How do I remove the ''diagonal cover'' on inside of protege5?

[FunkyMonk309]

Hey,

How do I remove the diagonal plastic cover on the inside of my protege5 ?

My car was broken into last night and I got this idea of installing a fake LED car alarm (basically just the red blinking LED) to discourage possible future thieves. I want to install it above my rear view mirror, tuck the cables into the felt roof cover and then downwards to a constant 12v power source. But when I get to that diagonal cover on the left, I cannot move it at all. I need to place the cables in behind so my guess is that my only option would be to remove the cover and put it back on afterwards. Do I need to remove my whole dash for this?

Thanks (and no, the attached pic isn't of my car, found it on google, same model though)

 

[P-Funk!]

The A Pillar cover? Just pulls off...

 

[sonick]

It simply pulls out, but if I remember right the direction the clips go, you should pull it out towards the opposite side of the car (i.e. towards the passenger side A-Pillar), not downwards towards the floor or back towards the rear.

I pulled it out the wrong way and broke one of the clips. Luckily I was able to JB putty it back together.

 

[pcb]

It helps if your interior in nice and warm (even hot) before you try to pull on it. A hair dryer can help.

 

[sleepwalker]

Is it still that cold up there? :lol: (says the guy who cranked up the A/C because he was sweating while sitting still)

In order to not be a serial thread hijacker (thought I'd outgrown that, lol) I'm gonna run outside and try it out, since I've never taken off the a-pillar before. If I don't wreck anything, I'll see if I can snap some pictures.

 

[pcb]

Is it still that cold up there? (lol)

Well no,... I just remember removing trim in the winter and then again in the summer and they popped off WAY easier when they were warm. The cold ones came off really hard in the winter and the plastic pins had that white stressed plastic look.

 

[sleepwalker]

I suffer from CDO.

It's like OCD, only the letters are in alphabetical order. AS THEY SHOULD BE.
(edit: how fitting that this is my 100th post. Yay CDO!)


Here we go!

Here we have your garden variety A-pillar. Very common in nature, and very tame-able.

First, wedge your fingers underneath the top edge. Don't pull too hard, just get a good grip on it.
It's quite possible just doing that will pull the top wedge out, which is just fine. If not, pull gently but firmly towards the passenger-side A-pillar until it pops free.

Make sure to get this little guy free of the rubber weatherstripping. You can see the metal piece that supports the A-pillar, but it doesn't actually snap into place in that piece of metal.

Once the top wedge pops free, work your way down the pillar, pulling to the passenger side, parallel to the windshield.

You might need to wiggle it a little but they should just pop free.

Don't forget about this plastic tab at the edge of the dashboard.

When you're reinstalling, look for these openings where the wedges should line up and pop right back into place - don't forget that plastic tab at the bottom end.

The square one mid-shot.

The square one, left-center. The steering wheel was getting in the way, I couldn't get a good shot.

And the round one mid-shot.

Here, here, and here.

 

[sleepwalker]

Well no,... I just remember removing trim in the winter and then again in the summer and they popped off WAY easier when they were warm. The cold ones came off really hard in the winter and the plastic pins had that white stressed plastic look.

I meant for there to be a lol smiley in there. I dunno what happened to it. lol

I've been fortunate enough to not have to mess with any of the plastic in the winter in my P5. Did it a few times in my Neons. Plastic doesn't like to flex when it's cold. It likes to cut cold flesh though.

 

[pcb]

I Found It,...

(lol)

 

[zhy]

Thanks alot sleepwalker, ive been wanting to paint my A-pillars black for a while now but was shy on how to remove them
ill be plastidipping them later, cheers!

 

[Bastian]

I meant for there to be a lol smiley in there. I dunno what happened to it. lol

I've been fortunate enough to not have to mess with any of the plastic in the winter in my P5. Did it a few times in my Neons. Plastic doesn't like to flex when it's cold. It likes to cut cold flesh though.

Well the cold makes the plastic very brittle, while heat makes it more flexible. You're much more likely to break plastic tabs when it's cold.

 

[sleepwalker]

Oh I know. I just wanted to make a joke about Canada being cold. Cuz, you know. They can't get enough of jokes like that. (rlaugh)

 

[pcb]

Yea,... it's getting kinda warm up here,... my igloo is melting and my polar bear is all sweaty.

 

[FunkyMonk309]

Ahhhhh the "A-Pillar cover", thanks for the appropriate name! And sleepwalker thanks for the pics, couldn't have had a better answer! I'll probably post pics of my "fake car alarm install" eventually

 

[McPhish]

Hello i was wondering if you could explain how to change the color of the panels by plasticdipping?

 

[pcb]

Take em off. Spray em down. Let em dry. Reinstall em.

It's just like spray paint only it's a rubbery sheet. If you don't like it you can peel it off or try another color.

If you decide to try it make sure you send a picture of it to Bikingpro5,... he loves the stuff !!!

 

[bikingpro5]

Take em off. Spray em down. Let em dry. Reinstall em.

It's just like spray paint only it's a rubbery sheet. If you don't like it you can peel it off or try another color.

If you decide to try it make sure you send a picture of it to Bikingpro5,... he loves the stuff !!!

yep sure do, and lot and lots of stickers just make sure to put the biggest one right in the middle of the windshield.

 

[sleepwalker]

(rlaugh)

I love this forum.

 

[P-Funk!]

Or paint it with Krylon Fusion[tm] for plastic - should be more durable/easier to clean...

 

[FunkyMonk309]

On a side note, since I don't know much about electrical stuff, I'm hoping one of you guys can help out. Like I said in my first post I'm installing a fake LED car alarm. I need to install it to a constant 12v power source (so when the car is turned off, the light blinks, when the car is on, the light turns off). I took a pic of my fusebox just under the dash if it helps. So in other words, where do I plug in my wires (constant 12v)?