Removing Interior Trim - A Simple How-To For The Facelift Leon

Lozzy15

Mods mods mods
Staff member
Moderator
Mar 24, 2015
570
376
Ilkeston, Derbyshire
Hi guys & gals,
Just a short one for you today on how to remove the trim around the gearstick and the heater control unit.
You may wish to do this to modify or decorate the trim, or to access areas hidden behind.

Only a few tools are needed for this, and it takes around 10 minutes to remove both parts. This was done on a car with a manual gearstick and an electric parking brake. If the process is any different for an automatic/manual parking brake, let me know.

Tools
T20/25 Torx driver
Flat bladed screwdriver/Plastic trim prying tool

Removing the heater controls
To begin with, you need to remove the heater control unit. Once this has been taken out, you can then remove the trim around the gearstick.

To remove it, you begin by pulling the bottom of the unit towards the rear of the car. You can feel a lip on the bottom edge to pull against. The unit is secured with 7 clips as circled in the below picture:
iheHqC9.jpg


Once the bottom has been popped out, you need to pull the bottom edge out more to release the side clips, and finally pull the top towards the rear of the car to free up those final 2 clips:
bb2IpU7.jpg


With the unit out, there are several electrical connectors to remove.

Ensure the ignition is turned off before proceeding!

Most have tabs you need to push in to release them, some have a red tab that needs to be pulled out slightly to then enable a push tab to move to release the connector. You must ensure the ignition is switched off before doing this, else you may activate the airbag light on the dash which will then need to be cleared.

While this unit is disconnected, don't switch on the ignition until it has been replaced as this could trigger the airbag light, an issue I encountered myself.

Removing the gearstick trim
Once the heater control unit has been removed, you will see 2 torx screws that were previously hidden by the control unit. Remove them:
sLaPm2M.jpg


Once removed, the electrical connector can be disconnected and then the panel slides out towards the rear of the car:
GExY2jD.jpg


Now you need to pry up the rear of the gearstick trim using the pry tool or a screwdriver. If using a screwdriver, be careful not to damage any surrounding plastic trim. Slide the tool/screwdriver in-between the glossy black plastic and the textured plastic, then pry the glossy plastic part upwards. Again, this part is held in with clips that just pop out:
SVjOmH2.jpg


Before pulling the trim up too far, you need to disconnect the electrical for the electric parking brake (if fitted). Again this is a simple push tab style connector:
CMDtQFn.jpg


With the connector disconnected, pull the trim up to reveal these black clips on the gearstick surround:
whrHWaw.jpg


These just push in towards the gearstick. They are on every side for the gearstick surround trim. Once un-clipped, the trim pushes up and pops out of the main centre trim part. You then need turn it and feed it through the hole in the centre trim to allow removal of the surround. This will make more sense when you have the trim piece in hand.

With the gearstick surround removed, you now need to pull the trim towards the rear of the car to release 2 more clips near where you removed the torx screws earlier.

If your car has USB ports installed under the heater control unit, you now need to disconnect these connectors behind the centre trim part:
cgmvV8G.jpg


The green connector prys out, although it is stiff so you need to be firm. The other connector is a push tab style clip.

To reinstall the parts, it is the reversal of removal. To get the clips back in, a slight tap will make them pop back into place correctly.

When re-installing the heater control unit, insert the top clips first, and the the side and bottom clips. Once in, give the edges of the unit a tap to ensure they all click into place properly.

Job complete!
Any questions or suggestions, feel free to message me or post below.

Kind Regards,
Lozzy
 
Last edited:
Apr 3, 2020
3
1
38
I need this information too much to remove centre console decorative strip but I can not view the images. It is hard to figure out process without pics. Can anyone help on this please? I have leon 2017 xcellence.
By the way, I examined the workshop manual and it says that climate control panel have to be removed first but I haven't succeeded to disassemble the panel. No matter how much I pull,i t doesn't come out.
 
Apr 3, 2020
3
1
38
I need this information too much to remove centre console decorative strip but I can not view the images. It is hard to figure out process without pics. Can anyone help on this please? I have leon 2017 xcellence.
By the way, I examined the workshop manual and it says that climate control panel have to be removed first but I haven't succeeded to disassemble the panel. No matter how much I pull,i t doesn't come out.
I solved the problem by using a VPN attachment and I saw that you used the same pattern that I would use. That was interesting.
 
Apr 3, 2020
3
1
38
Yes I did, thanks. I thought I'd break it because it was so tight but it didn't matter. I did not disconnect the A / C control panel cables to avoid any problems. Because when I open the door, the electrical system is being activated. I just disconnected the usb, gear and parking brake cables. I received start / stop and parking brake errors. Parking brake error went away after connecting its cable back. But start stop error went away only after my second start up the engine.
 
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Reactions: Lozzy15

jfellows10

Active Member
May 14, 2020
56
9
Hi guys & gals,
Just a short one for you today on how to remove the trim around the gearstick and the heater control unit.
You may wish to do this to modify or decorate the trim, or to access areas hidden behind.

Only a few tools are needed for this, and it takes around 10 minutes to remove both parts. This was done on a car with a manual gearstick and an electric parking brake. If the process is any different for an automatic/manual parking brake, let me know.

Tools
T20/25 Torx driver
Flat bladed screwdriver/Plastic trim prying tool

Removing the heater controls
To begin with, you need to remove the heater control unit. Once this has been taken out, you can then remove the trim around the gearstick.

To remove it, you begin by pulling the bottom of the unit towards the rear of the car. You can feel a lip on the bottom edge to pull against. The unit is secured with 7 clips as circled in the below picture:
iheHqC9.jpg


Once the bottom has been popped out, you need to pull the bottom edge out more to release the side clips, and finally pull the top towards the rear of the car to free up those final 2 clips:
bb2IpU7.jpg


With the unit out, there are several electrical connectors to remove.

Ensure the ignition is turned off before proceeding!

Most have tabs you need to push in to release them, some have a red tab that needs to be pulled out slightly to then enable a push tab to move to release the connector. You must ensure the ignition is switched off before doing this, else you may activate the airbag light on the dash which will then need to be cleared.

While this unit is disconnected, don't switch on the ignition until it has been replaced as this could trigger the airbag light, an issue I encountered myself.

Removing the gearstick trim
Once the heater control unit has been removed, you will see 2 torx screws that were previously hidden by the control unit. Remove them:
sLaPm2M.jpg


Once removed, the electrical connector can be disconnected and then the panel slides out towards the rear of the car:
GExY2jD.jpg


Now you need to pry up the rear of the gearstick trim using the pry tool or a screwdriver. If using a screwdriver, be careful not to damage any surrounding plastic trim. Slide the tool/screwdriver in-between the glossy black plastic and the textured plastic, then pry the glossy plastic part upwards. Again, this part is held in with clips that just pop out:
SVjOmH2.jpg


Before pulling the trim up too far, you need to disconnect the electrical for the electric parking brake (if fitted). Again this is a simple push tab style connector:
CMDtQFn.jpg


With the connector disconnected, pull the trim up to reveal these black clips on the gearstick surround:
whrHWaw.jpg


These just push in towards the gearstick. They are on every side for the gearstick surround trim. Once un-clipped, the trim pushes up and pops out of the main centre trim part. You then need turn it and feed it through the hole in the centre trim to allow removal of the surround. This will make more sense when you have the trim piece in hand.

With the gearstick surround removed, you now need to pull the trim towards the rear of the car to release 2 more clips near where you removed the torx screws earlier.

If your car has USB ports installed under the heater control unit, you now need to disconnect these connectors behind the centre trim part:
cgmvV8G.jpg


The green connector prys out, although it is stiff so you need to be firm. The other connector is a push tab style clip.

To reinstall the parts, it is the reversal of removal. To get the clips back in, a slight tap will make them pop back into place correctly.

When re-installing the heater control unit, insert the top clips first, and the the side and bottom clips. Once in, give the edges of the unit a tap to ensure they all click into place properly.

Job complete!
Any questions or suggestions, feel free to message me or post below.

Kind Regards,
Lozzy

Where did you get the carbon fibre trim from?
 
Dec 7, 2020
1
0
Hi,

I followed these instructions to get the air conditioning unit off and it was great help, thank you for that.

I wrapped it in grey thinking it would look good and now i've changed it to carbon. However I want to wrap the surround for the DSG stick but it seems to be different from the guide you mentioned. I unscrewed the two screws and managed to slide the part out. But after disconnecting the parking brake and the LED for the DSG selector, I can't figure out what to do next.

I obviously need to slide the panel towards the rear of the car but I cant because the DSG stick obviously stops it from doing it and I cant force the panel up and over the gear stick as it would snap. Do i just need to try it again with the selector in neutral or is that too easy? I wonder if I have to take something apart with the DSG stick but I'm cautious to mess with that unless i absolutely have to.

I've left a picture below so you know what it looks like.
Thanks
dsg.png
 
May 22, 2021
1
1
Hi,

I followed these instructions to get the air conditioning unit off and it was great help, thank you for that.

I wrapped it in grey thinking it would look good and now i've changed it to carbon. However I want to wrap the surround for the DSG stick but it seems to be different from the guide you mentioned. I unscrewed the two screws and managed to slide the part out. But after disconnecting the parking brake and the LED for the DSG selector, I can't figure out what to do next.

I obviously need to slide the panel towards the rear of the car but I cant because the DSG stick obviously stops it from doing it and I cant force the panel up and over the gear stick as it would snap. Do i just need to try it again with the selector in neutral or is that too easy? I wonder if I have to take something apart with the DSG stick but I'm cautious to mess with that unless i absolutely have to.

I've left a picture below so you know what it looks like.
Thanks
View attachment 20379
I did this today not sure if you’ve sorted this out already? I turned the ignition on and moved the lever to N. This allowed me to move it back to remove it :)
 
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Reactions: Lozzy15

Lancashire Lad

Active Member
Mar 6, 2011
360
22
Penwortham
www.seatcupra.net
Hi,

I followed these instructions to get the air conditioning unit off and it was great help, thank you for that.

I wrapped it in grey thinking it would look good and now i've changed it to carbon. However I want to wrap the surround for the DSG stick but it seems to be different from the guide you mentioned. I unscrewed the two screws and managed to slide the part out. But after disconnecting the parking brake and the LED for the DSG selector, I can't figure out what to do next.

I obviously need to slide the panel towards the rear of the car but I cant because the DSG stick obviously stops it from doing it and I cant force the panel up and over the gear stick as it would snap. Do i just need to try it again with the selector in neutral or is that too easy? I wonder if I have to take something apart with the DSG stick but I'm cautious to mess with that unless i absolutely have to.

I've left a picture below so you know what it looks like.
Thanks
View attachment 20379
I know this was a while ago, but when you wrapped it did you have to remove the facia or just cut around the buttons? I need to take mine out to replace the cubby section. Thought I might dress it up in carbon
 
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