NewGuy1
Go Kart Champion
Hi Guys,
Recently I changed out my interior trim for my door and dash and wanted to share here as its an easy process but lacks a guide
(At least to the extent that I could find)
So for the Dash pieces, these can not be easier.
No tools are needed but would recommend a trim popper if you have trouble popping things like these out by hand.
Slow and steady is key to not breaking tabs.
The two pieces by the steering wheel can be easily pulled at the point closest to the wheel.
Replacements snap in just the same.
Replacements and OEM have these rubber tabs on the pieces covering notches, these are meant to be left on the piece it seems.
The trim above the glove box is slightly harder to get a grip on but is also simply a snap off snap on type of deal.
The door pieces require more work but is not hard at all, provided you have the right tools.
First you want to remove the door panel by removing the T30 screws and lifting up then disconnecting all the wires.
Once removed we need to melt the plasitc in the back to remove the trim piece.
For this I used a flat head tip connected to my soldering iron, these can be picked up very cheap but admittedly have little use cases.
Before melting anything I highly recommend doing this in a well ventilated area and wearing a mask, the smell is bad and it sticks to clothes.
Using the iron cut/melt the existing circle pieces while simultaneously pulling down on the trim from one end.
This downward force will allow the piece to pull away and assist in breaking the melted pieces off.
I used a plastic drywall knife to get behind trim and push down safely.
The trim has six points that need to be cut off, careful not to go too deep into the actual door panel plastic.
If you cut them off nicely you should have some plastic still left on post to use to reattach if you want to revert later.
After melting the six studs down there are two tabs that hold the trim to the handle assembly.
Both tabs need to be pushed down to release the trim finally.
I used a long thin allen key to achieve this, the tabs are fairly secured and I couldn't pop these off without pushing on them with the key.
Just be careful not to damage the door panel.
Finally pop new trim in and its time to melt down the new posts.
There's a few ways to do this but i just chose to use my same soldering iron tip i used to remove the OEM trim since it was already hot.
Start with the ends and support the trim piece from the bottom.
The plastic will be malleable when melting it down and wont hold weight of trim until its cooled a bit.
I also alternated so I wouldn't get the piece too hot in one area (ie furthest stud on right, then furthest on left, then second furthest on right, etc)
While the original stubs looked like melted circles it really doesn't matter if it looks similar at the end,
key point is to have enough plastic around hole to hold securely once cooled.
I smeared them down and shaped the melted plastic a bit to get a secure melding.
Once done take a break in some fresh air and move onto the next one.
Recently I changed out my interior trim for my door and dash and wanted to share here as its an easy process but lacks a guide
(At least to the extent that I could find)
So for the Dash pieces, these can not be easier.
No tools are needed but would recommend a trim popper if you have trouble popping things like these out by hand.
Slow and steady is key to not breaking tabs.
The two pieces by the steering wheel can be easily pulled at the point closest to the wheel.
Replacements snap in just the same.
Replacements and OEM have these rubber tabs on the pieces covering notches, these are meant to be left on the piece it seems.
The trim above the glove box is slightly harder to get a grip on but is also simply a snap off snap on type of deal.
The door pieces require more work but is not hard at all, provided you have the right tools.
First you want to remove the door panel by removing the T30 screws and lifting up then disconnecting all the wires.
Once removed we need to melt the plasitc in the back to remove the trim piece.
For this I used a flat head tip connected to my soldering iron, these can be picked up very cheap but admittedly have little use cases.
Before melting anything I highly recommend doing this in a well ventilated area and wearing a mask, the smell is bad and it sticks to clothes.
Using the iron cut/melt the existing circle pieces while simultaneously pulling down on the trim from one end.
This downward force will allow the piece to pull away and assist in breaking the melted pieces off.
I used a plastic drywall knife to get behind trim and push down safely.
The trim has six points that need to be cut off, careful not to go too deep into the actual door panel plastic.
If you cut them off nicely you should have some plastic still left on post to use to reattach if you want to revert later.
After melting the six studs down there are two tabs that hold the trim to the handle assembly.
Both tabs need to be pushed down to release the trim finally.
I used a long thin allen key to achieve this, the tabs are fairly secured and I couldn't pop these off without pushing on them with the key.
Just be careful not to damage the door panel.
Finally pop new trim in and its time to melt down the new posts.
There's a few ways to do this but i just chose to use my same soldering iron tip i used to remove the OEM trim since it was already hot.
Start with the ends and support the trim piece from the bottom.
The plastic will be malleable when melting it down and wont hold weight of trim until its cooled a bit.
I also alternated so I wouldn't get the piece too hot in one area (ie furthest stud on right, then furthest on left, then second furthest on right, etc)
While the original stubs looked like melted circles it really doesn't matter if it looks similar at the end,
key point is to have enough plastic around hole to hold securely once cooled.
I smeared them down and shaped the melted plastic a bit to get a secure melding.
Once done take a break in some fresh air and move onto the next one.