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I went to the store on friday to check out materials. There was nothing good. Its gonna be on the side for me as I'm gonna be working on my steering wheel whenever I get a chance. Don't break anything!
2012 P31 C63 Coupe Trackrat, 2019 GLE63S Coupe Beast
Spent a couple hours on this tonight. I gotta tell you, it's really not at all easy. Super tedious stuff. Tons of hidden bolts and tabs and clips and such that have to come out a very specific way or else they'll break. I want to shoot Mercedes engineers right now. I got my WIS working again, and printed out all of the subsections this time. The upper dash looks like it's a separate piece from the radio surround and lower sections. Let me tell you, it is definitely NOT. That whole damn thing has to come out, which means removing the instrument cluster, glovebox, center console, radio, command unit, A/C controls, A pillar trims, and then the steering wheel and column trim too. I got real tired of it, and my car's going to Harry @ Bergen in the morning for the KWs and subframe bushings, so I gave up while I was sure the car would still operate fairly normally. It looks like a theft recovery right now. I have the glovebox here and other assorted trim pieces, and I'll start practicing on those for the next week or two while the car's in surgery. Will post any progress.
W213 E63S Wagon, W204 C63 P30(RIP), WK1 Grand Cherokee SRT8(RIP)
Yup, definitely a one piece dash....But it doesn't look like there are that many fasteners used to secure it....However I have taken most of my Merc apart a dozen times and I'm sure you have to remove every component AND in a defined order.....I do upholstery work in addition to everything else I do and you were right in one of your earlier posts, it is NOT that hard, just very tedious due to all of the nooks, crannies and contours-but very doable if you do your research and TAKE YOUR TIME
W213 E63S Wagon, W204 C63 P30(RIP), WK1 Grand Cherokee SRT8(RIP)
Do yourself a favor and watch this video, every minute of it....This guy really does know exactly what he is doing and most importantly the process of pre-working your piece, as in cutting material out of the way BEFORE you get to the gluing it down part and also how to fill recessed places, ridges, unusual inner and outer curves....This video shows a pro at work and in a manner you can follow as you go
I have an annoying squeak definitely coming from the top right side. If I push down on it gently, it squeaks. I'm gonna try to see if I can't get under there through the glove box and see what's going on. I'm thinking it's a loose fastener of some kind.
JP, is there a way to get up in there under the top of the dash? Does the glove box come out in some fashion?
2012 P31 C63 Coupe Trackrat, 2019 GLE63S Coupe Beast
Glove box comes out pretty easy. Take the lower cover off under the dash that contains foot A/C ducts (2 screws). There's a screw under the side trim cover that has to come out. Then there are 5 screws for the glovebox itself. Once you have that out, there's room to poke around, however if your issue is in the upper corner of the dash you're not going to get up in there due to the airbag and A/C hardware being in the way.
2012 P31 C63 Coupe Trackrat, 2019 GLE63S Coupe Beast
Originally Posted by jptaylor
Yup, definitely a one piece dash....But it doesn't look like there are that many fasteners used to secure it....However I have taken most of my Merc apart a dozen times and I'm sure you have to remove every component AND in a defined order.....I do upholstery work in addition to everything else I do and you were right in one of your earlier posts, it is NOT that hard, just very tedious due to all of the nooks, crannies and contours-but very doable if you do your research and TAKE YOUR TIME
Yeah that's what I'm talking about JP. I'm even thinking about cutting the dash under the steering column so that I can remove it more easily without having to take off the steering wheel. You're right, there are only actually 8 screws holding the dash down itself, but you have to take everything else out to get to them. And in the right order. The pics help, thanks for posting.
Here are the only screws actually holding the dash on
Originally Posted by jptaylor
Do yourself a favor and watch this video, every minute of it....This guy really does know exactly what he is doing and most importantly the process of pre-working your piece, as in cutting material out of the way BEFORE you get to the gluing it down part and also how to fill recessed places, ridges, unusual inner and outer curves....This video shows a pro at work and in a manner you can follow as you go
Video is excellent thanks! I have a heat gun and steamer, so once I get it all here I have the right tools to make this look great.
W213 E63S Wagon, W204 C63 P30(RIP), WK1 Grand Cherokee SRT8(RIP)
Originally Posted by m a x i m u s
I have an annoying squeak definitely coming from the top right side. If I push down on it gently, it squeaks. I'm gonna try to see if I can't get under there through the glove box and see what's going on. I'm thinking it's a loose fastener of some kind.
JP, is there a way to get up in there under the top of the dash? Does the glove box come out in some fashion?
...And as for you Mr. ROKT, I say rock on my Friend!!! I agree with you about cutting the dash into an upper and lower half to make it easier(but I would DEFINITELY devise a method to mechanically reattach them back together PRIOR to reinstall so that you don't have any squeaks or rattles. Hell, the worst that could happen is you end up with a dash that looks like **** or you screw it up cutting and fitting....Even if that were to happen you can get used dashes from eBay and car-part.com all day long for as low as around $200....If it were me,and considering how cheap they are, I would prolly just go ahead and buy a used take-out dash to actually modify and wrap. That way you can take your time and do it right WITHOUT either feeling rushed to get your original back in OR screwing it up and having to scramble to find a replacement after the fact....The pics I posted above are actually from a current eBay posting for a used take out, I just know that eBay sellers typically take LOTS of pics of used parts from ALL angles to help with their sale(I use eBay pics all the time to find out details of pieces I am removing on vehicles)
2012 P31 C63 Coupe Trackrat, 2019 GLE63S Coupe Beast
That's a really great idea JP. I'll take a look on the bay now. It would make this project so much better.
First search result. And I can be sure it's new and the top trim option for the C63 as it came off a 507. The only thing is that I would have to strip everything off of my existing dash - electrical connectors, brackets, airbag hardware, screw clips, etc. It's still probably the right idea.
W213 E63S Wagon, W204 C63 P30(RIP), WK1 Grand Cherokee SRT8(RIP)
Originally Posted by BLKROKT
That's a really great idea JP. I'll take a look on the bay now. It would make this project so much better.
Glad I could help...
If you need access to any special tools or materials that I may have in the shop just pm me, what's mine is always available to guys trying to diy things for themselves
W213 E63S Wagon, W204 C63 P30(RIP), WK1 Grand Cherokee SRT8(RIP)
...And THIS is where I'd separate the dash into 2 pieces, there is already a factory parting line that is just not cut ALL the way through.
Keep this in mind though, when you cover the 2 pieces in material(granted Alcantara is already pretty thin) you MAY see that where the 2 pieces meet you then have too much material for them to go back together how they were before....The word you need to know here is SKIVING. Skiving is basically shaving the back side of a material along the edges so that you have less material thickness that may interfere with panel alignment/fitment upon reinstallation
2012 P31 C63 Coupe Trackrat, 2019 GLE63S Coupe Beast
Haha exactly I just drew this.
There aren't enough screws holding the lower dash in to keep the split part in place tightly, but there is all the other stuff keeping it in place like the radio and A/C control units. I was thinking about wrapping each piece separately. That way things can be removed more easily in the future, I won't have to worry about that seam (I can make that gap bigger so the top and bottom half of the dash just slide against each other), I won't have to worry about mechanically attaching the two pieces, and I won't have to worry about the Alcantara wrapping funny or coming unglued where they join. The only consideration is if that lower dash will be held in securely enough, or if it will fall off. With my luck probably while I'm on a track.
Edit: I think we are saying the same thing. I don't want to mechanically attach the upper to the lower dash if I don't have to though. To secure them together properly, you'd have to find a couple of spots behind the dash where they can be screwed together without interfering with any clearances or function of vents or anything. Too much work. I just want the upper dash to be held in by its 4 screws, and the lower held on by theirs plus the center console and all the control units. The width of that existing gap, once cut out will make up for the width of the 2 facing layers of Alcantara (wrapped around the edges).
W213 E63S Wagon, W204 C63 P30(RIP), WK1 Grand Cherokee SRT8(RIP)
Originally Posted by m a x i m u s
Thanks for the info, guys. The squeak happens when I press down on the top of the dash near the circular vent. I'll take a gander and see what's up.
not to go off topic but I have found/remedied dash squeaks in SEVERAL W204s to be in the speaker grills.....there are no fasteners holding them down, they have j hooks and slide towards the center to lock, a pillar to remove...grab some adhesive backed THIN THIN THIN felt from Michaels/Hobby Lobby, remove the a pillar, remove grill, place felt around perimeter, trim any excess flush with a razor, reinstall grill, pop a pillar back on.....may solve your problem
not to go off topic but I have found/remedied dash squeaks in SEVERAL W204s to be in the speaker grills.....there are no fasteners holding them down, they have j hooks and slide towards the center to lock, a pillar to remove...grab some adhesive backed THIN THIN THIN felt from Michaels/Hobby Lobby, remove the a pillar, remove grill, place felt around perimeter, trim any excess flush with a razor, reinstall grill, pop a pillar back on.....may solve your problem
Thanks for the tip, and I also apologize for going off topic. I know sound travels but I'm pretty certain it's from the top of the dash bc it squeaks even when I press down very slightly. But I will check out that speaker in the A pillar and try to isolate the noise.
W213 E63S Wagon, W204 C63 P30(RIP), WK1 Grand Cherokee SRT8(RIP)
Originally Posted by m a x i m u s
Thanks for the tip, and I also apologize for going off topic. I know sound travels but I'm pretty certain it's from the top of the dash bc it squeaks even when I press down very slightly. But I will check out that speaker in the A pillar and try to isolate the noise.
I need to make a correction....I said speaker grille when in all actuality there is NO speaker under there....This is the grill I'm referring to Maximus
I thought that's what you meant at first but then as I kept reading, I was thinking of the "speaker" on the door by the A pillar. Thanks for the clarification.
2012 P31 C63 Coupe Trackrat, 2019 GLE63S Coupe Beast
New dash gets delivered Thursday. I'm just going to take my time on that. Car has been in the body shop for the past couple weeks fixing my "track rash", so I haven't had a chance to take more apart.
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