Removing center console trim pieces

[MrSpace]

I was trying to remove the center trim piece... Easier to say that to do.

Anybody can give me instructions? Or if you know a website showing how to remove them... I'm really scared to break a piece, even removing the plastic trim around the shifter scares me of breaking it.

Etienne

[nokia8860]

website to help with this?

you are at the website. :)

This question has been covered before and it is a simple process.

Unsure of what year you have so this is for the years with the HVAC controlls.

Remove HVAC and Radio.

There are 2 screws under the trailing edge of the trim

There are screws on the top portion of the slot where the radio is (or was that hvac) either way there are screws there.

Then it just comes out.

[MrSpace]

ok I removed the trim where the window buttons are...
http://www.pemarcotte.com/W202/trim.jpg

But everything seems to be bounded together.

http://www.pemarcotte.com/W202/layers.jpg

I went to the stealership and they quoted 84$ CAD for the sport faux cf piece and 370$ for the wood piece... That's crazy expensive.

I tought of tainting the wood with black taint paint (I don't know what it's called in english, but it's paint that you can see trough, like the paint used on taillights to make them dark). The thing is that with my new folding mirors, I need a new hole for the switch and I won't be able to drill a perfect hole by myself.

I tried to find black eye maple at the craft store but they had only two types of wood vinyl and no black birds eye maple...

So I'm stuck there. There are my options:

1- Buy a wood trim piece at 370$ and then taint all the pieces to have a black wood look.
2- Buy everything in CF and do nothing else ($$).
3- Drill a hole myself for my new switch OR
4- Buy a cf trim piece (84$)
For 3- and 4-... Then have some help (wink wink @ nokia) to find black birds eye vinyl to put some on my wood and on the new carbon cheap trim piece or cutted wood part.

Any other idea?
Know where to get/order that black birds eye maple vinyl?

Thanks,

Etienne

[MrSpace]

Another option: Lay down carbon fiber twill on top of the wood or fake cf.

http://www.shopmaninc.com/carbonpage.html

some nice patterns there.

Etienne

[nokia8860]

The MB parts are all direct replacement. So there is no "overlay"

As for the buttons. Try taking it to your local wood furniture guy to give it a try. I mean you have nothing to loose right.

[MrSpace]

Nothing to loose right.

Altough if I get an hole for the switch, I still need to get rid of that crack by putting something on top. Either a carbon twill or vinyl, but I can't find anything else than some too light colored wood vinyl by foliatec or other brands. I searched on the net and could not find black wood.

Etienne

[nokia8860]

Originally posted by MrSpace
Nothing to loose right.

Altough if I get an hole for the switch, I still need to get rid of that crack by putting something on top. Either a carbon twill or vinyl, but I can't find anything else than some too light colored wood vinyl by foliatec or other brands. I searched on the net and could not find black wood.

Etienne

I am not sure what craft stores are in your area. Perhaps ask around the local senior centers? I know that sounds funny and so far from car mods but for this kind of stuff they will know where to find it.

Or go to your local home improvement store and ask about faux finish. Tell them what youre after and see if they can help.

Even if you decide to take your piece to the local wood furniture guy to make the cut out ask them how to refinish your stuff and what options you have for a DIY.

Remember just because its not labled for auto styling doesnt mean thats the end all.

[MrSpace]

wow, I removed the buttons, I'm on MSN with my friend that would help me do some carbon.

http://www.pemarcotte.com/W202/nobuttons.jpg

The thing is that it's almost impossible to delaminate the wood from the first metal layer without breaker/bending the piece.

http://www.pemarcotte.com/W202/side.jpg

Plus there are 15 plastic parts strategisally placed that are impossible to replace. So the first metal plate with those plastic parts would need to be kept to put over the carbon in the mold and then vacuum all this together...

http://www.pemarcotte.com/W202/plastic.jpg

Even having a real wood part made would be hard once again because of those plastic parts.

Simple thing is getting complicated! ;)

Etienne

[nokia8860]

I think I'm lost as what you intend to do with your part.

[MrSpace]

Originally posted by nokia8860
I think I'm lost as what you intend to do with your part.

ahah yeah pretty confusing.

First, I need to change this part, it's cracked and there is a hole missing for the new switch. I was talking with my friend who want's to do a carbon fiber part. The thing is that I would need to remove the current wood and keep the backplate with all the plastic parts (pictured in my other post). Now in order to remove the wood, I have good chances to bend the part. So maybe I'll just make a mold, then laminate a twill directly on top of the wood, which would make the part a little thicker.

Etienne

[neema12]

wtf?? I dont get it, but this is what I can tell you. I dont see why you want to do all this work to cover this center plate for the shifter when it will look unlike the rest of the wood trim. You had some trouble taking it out and cannot get the other pieces out, how do you expect to make this look good?

[MrSpace]

Originally posted by neema12
wtf?? I dont get it, but this is what I can tell you. I dont see why you want to do all this work to cover this center plate for the shifter when it will look unlike the rest of the wood trim. You had some trouble taking it out and cannot get the other pieces out, how do you expect to make this look good?

1st - I can smell a little bit of baching in your reply.

2st - well, once you know how to get the pieces out it's easy to do. But at first I was suspicious as to the force needed to pull the parts. Since they are relly expensive, I did not want to break one. Not like my integra where for 10$ I could get a new part from a scrapyard.

3rd - I studied 3 years in composite materials, so I'm pretty good at laminating stuff and making molds. You'll see the end result and then you'll be able to bach my work, if you think it's bad.

4th - I don't intend to change only that part of trim, but this one will be my test mule since I can scrap it. If this one works, I'll do all the pieces, if it doesn't, then I have the choice to pay 370$ to get a new one or to pay 84$ to get the faux carbon fiber from MB and pay some more money to get the other faux carbon pieces to get them all matching.

Kapiche?

Etienne

[BenzMeister]

Originally posted by MrSpace
1st - I can smell a little bit of baching in your reply.

2st - well, once you know how to get the pieces out it's easy to do. But at first I was suspicious as to the force needed to pull the parts. Since they are relly expensive, I did not want to break one. Not like my integra where for 10$ I could get a new part from a scrapyard.

3rd - I studied 3 years in composite materials, so I'm pretty good at laminating stuff and making molds. You'll see the end result and then you'll be able to bach my work, if you think it's bad.

4th - I don't intend to change only that part of trim, but this one will be my test mule since I can scrap it. If this one works, I'll do all the pieces, if it doesn't, then I have the choice to pay 370$ to get a new one or to pay 84$ to get the faux carbon fiber from MB and pay some more money to get the other faux carbon pieces to get them all matching.

Kapiche?

Etienne


To drill a prefect hole there are two options, go to a machine shop with a drill press, they will clamp it and use a high speed setting and drill from the back side. DIY lay the piece on a flat peice of wood finished side down, use masking tape to tape over the wood finish, clamp all for corners, use a spring loaded clamp and not a screw down clamp, is the clamps don't hold the piece securely use some wood shims, place masking tap over the area you want the hole, if you don't have a sharp carbide bit buy one, also looke for a drill holder device, it is a stand that you clamp you hand drill to and it will hold it steady. If you can find the stand. stand over the piece to drill. place the drill over the hole, if you have and adjustable speed drill set it to the highest setting. Now first drill a small starter hole, then change bits to a slightly larger bit, the take the bit size you want to finish with and drill the final size out. I did this on wood trim from a BMW a friend has and it was straight and the masked tape protects the laminate from cracking around the hole as does drill from the back side.

[BenzMeister]

as far as the crack, I had a crack on the cupholder door, had it replaced under warranty, Your crack looked like the one on my cupholder door, the clear coat is crackand doesn't look deep, take it to a body shop and asked them to sand it and put a new clear coat on it. If it is plastic or laminate, the same process probably can be done a light sanding and respray the clearcoat. Before I had the cupholder door replaced I stopped at my local body shop and he said he could do this, so it was something told to me by a pro.

[MrSpace]

Thanks a lot for the tips

my friend has a machine shop so I can put it on a precise machine where at least the top and bottom of the hole will be exactly at the same height.

As for the clear, I checked one place for now where they repair interiors and the guy said he couldn't. I'm bringing my car to the body shop in two weeks for paint so I'll try a new clear coat.

I have some 2x2 carbon fiber twill in the mail also

Thanks again

Etienne

[Kswiss]

Have you put your new interior yet? Pics? Why did you choose the center console wood piece as a test bunny? You could have easily tooken off the door trim or something....

And did you ever find the black birds eye maple?