Hey folks,

My rattle / squeak exorcism is still in progress. I've taken it to the dealer perhaps five times, and I think I'm starting to annoy them (and I'm pretty annoyed that the car won't reproduce the noises on test drives with the techs for that matter).

The last time I took it in, I asked for them to do the "rattle / squeak" TSB. The service technician did it, but the felt tape he used is visible. I'd like to take it apart, trim it, and replace it.

I'm curious: How do I remove the upper clock finisher / "cluster lid finisher", and the lower clock finisher?

I have the service manual for the car, but don't know how to open / pop / release / whatever the various clasps that hold the pieces in place.

Any tips on what I should do, and how I should put it back together?

 

Be careful with that, they broke a clip on mine when they removed it to do the radio faceplate, it looks pretty fragile under there, see if you can find a DIY guide.

 

I don't know how it works on the 05, since that interior piece is different from 03/04. In 03/04 the service manual gives incorrect instructions on how to remove that piece. It's says:
But the reality is that it has to be grabbed at the top and pulled straight back towards the back seat, not up. Pulling up would just break the clips. It's a test of faith too, because a lot of force is required to free the clips. Keep in mind this is for 03/04 and may or may not be true for 05/06.

 

The 2005 manual clarifies that:

(F) Cluster Lid Finisher Upper
Pull to the backside, disconnect clips and pawls, and remove cluster
lid finisher upper.
Does this mean "Pull toward the rear of the car" as the person with 2004 mentioned?

(G) Cluster Lid Finisher Lower
Disconnect pawls and clips, and remove cluster lid finisher lower.
If I knew what a pawl was, and how to disconnect it, this would be easier.

I checked around for a DIY guide, but generally there's no reason to get in there for most folks, so I couldn't find one.

I get the feeling that if I were to look under the powertrain section, I'd find something like:

"(A) Remove Transmission: Disconnect from engine and remove."

 

The '05 is completely different from the '04.

 

Then help the guy out if you know how it comes apart.

 

I know how it comes apart - I watched my service tech do it yesterday on my 2005 when we were talking about a...

...drum roll...

...you're not going to believe it...

...a squeak.


Take that upper "lip/lid/whatever".... grab it with your fingers/thumb, and pull straight back towards the rear of the vehicle - it takes a decent pull. The little white plastic clips that are attached to it are re-usable. To re-attach, just slide it back in.

The lower... I can't help you - I'm not sure.

 

haha, that's exactly how the 03/04 comes apart.

 

hey guys, i took my car in to get some squeaks/rattles fixed and one was coming from the clock area. after i got the car back, i noticed that the finisher "lid", the part that you can just pulled out horizontally, was very very flimsy vertically. is yours like that too? i mean it just wobbles with very little pressure (and i still have the rattling sound i'm hopefully getting fixed over next weekend)

 

Yes, I've noticed the same thing on my car. It seems like the felt tape might be getting in the way of a real tight fit.

 

I've not noticed this, and they've taken it apart twice now. It does move if I apply a decent amount of force on it, but it is by no means loose. I suppose when I get in there, I'll take pictures... If I break it, I've already bought it, so I'm not *too* worried. ;-)

I'm more worried about any passengers I have in the car that might see my broken dash board than if I can fix it if I break it.

 

That's exactly what happened to mine, I noticed it and went right back to the dealer, he replaced it with one off another car on the lot!

 

So I removed the finisher, and realized that when whoever installed it last installed it, they didn't hook the "pawls" on either side together, which might explain why the piece wasn't sitting properly.

I did just as the service manual suggested: I pulled straight back, and the piece came right out, somewhat surprisingly. Nothing broke, and nothing was harmed.

The problem now is that I don't know how to remove the lower finisher, and I'm pretty sure that whoever did it last didn't want to bother, since the upper finisher wasn't clipped to the lower.

Does anyone know how this lower finisher piece comes out? Does it come straight up? Where should pressure be applied?