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have a close look at the “step“ on top, there’s a small raised section a couple of millimetres wide – make
sure the socket isn’t sitting up on that, but is pushed back against the edge of that step.
Apply an appropriately sized fold-back paper clip to
clamp the arrangement together, and check the side
and back alignment again making sure that the
edges of the socket mounting plate are lined up
correctly. Now set this aside to allow the epoxy to
cure. As mentioned this can be accelerated
somewhat by using a fan heater on the low setting,
but heating the epoxy during cure does sacrifice
some strength. It can also allow the epoxy to “creep”
a little, so make certain that the unit is sitting
horizontally and not on an angle.
Note: It’s always preferable to let the epoxy cure by its own means. If it can be planned that the head unit
be removed the night before the remaining work is to be done, this preliminary work can take place and the
adhesive allowed to cure without too much impact on the total job time.
Now we can get back to the car and begin removing the necessary trim panels, and extract the cradle from
the dash. Begin by removing the centre of the console between the seats. In the coin tray in front of the
gearstick/shift lever, feel around – there’s a single Phillips head screw that needs to be removed. It’s off
centre, biased towards the right side. (Note – the factory fitted SatNav screen mounts here also, you’ll need
to remove the bezel before commencing) Remove this screw, then open the lid of the CD storage bin – at
the front edge you’ll see a small rectangular hole. Insert a large-ish flat blade screwdriver in there (doesn’t
have to be long, but a nice wide tip – I’ve used a stubby here) and gently lever backwards. This will release
the first of the clips holding this panel in. Work forwards using a screwdriver GENTLY and pop the clips out
all the way along on both sides. As you’re able to lift the back part of this panel up, you can reach
underneath and unplug the connectors to the window switches and Traction Control / ESP button where
fitted.
