Air vents fitted... and a mini guide
Finally got the air vents in and I'm quite pleased with the result. I'll try and post some pix next time I see daylight!
I don't think the inserts that come in the kit are as well made as the ones that come with the car as they're a bit thinner and not quite such a snug fit. I'm being picky, but if I was doing it again I'd probably save £25 and spray the originals.
It was a learning experience for me, so I thought I'd share for any other newbies...
Painting
1. Got the paint code from my service manual and took it to halfords. They mixed a spray can for me whilst I waited. Cost £10.99.
2. Went in the garage, put down loads of newspaper to protect floor from paint / paint from dust.
3. Put the air vents in a line on the paper.
4. Started spraying a little to the left the line and did three left-to-right sweeps from about 20cm distance. That gave a very light, patchy coverage.
5. Repeated that three more times with about 1/2 hour between each coat.
6. The next day I looked at the results in daylight and decided that they needed more paint. I think it was partly because the plastic is so thin that you can see throught it.
7. Did three more coats and was happy.
Fitting the left and right vents
I Pretty much followed the instructions that came with the kit. I put masking tape anywhere around where I was working with a screwdriver to prevent accidental marking.
1. Removed the side dash panel near the vent. It needed a little encouragement from a screwdriver.
2. Slid out the vent tube with the insert still attached. It look a fair bit of force to get it to move.
3. Pressed on the inside bit of the insert to open up a tiny gap on the outside. 4. Slid some masking tape into the gap.
5. Used a screwdriver to gradually pop off one side of the insert and used fingers to remove the rest of it.
6. Lined up the new insert (theres a tab that lines up... top-left I think).
7. Snapped in the new insert with hardly any force.
Fitting the middle vents
Some people have gone with the dash removal option or the coat hanger/cable tie method to get the vent out. Again, I went with the instructions that came with the kit. It wasn't too easy so the other method is worth a look.
1. Follow at steps 3,4,5 above. Same idea just seems to take more effort.
2. There are 4 clips on the air vent which you need to compress at the same time so they dont get in the way when you pull out the vent. I used a combination of long-nosed pliers and screwdrivers.
3. Line up the new insert and snap it in (it's tricky not to push the air vent back inside when you're doing this).
4. Now you can push in the air vent. Don't push too hard though or the insert can go a little way behind the dash. That doesn't look good and the new inserts are a lot harder to get out without damaging.
5. Stand back and admire your work!
