New Owner 2002 Prius

Congrats on the Prius.

You do not want to pull apart the dashboard unless you absolutely have too.
It will crumble into many pieces due to age, and a replacement is ~$200. so add that into the cost of a new stereo system.
There is not a good way that I know of to do it.

Maybe buy a good mobile speaker instead?

 

Eric is right - I tried to pry my dash off and it cracked - I managed to get another complete assembly from a wrecked car by cutting the dash around the assembly, unscrewing 2 bolts and 2 nuts. When I installed the new assembly I pulled off the 6 pressure clips that hold it into the dash and just used the 2 screws and 2 bolts to hold it in place it fits back in well and will come out if required with no problem. I think now I know the exact location of the spring clips if I could just put pressure behind those top clips all at once the top part of the dash would unclip (there are 4 clips) then there are 2 clips at the side that you pry out and the whole assembly of radio, and cassette player and temperature controls comes out. Undoing the electrical connectors is hard as you need small fingers to push the release tabs. My advise is to leave the dash assembly alone as it is very likely you will crack the plastic dash even with care.

There is an assembly below that fits below the temperature controls and fronts the around the cd player and that is easily removable by releasing 2 plastic tabs on each side at the back and pulling forward (the plastic plate that you pull down to put in a disk is part of that removable assembly). It will not break up like the upper dash section. Maybe you could try to fit something in that area but you still could not get at the radio control wiring or the cassette player.

Roy from Canada

 

I recently purchased the Dice iPod interface for my Gen 1 Prius. It came with the wiring harness for a Gen 2. I found a cable on eBay, that has two big connectors, and one small connector(fits the Gen 2 wiring). I was able to install it by lower the glove box, and reaching in behind the radio, to install the adapter harness to the Dice harness. It worked like a charm, and very easy to install. Within minutes I had my iPhone playing music thru the factory stereo. I really like this since the sound quality is very good, and I can control the music from the dash, or iPhone.

 

I was seeing so many posts on here recently about how the center finish panel can't be removed without shattering/crumbling that back in August I went out to my car and shot video of taking it out. Then for 2½ months I've put off doing the editing and signing up for a vidhosting service, but this post inspired me to finish it:

I hope this will help somebody else not have to replace the panel unnecessarily. (I guess they are still easy enough to get at the dealer, and the price was better than $200 last I checked, but I'm sure Toyota won't have new ones to sell forever.)

-Chap

Edit: the video embed feature in the forum software doesn't work that well for me; here's a direct link.

 

Excellent post Chap - I have a picture on my camera of the one I removed from the car and the new one before it was installed - it shows the back of the new and old assembly. If I can get the pictures into my computer I will send them to you to add to the program.

How do I get the pictures from my computer to this post? Roy

Roy from Canada

 

A more important reason to know how to remove the center console cover is to replace any burned out light bulbs behind it, in the climate control display section...

 

Even of you follow the instructions it is likely to fall apart.
I would take a burned out bulb over having to replace a $150 piece of plastic.

 

This seems like a good setup for another PriusChat Scientific Proposition, so here's a standing offer:

Let any PriusChat reader, who has a reason to remove the finish panel, shoot video of the removal, and link it here. If the video clearly shows that the same procedure/technique as in my video above was followed, and the panel broke, and it was not damaged to begin with, I will go half with that reader on the replacement panel cost.

Fine print:

• Limit one per PriusChat member.
• Limit one per VIN.
• Post on this thread before commencing the work, describe the age and geographical area of the car, proportion of time garaged/parked outside/in direct sun/etc. (if you know), and whether panel is original or when last replaced (if you know). Then 'conversation' me to get confirmation the offer is still on (I'll reply on this thread).
• Shoot one uncut video take showing the VIN close up, the undamaged panel close up, and then the whole removal job from an angle that clearly shows what you're doing.
• Please post a follow-up with video link and result whether successful or unsuccessful.
• If unsuccessful, and you disagree with my assessment of whether the video shows you following the same techniques my video shows, other PCers can be asked for opinions.

-Chap

 

The only reason I would not have taken up this challenge, the dash was already cracking. But then I also wanted 'revenge.'

From day one, the driver side vent would automatically, self-pointing down. I 'cured' it with a wadded up, thin-cardboard shim BUT it pissed me off for 14 years!

That cardboard shim was the only thing I would have kept but no longer needed.

Bob Wilson

 

It did that to you too, huh? I did fix that back in August when I took the panel out to shoot the video. Once the panel was out, I disconnected the driver side duct from the rear of it, and removed the louvers.

I cut a narrow strip of 1/16" thick EPDM rubber (I think I had bought the sheet from MSC), and set it down across the grooves that the louver shafts fit into. Put the louvers back, put the duct back on, put the panel back, done.

-Chap

 

I took mine apart in 2011 and it fell apart. The plastic was brittle. I was very careful but the thing was "stuck" in place after 9 years of being in the same position. I know of no one that has successfully removed theirs without damaging it.

 

It's not so much it being stuck. It is that some amount of force is needed to extract the clips from where they are seated. The force to remove it is greater than old, brittle plastic can take.

 

Probably on car that spend most of its life in somewhere colder and where there is less sunlight it can be taken out.

 

I know it was a few years ago, but beyond "very careful" do you happen to remember any details about how you approached the removal? What time of year, how warm/cold, any tools that you used, which clips you went after first, etc.?

Well, you've just seen one successfully removed right on video, so maybe you mean you know of no one else who has successfully removed theirs? Granted, mine is only seven years old this year, but yours was only nine years old when you did the work, which might not be a huge difference, especially if you have a garage ... I don't, so the seven years on my panel have come with heavy sun exposure.

I'm not trying to be argumentative, I'm more interested in gathering information. There obviously have to be some differences between what happened with your panel and what happened with mine. The next person who has to do one will want their job to go more the way mine did than the way yours did. Now that we have clear video at least of one successful removal, it should be possible to start trying to learn what the most important success/failure factors are. Purely age of panel? Geographical location? Garaging? Temperature when work performed? Removal technique? Brand of beer?

The more we know, the better the chance of advising others to at least improve their chances of success.

-Chap

 

Sorry, Chap, I can't see your video due to restrictions here so that's why I said I know of no one. I used the attached file as a guide. It was spring and the temps were around 60-70 that day. And when I say fell apart, I mean the clips broke, nothing else. I used a panel removal tool purchased at Harbor Freight. I started with the top right clip.

 

After reading this, who wants to leave their dash exposed to the hot sun, so the plastic disintegrates? I'm buying a shade for it.

 

No problem. Please do post your thoughts once you've had a chance to view it - I'm interested.

Hmm. There's not really enough information to base a conclusion on yet, but I do strongly suspect that my success has a lot to do with not using any kind of pry tool, as shown in the video.

A shade for your dash panel? Maybe you're worrying a little too much. My center panel is only seven years old, but the whole rest of my dash is original and seems to be doing ok, as do the door panels and such. (The materials might be different; the center panel is PC+ABS blend, not sure what the rest of the dash is.)

-Chap

 

Dash covers to protect from sun degradation are pretty common in some areas. Saw lots in northern Australia. Dashmats

 

Those look like they'd do a good job protecting the top surface of the instrument panel itself. I was trying to picture how to protect the center cluster finish panel, which is closer to vertical. A peel-n-stick mat? Or just one with a backing that wraps around - you'd pop out the center panel, fold the backing behing it, hook it over the clips, and pop it back in?

Of course simple sunshades for the windows could be good for the dash as well as for the other trim and upholstery and all.

-Chap