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Can you see the pieces? If so, I’ve not tried this in this specific application, but in similar situations, this has worked for me. Get a metal clothes hangar and bend it in such a way that it will fit into the tight space you need it to fit. Next, wrap the end with super-sticky tape with the sticky side out. You ‘might’ be able to snag them with the sticky tape and get them out. Also have used a shop-vac for a similar application with a successful outcome. Good luck, and what a PIA.
Alright no laughing but I came up with a silly way to get every last piece out. Little tube from Home Depot & a toilet float with the shop vac for a tight seal, worked like a charm.
Yes, it pops straight up. I highly recommend spending the $3 at a part store to buy the plastic panel removers. Those clips are REALLY tight for some reason.
It pops straight up as "Pb82 Ronin" mentioned. The key is to be gentle and carefully lift the edges at the attachment points slightly with a plastic tool and then work around the perimeter a few times. If you have an '05 that has been parked outside in the sun, it will probably break unless you are extremely careful. The plastic gets brittle with age.
One one thing I've always wondered..
But now I kind of see what everybody is talking about in terms of cheap plastics in the Corvettes.
A a few days ago I decided to wipe down the dashboard with a microfiber and my hand barely went over the grill vent
And with the minimal amount of pressure the grill had broke
.
Point point being is that my car has been inside the garage most of it's life and for the very little amount of time it has spent outside I cannot believe the plastic became that brittle
Location: Boca Raton Inlet, Atlantic Ocean (Floridas east coast)
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I used a stubby ( easy to maneuver) "flat head" screwdriver. Gotta locate the tabs first by working the driver around and gently prying, this will show you where the tabs are. Very simple and nothing was broken. I removed my vent to disable the center speaker. (better sound without it)
Yeah. Just a few friction clips or whatever they're called. About to swap mine because it has a few breaks in it already and I'm chasing a rattle in that area.
I just replaced mine too, used a windshield installation/tint tool - they are cheap and work good for prying without damaging plastic, bought mine on Amazon. May also want to have a magnet grabber ready too as the metal clips are prone to fall off into your vents during removal.
Reviving a slightly old thread here. My grate is very brittle and rattles, so after removing it I found quite a few of those plastic pieces found their way down into the vent. Any decent tricks to get those broken pieces out? It is a pretty tight spot with the windshield being so close.
Reviving a slightly old thread here. My grate is very brittle and rattles, so after removing it I found quite a few of those plastic pieces found their way down into the vent. Any decent tricks to get those broken pieces out? It is a pretty tight spot with the windshield being so close.
Can you see the pieces? If so, I’ve not tried this in this specific application, but in similar situations, this has worked for me. Get a metal clothes hangar and bend it in such a way that it will fit into the tight space you need it to fit. Next, wrap the end with super-sticky tape with the sticky side out. You ‘might’ be able to snag them with the sticky tape and get them out. Also have used a shop-vac for a similar application with a successful outcome. Good luck, and what a PIA.
I removed my grill to disconnect the speker, and the driver end friction fit clip broke off and stayed in the dash portion. I use a pair of needle nose pliers to remove the clip, JB welded it back on the grill, and worked perfectly when I re-installed it.
Plastic pieces get very brittle over time. I have over 110000 miles on my C6.
Can you see the pieces? If so, I’ve not tried this in this specific application, but in similar situations, this has worked for me. Get a metal clothes hangar and bend it in such a way that it will fit into the tight space you need it to fit. Next, wrap the end with super-sticky tape with the sticky side out. You ‘might’ be able to snag them with the sticky tape and get them out. Also have used a shop-vac for a similar application with a successful outcome. Good luck, and what a PIA.
Alright no laughing but I came up with a silly way to get every last piece out. Little tube from Home Depot & a toilet float with the shop vac for a tight seal, worked like a charm.
Alright no laughing but I came up with a silly way to get every last piece out. Little tube from Home Depot & a toilet float with the shop vac for a tight seal, worked like a charm.
My hand cupped over the hole also worked.........but I like your style! I may have to steal your little creation for the next time I need it. Thanks for sharing.
Mine was broken also on in 2005, so While I was in there took out my crappy sounding center speaker and replaced the grill after finally finding another one. I did not put the "retainer" clips back on it mine used since it was a bitch to get the old one out. So far the replaced one it works great no rattles and if I have to take it back out I can just lift it out. I replaced my old GM head unit with a Sony so no need for center speaker and sounds a LOT better anyway.
10-22-2019, 02:57 PM
Removal of dash " vent" grill looking thing.
thanks for this tip, will definitely put it in my “notebook”.
