Removing center panel for painting

[grego]

I have been reading the forum for several months and finally have joined. I have noticed that several of the membes have painted the interior removable panels in their cars. I would like to do this also. I have removed all of the panels except the center console, around the climate controls and the shifter. I couldn't figure out how to get it completly loose. I know it has four clips, top and bottom of the main part and it all seems to be connects from the part around the shifter to the top of the climate control panel. Can I get some help from anyone that has removed this. What' the trick??

[joatmon]

hi grego, you really have your vibe over in Germany?Check out http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=5940 and http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=5923

[grego]

Yes, it's here in Germany. I am in the Air Force at Ramstein. We are able to purchase new cars through the base exchange so I ordered one from the factory and got it last August. I saw several on the new car lots here and had to have one, but I ordered it with what I wanted, all the extra goodies. I looked at the thread you gave me. Perfect, I knew that I was missing something. The rest of the panals were easy, just couldn't figure that one out. thanks for the help

[joatmon]

be sure to post some "Vibe on the autobahn" stories did you get the US (miles °F ) or Canadian (km °C ) gauge cluster?

[grego]

It's a us specs model. I baby it quite a bit keep it around 75 driving to and from work. I haven't really seen just how fast it will go, I need to do that, just out of curiousity. But I do have fun getting up to autobahn speeds, using the upper rpms and the variable timing, i just love the extra push after 6500. I do get a lot of looks when I'm out driving. There aren't a lot of vibes here, and as far as I know, mine is the only one in Germany with the sport package. For going fast I have a BMW 750il (12 cylinder engine). It's a go fast car, I have had it up to 155 mph on the autobahn, just to see what it would do.

[Psychobroker]

Hi there grego! The final peice is one single screw behind the center AC knob. Just pull the knob off to reveal the screw, remove it, and the entire peice should then come off. I think you also need to remove the AC plug/switch panel (small rectangle wedged into the AC control panel).Good luck and nice BMW

[grego]

check out the pics of the newely painted interior pieces, what do you think??

Attached files

[grego]

part II, the engine cover

Attached files

[Psychobroker]

looks great! I hope you were able to remove it with no problems

[joatmon]

those look great, it looks like you got a really good match to the Salsa color too.

[AKLGT]

what kind paint did you use? rattle can? and is that automotive paint w/ same paint code as the car? looks like it. very nicely done, especially if you did it yourself.

[grego]

I have a local guy here in Germany that has done some work for me before. I wanted to make sure the final product was a as good as it could be. So I had the shop paint all of the pieces. He used the same color code as the car paint, and the match turned our really good. It only took him a couple of days and about $100, but the results were worth it!

[AKLGT]

$100 is pretty good for all those parts painted. my guy did mine for $40 but only cause i gave him an extra $15 as a thank you. he only charged me for supplies and wanted to do it for fun. many other people have gotten quotes like $200 or so to paint because it's time consuming and not much profit.

[Mavrik]

That red looks really good on there for an engine cover.

[Stang2Vibe]

Yes, very nice looking!Also,Quote, originally posted by grego »I am in the Air Force at Ramstein.Thank you very much for your service. There are many here who are deeply appreciative of what people like you give up for the benefit of our nation. Thank you again. We even have a moderator from this site who is currently stationed in Iraq. Welcome to the site!Quote, originally posted by grego »We are able to purchase new cars through the base exchange so I ordered one from the factory and got it last August.This makes me kinda laugh because you probably got your car faster than the average Canadian who had to wait for a Vibe that they ordered to be delivered.