sorry - I would have replied earlier - but was out of the country and off the grid until late last night.

    I can pop mine on and off at will (2006 cabrio w/chrono) by "squeezing" across it to compress it a bit into an ovoid shape and the tabs release. But I've had mine off and on so many times (and did it the first few times by removing the whole gauge cluster for face changes) that I don't know if mine fits as tightly now as it did when new.
     
  4. goaljnky

    goaljnky New Member

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    I was applying all the force I could muster. It was pulling the whole black piece away from the dash before the ring would give. Using any sort of tools (and I have plastic pry tools I use to open laptop cases without marring them) was starting to damage the ring itself.

    No biggie. Taking the dash apart only took a few minutes extra.
     
  5. kelly girl

    kelly girl New Member

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    HEY JINKY, what instructions for the dissasembly did you use??

    I have a 2006 model with an 05 build date, and I cannot get the dash apart, I removed the 2 torx screws above the Hazard/Dimmer, opened the glove box, dropped the knee guard and removed the torx "at the seams" but the dash is not coming away at all.

    It seems that i have a 3-piece dash assembly with the center piece mounted UNDER the piece for the steering column and under the the piece above the glove box.


    any suggestions?

    [i found online a dash dissambly that includes disconnecting the battery and removing the panels over the steering/tach and glove box -- this seems REALLY involved]
     
  6. goaljnky

    goaljnky New Member

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    On ours you don't really need to remove the piece over the steering wheel. I popped off the one over the glove box and loosened the right side of the piece over the steering column to give it some room, then removed the center one. This is courtesy of ImagoX:

    Step 2B - for 2005-2006 Models (1-piece dash) Instrument panel decorative trim removal

    1. On 2005-2006 cars, the dashboard is not removed, only the painted interior panels surrounding the instrument cluster.
    2. Remove emergency blinker and dimmer switch rings – just pull straight out and they pop right off
    3. Remove #20 torx screws (x2) next to the hazard and dimmer buttons. These screws go UP into the bottom of the dashboard.
    4. Open glove box. Grasp bottom of passenger-side decorative trim at lower edge and pop it off. It is held in place with cloth-covered friction clips, so you’ll need to tug firmly. Carefully remove the trim piece and set aside.
    5. Open driver’s-side knee bolster (grab at top edge and pull down firmly to pop it open - the hinges are on the bottom edge of the bolster). When the bolster is open, grasp lower edge of driver’s-side trim panel and remove.
    6. Grasp lower edge of center trim panel and pull out from bottom. The trick to removing the center piece is that both the painted (outer) and black (inner) pieces, including both center air vents and the silver speedo ring are all in one piece. Do not attempt to separate painted trim piece from black piece surrounding the speedo ring. You’ll have to work the top edge of the center panel out from under the dashboard – be gentle and work slowly.
    7. If the clear speedometer lens did not come off with the center panel, remove it and set it aside.
    8. The speedometer is now exposed and is ready for removal (proceed to “Removing the speedometer”)

    My tip is to get a flash light. Once you have the bottom popped off, look underneath it to find where the top tabs are and then just use a pry tool to gently pop them out.
     
  7. kelly girl

    kelly girl New Member

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    yeah, i followed that.. got to step #6 and it was a NO GO

    (just for clarification the center dash piece drops down or towards you?)

    i got it loose but then it seemed to hang up on the painted dash pieces...
     
  8. goaljnky

    goaljnky New Member

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    I'll show you how to do it tonight. I'll bring the tools.
     
  9. kelly girl

    kelly girl New Member

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    really? wow!! thanks.

    wait, what's this gonna cost me? :blush2:
     
  10. goaljnky

    goaljnky New Member

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    Depending on how satisfied you are with my help, you can help me to get satisfied in return. :devil:
     
  11. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    Take plenty of pic's to share with the rest of us. We always like to see a job well done.
     
  12. rkw

    rkw Well-Known Member

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    The goal should be to separate the ring and black piece from each other (pry BETWEEN them, so both pieces shouldn't be lifting up together). I just want to improve the instructions. Do they give the wrong impression of what needs to be done?

    What I imagined was to pry the ring around/below the vent area. I know it's difficult to slip in a tool underneath the ring there. You can create some extra room to maneuver by first taking the vent trim ring off. Release it by twisting clockwise (opposite of what you'd expect).
     
  13. goaljnky

    goaljnky New Member

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    Umm.. I think on these the vents are attached to the plastic piece. I didn't look at the vent rings, but if they are as hard to remove as the center ring, then it definitely makes removing the center piece as a whole an easier option. The biggest problem I was running into was that the force required to remove the ring even with some of the gentler tools was starting to mar the rings finish.
     
  14. kelly girl

    kelly girl New Member

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    will do.. i'm also installing the carbon fiber faces from Vinyl Styles
     
  15. rkw

    rkw Well-Known Member

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    Yes, the vent rings and the speedo/chrono ring are all attached to the black plastic. The vent ring comes off with a simple hand turn (no tools). I meant that with the vent ring out of the way, there is more working room to insert a tool under the speedo/chrono ring. Pry the ring from the black plastic at this location:

    [​IMG]
     
  16. goaljnky

    goaljnky New Member

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    OK, did not try removing the vent rings. I will give it a shot tonight on KG's car. I think that pic would be useful in the instructions.
     
  17. rkw

    rkw Well-Known Member

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    At this point I'm trying to figure out what would work best for most people. The ring is on tight and leaves no gap to insert a tool under its edge. Without a specialized pry tool, it might indeed be best to remove the dash trim panel. However with the right tool, swapping the speedo lens can be done in 5-10 minutes.
     
  18. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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    As a technical writer if I was writing the instructions I would include both methods noting that one of the procedures does require a specialized tool.
     
  19. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    Be careful when you go to pry the pointer off the gauge pin. You don't want to bend the delicate shaft. You also need to make note of where the pointer is at rest, so it can go back in the same position without throwing off your readings.
     
  20. rkw

    rkw Well-Known Member

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    Then for you installing InvisiLens is a freebie. For the gauge faces, you will need to remove the dash trim anyway. There will be no need for jinky to attempt prying up the speedo trim ring (unless he wants to try it just for kicks). Gauge faces require taking everything apart far more than needed for InvisiLens. Did you already do your tach?
     

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