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DIFFICULTY LEVEL: 
(1 devil = easy (up to) 5 devils = pros or the adventurous only)
TIME REQUIRED: 15-30 minutes
TOOLS REQUIRED: 7mm socket and driver, panel tool (or other thin flat-bladed tool that will be sturdy enough to pry off interior panels WITHOUT marring surfaces), phillips-head screwdriver, cup or magnetic tray (recommended!) to keep your bolts from getting lost!
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STEP 1: DASHBOARD ENDS
Using your panel tool, pop off the covers at each end of the dashboard:
Remove the 2 circled bolts (on each end) using your 7mm socket.
STEP 2: BOTTOM DASH REMOVAL, DRIVER SIDE
Remove the 3 bolts circled from the panel below the steering wheel.
Before going on, take a moment to look at how the bottom-most cover of the dashboard (above the pedals) is held up against the firewall. As you can see below, there's a slot that slides over a bolt. The bolt does not have a nut on it (at least in my car it didn't), but make sure you take note of its location (just above the brake pedal), as you want to make sure that the cover for the dash goes back over that bolt when you're reassembling:
Now that you're familiar with that bolt, and the other bolts are removed, you can begin to remove the bottom-most cover of the dash on the driver side. Gently pull downward on it. Pressure clips located by the hood release lever and the center stack help hold it up in addition to the screws. Just give it a gentle tug and it should come free. Be careful though, the holes the clips grab onto can easily snap. I broke the one by the hood release lever already.
Now, before you can entirely remove that piece, you have to disconnect the hood release cable. It's secured to that panel by a little clip. You just need to squeeze the prongs of the clip so you can push it back through the panel. You can see the location of the clip in this picture:
Now, you WILL NOT have that red wire. that is something I added for one of my projects. But you can slightly see where the clip location is. While you don't HAVE to remove this panel from the car entirely (you do have to detach it from the forward dash though) to access the center stack, I'd highly recommend it to avoid unnecessary clutter and breakage.
STEP 3: LOWER FORWARD DASH REMOVAL - DRIVER SIDE
With the bottom part of the dash removed, you can start to remove the lower forward dash, directly below the steering wheel. To do so, simply pull the upper part gently straight out (towards the rear of the car), NOT downward. Then pull the bottom part down and out. You'll see when it's removed how the clips are angled.
Carefully remove the panel, making sure to gently maneuver around the hood release lever (the lever is not affixed to this panel, it stays on the car). Similar to the bottom dash, before you can completely remove this panel from the car, you have to remove the OBD port and a wire clip. No fear, no wiring is fooled around with! The port simply slides into place on the panel. Gently push it outward away from the panel to remove it:
With the OBD port removed, you can now remove the wire clip attached to the side of the panel (behind the dash end cover).
Similar to the hood release cable, just squeeze the bottom part of the clip with pliers until you can push it back through the panel. With both of those removed, you can now remove the lower forward dash panel from the car.
You're done on the driver's side. Now to the other side!
STEP 4: GLOVE BOX REMOVAL
To remove the glove box, you first must free the box "stoppers" (which keep it from falling out when it's opened). To do so, push the sides of the box inward while pulling outward until the stoppers come through.
Once they do, let the box fall downward.
Using your trusty phillips-head driver, remove the 4 screws holding the bin to the front cover. There are two on each side of the bin. This picture shows only one side:
When the bin is unscrewed, lift it out and up. You'll notice that on what normally is the bottom of the bin, it has two slots and two little catches that help hold it on. Note how the bin goes into them so you can reassemble properly later.
With the bin removed, you can now access all the screws holding the front of the dash on. There are - count them - seven (7!) screws holding this on. They are circled in this picture. NOTE: Two of the screws in the picture below have a red "X" on them. DO NOT remove those screws. They hold on only the catch for the glove box latch, and do not attach the dash itself to the car. Removing them accomplishes nothing but making more work for yourself.
With those screws out, you're just about ready to pull the face off. Before you do...
STEP 5: BOTTOM DASH REMOVAL - PASSENGER SIDE
Similar to the driver side, the bottom dash snaps into the forward dash and must be disengaged before you can pull out the forward dash. This side is easier, however, as there are no screws holding it on. It is only held in by pressure clips. Simply pull straight downward to disconnect it.
With the bottom dash out, you can now remove the forward dash. Simply pull outward to release the remaining pressure clips holding the forward dash in place. There are no wire clips to detach on this side either, so you're good to go on this side.
STEP 6: CENTER STACK TRIM REMOVAL
You're just about done! To remove the center stack trim, grab the trim panel on both sides as far back as possible (towards the front of the car).
Then gently pull down and towards you (or towards the rear of the car). You might have to wiggle the trim a bit to free it. Once the far part of the trim (under the dash, towards the front of the car) is freed, pull the whole trim panel forward (toward the rear of the car).
The two pressure clips located above the center vents should disengage. DON'T TRY TO PULL THE ENTIRE PANEL AWAY YET! Before you can remove the entire trim panel, you have to disconnect the hazard flasher button, as seen here:
The easiest way I've found to do this is to gently push the button back through the trim. Just stick your hand behind the trim (what would be the inside of the dash), and push the button assembly forward (towards yourself and the rear of the car). When it pops free, using your fingernail (if it's long enough
) or a small screwdriver, lift the small retainer clip that secures the wire harness to the button assembly, and disconnect the wire harness:
With the hazard button disconnected, you can now remove the trim panel. Set the button aside where you won't lose it, and remove the center stack trim panel from the car.
You've now successfully removed the center stack trim! If you're ultimate goal is to remove the radio, then read on!
STEP 7: RADIO & CLIMATE CONTROL REMOVAL
The rest of the procedure is a cakewalk.
Remove the 6 bolts circled in the picture below. This will release the climate control panel and radio from their mounts. Don't worry, simply removing the bolts will NOT cause anything to fall!
You'll notice the climate controls "interlock" with the radio. This is what keeps it all snug and secure. Simply pull the climate controls forward to remove them. There is NO need to disconnect the climate controls to work in the center stack. Enough slack wiring is available to slide them off to the side.
Now pull the radio forward. You'll feel it disengage from it's mounts when all of a sudden it becomes significantly heavier then you thought it was. Don't pull TOO hard, you have to disconnect the wiring on back (if your needs call for complete removal).
STEP 8: RADIO DISCONNECTION AND REMOVAL
To disconnect the radio, you must disconnect the three connections on the back: gray, blue, and antenna.
The gray and blue plugs remove by simply squeezing the tabs on the plugs and pulling them out. To remove the antenna, simply pull outward. You might need to wiggle it or twist it to get it to come out, but don't use excessive force on it! You should not have to work that hard to get it out.
Here's what you get when you have everything out:
Another note: If reinstalling the factory unit, or an aftermarket unit that needs rear support, take note of the slot in the rear of the cavity that is designed to accept the rear radio support:
Regardless of what you install, make sure the rear support is properly seated in that slot, otherwise you'll have a wobbly (or squeaky) install. And in some cases, the radio probably would not even bolt back in properly.
STEP 9: PUTTING IT ALL BACK
To get your car back the way it was, you simply need to reverse the steps. But for convenience, here's the cliff's notes version. For details on any particular step, refer to the above descriptions for removal.
* Reconnect three (3) radio connections - gray, blue, and antenna.
* Reinstall radio in dash. Make sure white support nub on rear of radio is properly seated in slot at the back of the radio cavity. You may need to finagle the antenna wire and try to route it behind the tab
in back to get the radio to seat properly. It's tricky, but it can be done.
* Reinstall climate control panel. Ensure alignment tabs on the edges of the panel are properly seated in their respective holes on the radio face. You'll know it's seated properly when the control panel is gaplessly aligned along the bottom of the radio.
* Reinstall six (6) bolts on both sides of climate control panel and radio - four (4) to the radio, two (2) to the climate controls.
* Replace center stack trim. Be sure to feed hazard switch wiring through hole in trim panel. Don't reconnect the button yet. Push the trim back (give it a good smack if it gives you trouble) until you feel the pressure clips catch their mounts. Make sure you push firmly on all areas of the face of the panel to be sure it's properly secured all around. When you are confident it is reinstalled properly, reconnect the wire harness to the hazard button and push it into place. The button is not designed to go in only one way - for example, no specific side of the button needs to face down.
* Reinstall lower forward dash on the passenger side. Push it firmly on all edges until you feel all the retainer clips solidly catch. Do not reinstall the bolts yet.
* Push the bottom dash cover back up into place until you feel the retainer clips catch.
* When the clips on the bottom have successfully snapped in place, reinstall the seven (7) bolts that were holding the face of the forward dash into place.
* Reinstall the two (2) bolts that held the forward dash into place on the end of the dash.
* Replace the cover over the passenger side of the dashboard end.
* Reattach the bin to the door of the glove box assembly. Remember to make sure the slots and "hooks" at the (what is normally the) bottom of the bin are properly connected. The bin will not sit flush against the door if they are not properly seated.
* Reinstall the four (4) phillips-head screws that held the bin into place.
* Gently, but firmly, squeeze the sides of the glove box bin inward while pushing into the dash cavity. When the rubber stoppers fit through the opening, simply push the glove box door in until the rubber stops are through and the bin pops back out to full width. Close the glovebox.
* Reinstall the lower forward dash panel on the driver side. Push on all edges until you are confident all retainer clips have properly reconnected with their respective notches.
* Reinstall the gray wire clip at the end of the dash by simply pushing the clip into the appropriate hole in the lower forward dash panel.
* Reinstall the two (2) bolts that secured the lower forward dash panel at the end of the dash board.
* Replace the cover over the drive side of the dashboard end.
* Reinstall the OBD port by sliding it back into place until it securely snaps into position.
* Begin to reinstall the bottom dash cover on the driver side. While installing, remember to ensure the rear slot of the cover is properly seated over the support bolt on the firewall.
* Before closing up the panel, remember to reconnect the clip guiding the hood release cable to the bottom dash cover by pushing the clip into the appropriate hole on the panel until it snaps into place.
* Push the retaining clips by the hood release lever and center stack upward until they snap into position.
* When you are confident you have properly resecured the retaining clips, reinstall the three (3) bolts that properly secured the bottom dash cover and lower forward dash cover to each other, and the rest of the dashboard assembly.
* FINISHED!
Please let me know if I missed or screwed up anything. I've reread this a dozen times to check myself, but I'm still bound to miss something.
(1 devil = easy (up to) 5 devils = pros or the adventurous only)
TIME REQUIRED: 15-30 minutes
TOOLS REQUIRED: 7mm socket and driver, panel tool (or other thin flat-bladed tool that will be sturdy enough to pry off interior panels WITHOUT marring surfaces), phillips-head screwdriver, cup or magnetic tray (recommended!) to keep your bolts from getting lost!
=================================================
STEP 1: DASHBOARD ENDS
Using your panel tool, pop off the covers at each end of the dashboard:
Remove the 2 circled bolts (on each end) using your 7mm socket.
STEP 2: BOTTOM DASH REMOVAL, DRIVER SIDE
Remove the 3 bolts circled from the panel below the steering wheel.
Before going on, take a moment to look at how the bottom-most cover of the dashboard (above the pedals) is held up against the firewall. As you can see below, there's a slot that slides over a bolt. The bolt does not have a nut on it (at least in my car it didn't), but make sure you take note of its location (just above the brake pedal), as you want to make sure that the cover for the dash goes back over that bolt when you're reassembling:
Now that you're familiar with that bolt, and the other bolts are removed, you can begin to remove the bottom-most cover of the dash on the driver side. Gently pull downward on it. Pressure clips located by the hood release lever and the center stack help hold it up in addition to the screws. Just give it a gentle tug and it should come free. Be careful though, the holes the clips grab onto can easily snap. I broke the one by the hood release lever already.
Now, before you can entirely remove that piece, you have to disconnect the hood release cable. It's secured to that panel by a little clip. You just need to squeeze the prongs of the clip so you can push it back through the panel. You can see the location of the clip in this picture:
Now, you WILL NOT have that red wire. that is something I added for one of my projects. But you can slightly see where the clip location is. While you don't HAVE to remove this panel from the car entirely (you do have to detach it from the forward dash though) to access the center stack, I'd highly recommend it to avoid unnecessary clutter and breakage.
STEP 3: LOWER FORWARD DASH REMOVAL - DRIVER SIDE
With the bottom part of the dash removed, you can start to remove the lower forward dash, directly below the steering wheel. To do so, simply pull the upper part gently straight out (towards the rear of the car), NOT downward. Then pull the bottom part down and out. You'll see when it's removed how the clips are angled.
Carefully remove the panel, making sure to gently maneuver around the hood release lever (the lever is not affixed to this panel, it stays on the car). Similar to the bottom dash, before you can completely remove this panel from the car, you have to remove the OBD port and a wire clip. No fear, no wiring is fooled around with! The port simply slides into place on the panel. Gently push it outward away from the panel to remove it:
With the OBD port removed, you can now remove the wire clip attached to the side of the panel (behind the dash end cover).
Similar to the hood release cable, just squeeze the bottom part of the clip with pliers until you can push it back through the panel. With both of those removed, you can now remove the lower forward dash panel from the car.
You're done on the driver's side. Now to the other side!
STEP 4: GLOVE BOX REMOVAL
To remove the glove box, you first must free the box "stoppers" (which keep it from falling out when it's opened). To do so, push the sides of the box inward while pulling outward until the stoppers come through.
Once they do, let the box fall downward.
Using your trusty phillips-head driver, remove the 4 screws holding the bin to the front cover. There are two on each side of the bin. This picture shows only one side:
When the bin is unscrewed, lift it out and up. You'll notice that on what normally is the bottom of the bin, it has two slots and two little catches that help hold it on. Note how the bin goes into them so you can reassemble properly later.
With the bin removed, you can now access all the screws holding the front of the dash on. There are - count them - seven (7!) screws holding this on. They are circled in this picture. NOTE: Two of the screws in the picture below have a red "X" on them. DO NOT remove those screws. They hold on only the catch for the glove box latch, and do not attach the dash itself to the car. Removing them accomplishes nothing but making more work for yourself.
With those screws out, you're just about ready to pull the face off. Before you do...
STEP 5: BOTTOM DASH REMOVAL - PASSENGER SIDE
Similar to the driver side, the bottom dash snaps into the forward dash and must be disengaged before you can pull out the forward dash. This side is easier, however, as there are no screws holding it on. It is only held in by pressure clips. Simply pull straight downward to disconnect it.
With the bottom dash out, you can now remove the forward dash. Simply pull outward to release the remaining pressure clips holding the forward dash in place. There are no wire clips to detach on this side either, so you're good to go on this side.
STEP 6: CENTER STACK TRIM REMOVAL
You're just about done! To remove the center stack trim, grab the trim panel on both sides as far back as possible (towards the front of the car).
Then gently pull down and towards you (or towards the rear of the car). You might have to wiggle the trim a bit to free it. Once the far part of the trim (under the dash, towards the front of the car) is freed, pull the whole trim panel forward (toward the rear of the car).
The two pressure clips located above the center vents should disengage. DON'T TRY TO PULL THE ENTIRE PANEL AWAY YET! Before you can remove the entire trim panel, you have to disconnect the hazard flasher button, as seen here:
The easiest way I've found to do this is to gently push the button back through the trim. Just stick your hand behind the trim (what would be the inside of the dash), and push the button assembly forward (towards yourself and the rear of the car). When it pops free, using your fingernail (if it's long enough
) or a small screwdriver, lift the small retainer clip that secures the wire harness to the button assembly, and disconnect the wire harness:With the hazard button disconnected, you can now remove the trim panel. Set the button aside where you won't lose it, and remove the center stack trim panel from the car.
You've now successfully removed the center stack trim! If you're ultimate goal is to remove the radio, then read on!
STEP 7: RADIO & CLIMATE CONTROL REMOVAL
The rest of the procedure is a cakewalk.
Remove the 6 bolts circled in the picture below. This will release the climate control panel and radio from their mounts. Don't worry, simply removing the bolts will NOT cause anything to fall!
You'll notice the climate controls "interlock" with the radio. This is what keeps it all snug and secure. Simply pull the climate controls forward to remove them. There is NO need to disconnect the climate controls to work in the center stack. Enough slack wiring is available to slide them off to the side.
Now pull the radio forward. You'll feel it disengage from it's mounts when all of a sudden it becomes significantly heavier then you thought it was.
Don't pull TOO hard, you have to disconnect the wiring on back (if your needs call for complete removal).STEP 8: RADIO DISCONNECTION AND REMOVAL
To disconnect the radio, you must disconnect the three connections on the back: gray, blue, and antenna.
The gray and blue plugs remove by simply squeezing the tabs on the plugs and pulling them out. To remove the antenna, simply pull outward. You might need to wiggle it or twist it to get it to come out, but don't use excessive force on it! You should not have to work that hard to get it out.
Here's what you get when you have everything out:
Another note: If reinstalling the factory unit, or an aftermarket unit that needs rear support, take note of the slot in the rear of the cavity that is designed to accept the rear radio support:
Regardless of what you install, make sure the rear support is properly seated in that slot, otherwise you'll have a wobbly (or squeaky) install. And in some cases, the radio probably would not even bolt back in properly.
STEP 9: PUTTING IT ALL BACK
To get your car back the way it was, you simply need to reverse the steps. But for convenience, here's the cliff's notes version. For details on any particular step, refer to the above descriptions for removal.
* Reconnect three (3) radio connections - gray, blue, and antenna.
* Reinstall radio in dash. Make sure white support nub on rear of radio is properly seated in slot at the back of the radio cavity. You may need to finagle the antenna wire and try to route it behind the tab
in back to get the radio to seat properly. It's tricky, but it can be done.
* Reinstall climate control panel. Ensure alignment tabs on the edges of the panel are properly seated in their respective holes on the radio face. You'll know it's seated properly when the control panel is gaplessly aligned along the bottom of the radio.
* Reinstall six (6) bolts on both sides of climate control panel and radio - four (4) to the radio, two (2) to the climate controls.
* Replace center stack trim. Be sure to feed hazard switch wiring through hole in trim panel. Don't reconnect the button yet. Push the trim back (give it a good smack if it gives you trouble) until you feel the pressure clips catch their mounts. Make sure you push firmly on all areas of the face of the panel to be sure it's properly secured all around. When you are confident it is reinstalled properly, reconnect the wire harness to the hazard button and push it into place. The button is not designed to go in only one way - for example, no specific side of the button needs to face down.
* Reinstall lower forward dash on the passenger side. Push it firmly on all edges until you feel all the retainer clips solidly catch. Do not reinstall the bolts yet.
* Push the bottom dash cover back up into place until you feel the retainer clips catch.
* When the clips on the bottom have successfully snapped in place, reinstall the seven (7) bolts that were holding the face of the forward dash into place.
* Reinstall the two (2) bolts that held the forward dash into place on the end of the dash.
* Replace the cover over the passenger side of the dashboard end.
* Reattach the bin to the door of the glove box assembly. Remember to make sure the slots and "hooks" at the (what is normally the) bottom of the bin are properly connected. The bin will not sit flush against the door if they are not properly seated.
* Reinstall the four (4) phillips-head screws that held the bin into place.
* Gently, but firmly, squeeze the sides of the glove box bin inward while pushing into the dash cavity. When the rubber stoppers fit through the opening, simply push the glove box door in until the rubber stops are through and the bin pops back out to full width. Close the glovebox.
* Reinstall the lower forward dash panel on the driver side. Push on all edges until you are confident all retainer clips have properly reconnected with their respective notches.
* Reinstall the gray wire clip at the end of the dash by simply pushing the clip into the appropriate hole in the lower forward dash panel.
* Reinstall the two (2) bolts that secured the lower forward dash panel at the end of the dash board.
* Replace the cover over the drive side of the dashboard end.
* Reinstall the OBD port by sliding it back into place until it securely snaps into position.
* Begin to reinstall the bottom dash cover on the driver side. While installing, remember to ensure the rear slot of the cover is properly seated over the support bolt on the firewall.
* Before closing up the panel, remember to reconnect the clip guiding the hood release cable to the bottom dash cover by pushing the clip into the appropriate hole on the panel until it snaps into place.
* Push the retaining clips by the hood release lever and center stack upward until they snap into position.
* When you are confident you have properly resecured the retaining clips, reinstall the three (3) bolts that properly secured the bottom dash cover and lower forward dash cover to each other, and the rest of the dashboard assembly.
* FINISHED!
Please let me know if I missed or screwed up anything. I've reread this a dozen times to check myself, but I'm still bound to miss something.
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