night and day difference

 

Gentleman, It took 2 hours this time. I decided to go about it a little bit different this time as I know where all the attachment points for the dash are.

Basically you remove everything you have to to "PREP" the existing dash for removal and it will cut most of the time in half. I will say the hardest part of all is reaching behind and unhooking all the wire harnesses to all the controls. Other than that, its a piece of cake. DO NOT WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING RATTLING. NOTHING WILL!! THIS DASH IS HELD IN WITH 11 BOLTS AND A BUNCH OF CLIPS:

You will need:

TRIM REMOVAL TOOLS
T25 TORX SCREWDRIVER
T10 TORX SCREWDRIVER
7MM SOCKET
SECURITY BIT SET

STEP 1: REMOVE PASSENGER GRAB HANDLE WITH PRY TOOL. This is where you will need the TORX 25 screwdriver:










Step 2: REMOVE CENTER CONSOLE DOOR. This is where you will need the TORX 10 screwdriver:



Next remove the side trim piece:



Next pry up the center console and slide it back (I had to put the car in 4th gear to do this):



Now you will need to remove the driver side sill pieces, to expose one of the lower dash bolts:







Next remove the lower driver side panel, this is held in with clips and 2 7mm bolts underneath. You will then see 2 more dash holding 7mm bolts:











You can now begin to remove the 3 lower bolts that are holding the dash in. DO NOT START PULLING THE DASH YET THOUGH!! There are two more under the front of the center console which you can reach even though its tight:





Next remove the driver dash pad:



Next you can remove the bolts from the aluminum trim pieces to be able to slide this piece out. You will need to remove the 3 side 7mm bolts on the passenger side as well to get it to move freely (which is why you removed the passenger grab handle pieces to begin with):







Now the only 2 bolts holding the dash in (aside from it's clips) are the 2 on top of the dash closest to the windshield. Remove those. You can then pull the dash out carefully and unhook all the wire harnesses:



Now that you have the dash out, transfer over all the components to the new one. This is where you will need the security bit set:





Now just reverse the process and enjoy the final look. Here is how mine came out:

 

Hm. Dealer quoted me$990 to have it installed when I get the car. My only fear is breaking clips and stuff when removing the old one. Does the new one come with all new clips and etc?

 

Yes. You do not have to worry about anything if you just take your time.

 

Cool. Sounds like I'm going to save $500

 

You will. Anyone can do this. It's not hard at all. You just have to be patient.

 

Good Gawd! I don't really care for the CF trim but damn I wish I had all that suede in my 3LT interior!

Looks amazing.

 

You can order all those parts too.

 

I did it also not that bad with a DIY from help in here. Just crazy from the factory..Robert

 

Did you unhook the battery when you installed the dash?

 

I did not.

 

I really hope this thread can help anyone who is unsure of taking it on themselves. It really is an easy job to do. All you have to do is take your time and be patient.

 

You're getting pretty good at this

 

Will be taking on this project this weekend. Thank you ssidekickbp!!

 

Greg from autodynamicswest.com makes an amazing center console, it will match the semi gloss finish.

Check it out,

Regards,

Roger

 

Awesome. If you need any extra advice while doing it, or questions. PM me.

 

Thank You!!!!!

 

I'll be doing it next weekend so I might PM you too.

 

No problem at all.

 

I have put some sections of CF wrap and it looks very good. Replacing the base console with a CF one seems to me a waste of time and money. Why risk for potential rattle and breakage?
I have wrapped with CF tape the door sills and then covered with the clear protector and it looks fantastic.

Much better solution's, cost is about $ 20 and can be removed if you do not like it.