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Oh god, think I can get the air vent off on the centre console? Oh %&@ no.

Whats the trick? Its a 98 Magna Advance and the bitch just wont budge!!

Mate - i feel your anguish!!

I have reprayed the whole lot - but to make you feel better - it is even worse to put back into the car then to take out!!

the vent actually doesnt come out - only the cover - and it is simply held in by a number of clips that you will have to get a screw driver onto to unclip them - just pry it out far enough to see behind it then gently use the screw driver to push the clip out of it's holder - i think blake actually has a pitcure with circled spots where the clips are - i thikn it is in the mods section of the website.

check that out

other wise - good luck!!

i really should get a picture of the resprayed interior!!

Manual

You mean the centre console with the heater, A/C and crap? It's rather fidgety... I sorta dropped a screw down into the depths of my old Magna and never heard or saw it again... Otherwise it's pretty okay if you know how.... I'm assuming this is what you're talking about.. I get confused as to what people are referring to... (Or are you talking about centre console as being the surround on the gear shift knob...? I doubt it..?)

Night - I'm talking about the surrounds of the air vent in the centre.

Manual - I can't get the damn thing 5mm off let alone enough to see where I need to stick a screw driver.

Using Blake's guide I see where I need to wedge it off from but I simply can't get the damn thing out.

I can move it up a little (5mm) but can't get it to come towards me no matter what.

Roscoe,

As a fellow magna owner who's been there done that and let me say flodded the garage with a fair few sware words its a bastard job.

Have you looked at the tech tip article "removing your centre console. That will show you where all your clips are. All you really need to do is get a flat head screw driver, cover it in some cloth so u don't damage your cluster. slip it bewteen the side of the centre air vent peice and the dash and carefully prise off.

You need to get the screwdriver close to the clip for it to pop out. It takes a bit of force mate.

Yah... Taken that out a few times... try moving the airvent a bit and prying the console away (downwards) and in from it.. I found it heaps easier to take out everything first (gearshift surround & ashtray surround) so the centre console has a bit more room to move..

You'll get it eventually..

Hey Roscoe - we meet again! :p

Yeah it's a pain alright! I never have actually worked out how to get it off - what I did was loosen it, then used a screwdriver & rag cafefully leaver it out of the way so I could remove the center of the center part.

Nup, couldn't get the vent off at all.

So what I did was just pop the center console off and did it that way.. But I was foiled. Without getting those vents off I couldn't get the to top screws which means I couldn't get the radio out.

It took me an hour to get the blood main piece back on. 1 HOUR!! Man I was pissed. Its 10:30 here and I was swearing my head off.

Anyway, I'm going to get a local car audio place to do it. I give up. I shit you not, I've got blisters on my thumbs.. :oops:

I'm going to have a stiff drink and go to bed.. I'm so pissed off :x

Give it a wiggle - the top vent is clipped in i think so a bit of a jerk will make it loose. then use a screwdriver to get to the screws that hold the stereo part in.

Roscoe, walk away give it a few days and try again. If you were in perth id show you how to do it.

Rest up the fingers mate. :wink:

Nup, couldn't get the vent off at all.

So what I did was just pop the center console off and did it that way.. But I was foiled. Without getting those vents off I couldn't get the to top screws which means I couldn't get the radio out.

It took me an hour to get the blood main piece back on. 1 HOUR!! Man I was pissed. Its 10:30 here and I was swearing my head off.

Anyway, I'm going to get a local car audio place to do it. I give up. I shit you not, I've got blisters on my thumbs.. :oops:

I'm going to have a stiff drink and go to bed.. I'm so pissed off :x

Nono! Once you pop the centre console off you should be able to get to the screws... that's probably the hardest bit... undo them about half a twist and the centre console slides out from there... Aww.. don't let the car audio place do it.. It really ticks me off seeing people pay good money for something they could do themselves (one of my friends was going to pay $50 just to change his rear lights... it's just 3 screws and a loom you unplug... took me less than three minutes.. what a rip..)

Just take it slowly and save them fingers!!

I could get everything off except the vent covers. Without getting those off I couldn't get access to the top screws holding the header in.

I give up.. Last night I was SSSOOOOO pissed off.. I mean SO pissed off that I'll NEVER touch it again :)

If youre in Melbourne mate let me know.

Id be happy to come an install another stereo! (I love doing it)

Once youve taken them off once.. Its a pisser to get em off again..

The first time i did my centre console it took me a whole day just to get everything off and a whole day to install the stereo with a fair few sware words.

Now i could pull it all apart, pop in a stereo and put it all back together in 60 minutes flat.

i though you could pull a magna apart in 3 seconds?
3 seconds to 60min's... mmm.. inflation eh?

:P

i could probably do it in a little over 3 seconds - not much more though!!


hey GBM - u gonna custom spray your interior gold as well??

suit the colour scheme nicely and really set off the interior!!

mine is silver and looks mad as - especially with the white face dials!!

pretty nuts!!

i just need to change the wheel and the gear shifter - but i aint found any good ones i like yet!!

Manual

yer i do! but im not totally sure how to go about it?

i think i read somewhere bout sanding the plastic bits, then applyin the colour (goldish) then spray like a coat finisher, so it dont scratch easy?

is this how you do it? what did you use? Blake, i think you should make a tech note of this.. custom spraying :D.. got pics of your interia? me wanna see. post to ben.****as@wycliffe.com.au.....

BOOYA

Hey GBM

when i get my act into gear and get my hands on a digital cam - i will get pics of my interior.

i have painted:
centre console - all of it including vent fins in the aircon!!
Plastic around instrument cluster - the bit you pull out first to get to the instrument cluster - two screws in the top with the computer settings and dimmer fader built into it - u know the one??
the plastic in the instrument cluster - then put the white face dials in!!
the air con vents on the drivers and passengers side
the plastic surround aroung the electric mirror control
the platic airvents in the top of the doors!

so yeah - it is very silver! and if i can get onto gnasher - i will see if i cant get his silver and black wheel and boss kit - if he ever replies - where are u gnasher??

oh well - i painted it by pulling it all out - metho wiping it all to get all the dust and greaseand grime off the plastic.

Gave it 2-3 coats of primer - make sure you let the primer set for at least 24 hours after your last coat!! this is what will stop it scratching!! you can re-spray primer over the top of primer - every hour or so until you have three coats done - but dont forget to let it set permanent!!

then i gave the whole lot about 3-4 coats of silver colour - the exact colour is light subaru silver - duco paint!! got a slight sparkle through it.

left that to dry for 24 hours before putting it all back in the car - ok - the car u cant drive for a couple of days - but i just took my brothers if i needed to go anywhere so it wasnt too bad!!

but dont sand the plastic - you will find it very hard to get a smooth finish!!

never spray from above the part - always spray straight at it - if the spray nozzle busts - you end up with dribble spots if u r spraying from above - i have one dribble spot - not too bad an effort!!

any other questions gimme a buzz - i didnt put any clear coat over the top - if u use the primer properly - you dont need clear coat!! the primer stops the paint from scratching!!

Manual

i'm not painting my interior. I'll buger it up or it will look dodgey after time. Looks fine the way it is and my deck and stich figurine brightens everything up nicely.

My gearknob is also SSSSWWWEEEEETTTT!

Yer,

thats what im afraid of blake. stuffin it up :S
Last thing i wanna do is bugger up GBM :S

Having said that, what i might do is buy some plastics from a wrecker paint em, then swap em over, so no downtime :P ive got a mate thats a wrecker, so im set :mrgreen:


BOOYA