How To: Remove Dash Trim (Radio)

[Equinox]

How-To: Remove center Dash trim (Radio surround)

I've had a lot of people ask me how to remove the center trim peice around the radio, because I painted mine, after getting tired of the fake carbon fiber and off silver color.

For now, this is somewhat incoherent, because I'm tired, I'll come back and edit it later, and make it better, really I'm just posting pics of what it looks like, giving you an idea of how to take it off.

Here is what you are trying to take out of the car.

First remove the radio itself, I hope you know how to do this, cause, cause I'm not about to cover it

then, you will have to find about 6 little white clips along the inside of the hole you now have in the dash. It may take a flash light to find them.

Here's what you are looking for.

You can use a small flat headed screw driver to pry one side up, and pop the clips off.

Tada.

Me Prying, while my hand is through the radio area. This is kinda hard to do, but it's the only way I know how.

 

[Equinox]

After you get the 6?(did this a while back, can't remember how many total) clips off, you can pull the dash tirm out a few inches, but then will be stopped by wires that come off the A/C controls. These wires are very stiff, and you will have to follow them off the back of the knobs, down the inside of the dash, eventually ending up above the passenger leg room, on the leftish side. You can easily pry the loop ends off a plastic tab.

Here is the annoying wire, there are two of them, get both!

You should now be able to pull this trim out of the dash, now it's just a simple process of taking apart the controls, which is only a few simple screws, here it is, all dissasembled.

With all controls off

I sanded down the original paint with 400 grit, as to not gouge the material with scratches.

After it's all sanded down and cleaned -

After I got it all painted to match my exterior paint, and with the REAL carbon fiber trim back on.

EDIT :

People are worrying about messing up A/C Controls and what not when doing this, I wasn't sure what this was all about until my wife got her MP3 radio changed out. When I say MP3 I mean both the car and the player. Anyways, turns out the stiff wire that comes from the dash may be not extended the right length when you reconnect (basically as you turn the A/C knob, the wire extends from its sheath, moving a plastic gear, opening and closing ducting.] Anyways, it's an easy fix when you mess this up, if you do, but basically, just turn all your controls to one side, lets say all the way left, then when you reconnect your controls, just make sure they are all turned all the way left, and everything will sync up. When you pull the wires off the plastic gear deep in the dash, you can also turn this plastic gear. If you accidentally move this gear, just do the same thing, before reinstall of the ac controls, move the gear all the way to the left. Once you see the half of a gear plastic wedge I'm talking about, you'll see how easy it is. Hope this helps

 

[L8R]

i give u credit for making this thread. i had to do this myself b4, and i went crazy lol took me a while. at least now we have a manual type thing going on. but, just gotta be careful when u put the AC wire back. make sure it is in the same position you found them, i think i screwed up something minor, hehe, oh well, at least the AC still works. but VERY good job man in explaning. at least someone took the time to show how hard this crap is haha peace - chris

 

[chaosi]

o0o pretty. Good work there. so what color is yours currently? i think ive seen it 3 different ways.

 

[Equinox]

o0o pretty. Good work there. so what color is yours currently? i think ive seen it 3 different ways.

same as in pic, this is pics back from the old days of my apartment, I didn't recently remove it again

 

[chaosi]

yea, i noticed the horse. That thing hurts to fall on when youre drunk. ******* pointy ears! ::shakes fist::

 

[Dexter]

nice job! i always wanted to fill the AC and fan holes and s***, and redo that whole area, with some digital controls

 

[AndrewSilverMP5]

What type of paint did you guys use ? Brand name and color ? Also, in what manner did you apply it ? 2 coats ... 3 ? Primer ? Clear coat ?

Can I have a side order of fries with that ?

 

[LinuxRacr]

Great write up!

 

[Equinox]

What type of paint did you guys use ? Brand name and color ? Also, in what manner did you apply it ? 2 coats ... 3 ? Primer ? Clear coat ?

Can I have a side order of fries with that ?

since it's already painted, you can just sand it with 400 grit paper until it is nice and smooth, I would suggest wet sanding it, ie, just keep dipping your sand paper into water to wash off dust, the wet paper then wetting the surface of the trim as well, removing dust.

Paint I just used from my local autoparts store, that had "auto trim interior paint" found a silver metallic, and used it. No real brand name, no primer needed, just paint a couple coats of silver, and (4-5 really) then let dry, and clearcoat it, and yer done.

I only sprayed a little clearcoat, to make it tacky in the beginning, then did one wet coat, making sure I didn't do too much, creating paint runs. That's it, I didn't do more than 2 coats of clear. Otherwise it tends to start eating the base paint

 

[AndrewSilverMP5]

Thanks very much Eq ... Great info!

 

[Ryan]

easier way. and you dont have to remove the sterio.
http://r-gfx.net click how to, click remove center console/dash

 

[Equinox]

easier way. and you dont have to remove the sterio.
http://r-gfx.net click how to, click remove center console/dash

yeah that might be a better way to do it, I don't know if there is a chance to break the clips that way tho, haha. Oh well have fun.

 

[Ryan]

yeah that might be a better way to do it, I don't know if there is a chance to break the clips that way tho, haha. Oh well have fun.

more likely to break the clips shoving a screwdriver into them ?!?! but up to you. i dont see the point in removing something that doesnt need to be removed popped the console in and out about 4 times no problem gently came out each time.

 

[Equinox]

more likely to break the clips shoving a screwdriver into them ?!?! but up to you. i dont see the point in removing something that doesnt need to be removed popped the console in and out about 4 times no problem gently came out each time.

more like releasing the teeth on one side of the clip and allowing the natural spring to pop itself off. I wasn't attacking the process, don't make some kind of flame now.

 

[Ryan]

didn't say you were but with a screwdriver u slip and slash dash all fuckedup then.

 

[Kyo]

can some1 please tell me how to remove the stock radio it self?
i'm trying to take it out.and install an aftermarkt cd player
thx

 

[Minus]

hey, how do you adjust the knobs on the air conditioning? because i just recently had a Indash screen put in and now my air condtioner works hella and my heater doesnt hardly work. i had them to adjust it once because it was right the opposite

 

[Minus]

and where did you get that real carbon fiber trim from?!?

 

[Minus]

ohh and blu blu blu.... hehe i just wanted to get my 400th post lol

oh and nevermind i see that you got it from dgmotorsports duhh

can you order the parts seperatly because i just want the gauge surrounding and the middle of the center consol radio trim s***