Hello,

Does anyone know if the right and left defroster panels on the dash of a GL can be removed without taking the dash completely out? The leather is starting to pull up around the center speaker grill and the passenger side defroster panel, and in order to pull the leather back down and secure it in place, I need to remove these 2 panels. I can get the center grill to pop out without issue, but am struggling with getting the defroster panel out.

Here's what I am trying to remove, if you need a visual:



Thanks in advance for your help!

 

I had the same issue with my 2013 with the Designo leather Once it started pulling away from the edges there was no way to make it look good by reattaching it. The leather had shrunk due to the years in the sun and that is why it pulled away from the edges. Started as a small area but only got worse over the next year. I tried to glue it back with no luck and plus it looked terrible. I just bought a used dash pad from a salvage yard and replaced it and was very happy to have the issue resolved. When I looked for the dash pad I came across a lot of the real leather ones that were doing the same thing and peeling back so I purchased on covered with MBTex. No one would even notice the difference. Sure I did notice but was still way better that the original leather one peeling back. The install of the dash pad really wasn’t that bad. Pretty straight forward, took me about 4 hours start to finish and I wasn’t in a rush.

 

Darn, was hoping not to hear this, but I appreciate the honesty. What you said makes sense.
The spot I am trying to fix is really small at the moment. Even securing what's already pulled up so it doesn't get worse is something I would like to do if I can. Hoping I can still hear back from someone who knows how to remove the defroster panels.
Long term, your approach is what I'll probably have to do.

Thanks!

 

@Jim Ma how did you replace your dash cover? WIS looks like it gives the procedure to remove the entire upper portion of the instrument panel, not the vent or pad alone. Did you remove the entire upper surface of the dash?

 

Yes, replaced the entire thing. It’s all one piece. Remove the wood trim across the entire middle of the dash and there are a handful of screw behind it as well as behind the instrument cluster. Have to remove the radio, radio screen surround and the screen itself. There is also a bunch of other things to remove to get access but once it’s unscrewed it just lifts out. All the vent tubes are all attached the the dash pad assembly. It’s wasn’t difficult, just takes some time to get to all the screws!

 

Here are some photos of how bad mine had gotten. Pictures are after it was already out of the truck.

 

And here are some pictures with the MB Tex dash pad. The difference to the original isn’t really noticeable as it doesn’t meet with the leather of the lower dash.

 

Main removal procedure attached.

 

@ Jim Ma - The dash turned out great! Mine is nowhere near as bad as yours got, but I understand that over time, it's only going to get worse.

@chassis thanks for the disassembly doc. I may just have to go this route.

Cheers!

 

@chassis what service do you use for the PDF you provided? I use All Data DIY but it doesn't allow me to drill into specific sub-disassembly instructions and I have a feeling yours does. I wouldn't mind using something better than what I am using today.

 

WIS/ASRA/EPC. It's the MB workshop manual used by dealers. It's available on ebay for around $10 or so. Need to be somewhat IT-savvy to download and install it.