How to remove interior center panel?

[clicknext]

How do you remove the panel that surrounds the radio and AC controls, the one with the fake carbon fibre on the sides? The shop manual says to push out the bottom right clip, but I tried as hard as I could in the confined space, and just couldn't do it. Is there a specific direction, or some kind of trick that anyone knows?

Thanks

 

[DeadGeneration]

subscribe - I have looked at the manuals and how-to's but never removed it myself, i'm affraid of breaking it.

 

[danielschweer]

not hard. you have to remove cables for your hvac and then just pull.

follow the 1st couple steps in this :
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55382

 

[clicknext]

not hard. you have to remove cables for your hvac and then just pull.

follow the 1st couple steps in this :
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55382

Ah, so it's actually necessary to remove those cables before the panel?

 

[DeadGeneration]

I clicked that link and I didn't even recognize the 1st picture as being a protege.

 

[DeadGeneration]

Ah, so it's actually necessary to remove those cables before the panel?

nah just push down on the a/c vents and pull... you try it first though and tell me if any thing breaks ok

 

[JoshP5]

How do you remove the panel that surrounds the radio and AC controls, the one with the fake carbon fibre on the sides? The shop manual says to push out the bottom right clip, but I tried as hard as I could in the confined space, and just couldn't do it. Is there a specific direction, or some kind of trick that anyone knows?

Thanks

Take the glove box out, crouch down in the passenger footwell with the passenger seat all the way back, and do the reach-around through all the bars and other crap that's behind the center console. You have to kind of squeeze the clip by the sides a little while pushing it out. You kind of have to be a contortionist--my arm had a red indentation in it for a few hours after I did it and I'm pretty skinny. Good luck.

 

[clicknext]

Take the glove box out, crouch down in the passenger footwell with the passenger seat all the way back, and do the reach-around through all the bars and other crap that's behind the center console. You have to kind of squeeze the clip by the sides a little while pushing it out. You kind of have to be a contortionist--my arm had a red indentation in it for a few hours after I did it and I'm pretty skinny. Good luck.

lol, the manual made it look so easy, with the guy pushing it out with one finger. (doh)

 

[clicknext]

Thanks, it worked. Just pull, hard, with steady force. It feels pretty sturdy there so probably won't break. Yay, now I've finally got my radio support bar in, so the aftermarket radio feels rock solid.

 

[Sup3rL4m3r]

not hard. you have to remove cables for your hvac and then just pull.

follow the 1st couple steps in this :
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55382

Danielschweer - Thanks for this post - very helpful, I was stuck! (pullup)

 

[dxaveP5]

if you have a quarter inch rachet with a 7mm and a small philips drill bit you can remove the 4 scrwes behind the surrounding piece and the Climate control piece, so that you wont have to mess with the wires.
and then afterwards for install just tighten by hand so that its not too tight and wont be a problem next time when u needa take it off for another project or something.