Hey guys I want to paint some interior pieces but I have no idea how to take the dash apart or the steering wheel.
So if you have the time please post a DIY for everyone thanks.

 

I suggest that you don’t!!!! I did mine, 4 tries to get it right, and ended up with my exterior color. It looks great in the sun, but in the shade, you can’t really tell I did anything.

All I did was the piece that runs above the glove box, the piece that houses the radio and clock, and the piece that my fog light and mirror switch is in. All these pieces simply pop out by pulling straight toward the rear of the car. You have to take out the radio piece before the piece above the glove box.

Other than these 3, I have no idea how the rest of it works. Especially the steering wheel.

I don’t know how much experience with paint you have, but before you get too deep into it, I would like to add a little advice. Don’t use the "for plastic" paint stuff, its crap! It cracks, it peels, and the label says its dry in 30 minutes, but after 72 hours, I left finger prints in the paint while reinstalling the pieces.
Use a primer and a paint that’s meant to stick to primer. ( I used Dupli-Color perfect match) Follow the directions on the can like they are the bible, except, double the drying time. The lighter you do each coat, the better. Rushing will only lead to more time spent fixing your rush job. Also, there is no such thing as too much clear coat. It will protect the redicules amount of time you are about to invest in your interior.

If you mess up and need to take the paint back off, DOT3 brake fluid works great, and wont melt the plastic. I know this from first hand experience....twice......

 

Thanks so all I have to do to those pieces you just mentioned is pull on them to get them out towards the back of the car?

 

yes pull them straight back. radio piece 1st, then glove box, then, the piece thats on the left side of the dash ( where the mirror controls and extra button are ) any other pieces your trying to do?

the steering wheels is complicated. we have one thread dedicated to just taking that thing apart and nobody can figure out how. we do know one person who has done it, but that person wont answer any of his messages or anything so until then it is a mystery waiting to be solved!

 

Yea basically everything that's plastic and grey lol I'm not sure what color I'm going to choose but it's between black (color matched paint code 202) or a nice red. Who has taken the steering wheel apart and won't answer the pm's?

 

hmm. i like red and adding color to the interior is nice. but i kinda like the black too.. flip a coin lol.

superpickel did his teering wheel green. and some say they have tryed asking him about it but he wont answer. so idk

 

Here you are.
It's all really simple. The pull points and order I use in the video are what I have found to be the most simple.
It will always sound and feel like you are going to break something... but you probably wont. lol

I start with the trim around the gauge cluster because it frees the pieces to the left and right a little allowing them to pop off a bit easier.

 

That is pretty impressive how you took it all apart with one hand! I have taken this stuff off at least a half dozen times and cant do that.

 

I really hate how it sounds and feels like you are going to break something... so I took note of the points that felt less 'damaging'. ;p

 

Wow now I feel like my car is cheap lmao I never knew it was that simple great video by the way.

 

I have a bad feeling about this.

I can see folks with crazed bass in this car shaking the damn panels apart.

Excellent video though, gives me a good idea on how to run the power/FM cable for my GPS behind the radio bezel.

 

Dude tehy are pressure clips they aren't going anywhere. Trust me I know
The only thing that rattles is the door pannel thing with the controls wheich I fixed with some foam and the sunroof screen filter when the sunroof is closed.

 

Hey jay what about the hvac controls? How did you remove those?

 

Where exactly did you put the foam in the door panel piece? I tried but couldn't find the right spot. ;p
And also for the sunroof screen.. I have no idea how to fix that!


I don't know that I will be doing anything in the coming days but maybe this weekend I can get some free time to take that apart again and show you all.
They are a little more tricky but still simple... all the pieces I show in the video are a 1/10 on the difficulty scale... the hvac controls i'd give a 3/10.

 

i think the hvac controls are easy to take out..well atleast the whole unit its self. once you pull it out and unhook everything. just take a small flat head to the tabs and pop it out. and when you put it back together make sure its lined up or it wont work the same

 

+1

 

Hey, lets not be mad at people that do not have time. I am really sorry i have let ya'll down with the DIY, but lets break down my week real quick.

I work an average of 60hrs. a week. (those are hours I get paid). I usually wake up at 5, leave by 6, and get back home by 7. So that is 14 hours a day, 6 days a week.
Also, am a full time student in college.
Also, a father and husband.
Sooooo....

There are 168 hours in a week.
168 - 84 (hours for work) = 84

Technically, I am supposed to put 20 hrs. a week into each class that i have. I am taking 4 classes. Obviously, thats not happening. I usually get 15 - 20 hrs. combined...

84 - 20 = 60

So lets say that I only sleep 7 hrs. a night.

60 - 49 = 11

So I have 11 hours left within any given week to eat, take showers, and spend a miniscule amount of time with my family...

Now don't get me wrong, I love the car scene, but at this moment, I am only trying to find time for myself. I am going to school to make video games and I haven't even played one in 4 months. This is the first time I have been online recreationally in the past 2 months...

And sorry op for the rant. I am looking for the docs that were sent to me at this moment... So take 5 minutes off my 11 hrs

 

Ok, so I just wrote out a very vague guide. No pics, only your imagination. This is for everything except the steering wheel.

Before you do anything, know that I am not liable for any damage to you or the car. You will be working around your air bags and they are not always stable.


START HERE.... Remove negative battery terminal. Do not procede until this is done.


Start with the cd player bezel, then go to the right to pull the trim above the glove box. Next, open the glove box, squeeze the sides and remove the glove box. While your in there, you can install a cabin filter in the white tray behind the space where the glove box was. Next, move over to the steering wheel. Remove the bezel over the speedo (pull straight out). Then the plate holding the controls for the mirror. Next, there will be an array of phillips head screws across the dash... remove them. Afterwards, pull lightly on the front pillars. They are held in place by a black holding pin. To release them, turn the pins 90 degrees and pull off. There are two of those clips. After they are released, pull up and out. Next, look above where the glove box was and there will be a yellow clip for the passenger side air bag. undo the connector and remove (want to say it was 12mm, might have been 10mm) the bolt holding the air bag to a metal bar. After that bolt and all phillips head screws have been removed, lift upward and pull out. The entire dash (with airbag) should come out. Then you can take out the vent trim using a small flat head by releasing the clips around the vent. You have to remove some phillips head screws holding the a/c duct in order to get some of the vents. After that, paint away.

 

Thanks for the write up Superpickel, that will come in very handy for me

 

Superpickel, I wish you had not of done that, cause now Im getting all sorts of bad/expensive ideas........