Removing top of dashboard

I had mine off rencently. It comes off with the air bag but you first have to remove two nuts holding the air bag to the chassis. You can get at those after you remove the glove compartment. You also have to remove those small panels under the tiny forward windows. Then you can remove the pillar covers where the curtain air bags are if you have them. There's a special snap fit that allows the pillar trim to pop open but not fly off and you have to reach in with "something" to pry the entire special snap fit off so that it comes out with the long pillar trim piece. There's another normal snap fit up front that just unsnaps. By dealer actually could not figure this one out and ended up cutting that special snap fit in half!! So if the air bag ever deploys I'll be hit in the face with the pillar trim.

You have to remove the display also if you have not. And there are several screws that hold the leading edge of that large dash piece too. My dealer hopelessly cross-threaded one of these and use a tinerman to fix it which would not come out and I had to hack saw it out!! It's a bit cumbersome to lift the dash piece out with the air bag and display but one person can do it. The defroster ducting, very flimsy, stays put.

The manual has a page that shows all of this but it's not all that clear and there are general instructions only.

 

When I had mine apart I also simply cut the upper A-pillar trim
snap fittings as well, since for the life of me I couldn't figure
out how to get those larger plastic knobs through the slots and
that wasn't the part actually holding the pillar garnish on anyways.
So now it's much easier to get those off if needed..
.
_H*

 

The airbag bolts can be reached fairly easily with a longish
socket extension and I think I remember it's a 12mm socket. They
attach the airbag structure firmly to the big steel pipe supporting
the dash so it has something to push against.
.
Yes, the whole dash-top and speedo and warning lights all come out
as a single unit. The way it fits out *exactly* between the A-
pillars is rather amazing. Yay CAD.
.
_H*

 

Check the Homelink VFAQ on my site, it clearly shows how to get those fittings loose. You grab them with a long needlenose or forceps, twist them 90deg, and they then easily pull through the slot.

This is covered in the Shop Manual somewhere.

 

Fred, you really need to look for a different dealership for service. Those monkeys obviously can't read the manuals.

BTW, IF you can actually get them to admit that they cut that fitting, get it in writing, and then demand a new A-pillar. It's a safety issue. Tell them you'd hate to have to sue them if your face gets all cut up in an accident from a flying A-pillar.