I finally got around to installing the Porsche OEM dash strip I bought 2 years ago. I think it ties the whole dash area together and breaks up the Savannah beige really nicely. The best interior mod for the money so far.

I few tips to add to others advise. I used the soldering iron method with a twist. I did not pry the top portion of the trim piece off prior to heating the screws up. It was much easier to use the new strip as a template to mark the location of the screws. I then used a drill bit a to drill through the existing trim piece to expose the screw points. I then placed the hot soldering iron on the end of the screw and applied constant pressure until I felt the screws push out of the trim piece. I was then able to easily pry the strip out of the dash from the exposed end. Once I had the technique down the whole job took 20 minutes. The second time doing this would be a breeze. I then just snapped the strip into place using the tabs on the trim piece and it holds securely. As others have posted make sure to tape off the dash to avoid damage if you slip and remove the side vents and center horse shoe. Below are som pics of the finished product.

 

very nice! i got red ones and i never installed them because it was so much work! one day ill put them in.

 

nice job.....

 

Same reason I waited so long. The small tweaks I made to the process made it very easy. The first piece I attempted was tough untill I figuired the best technique, the next 2 were a snap. If you plan on doing it let me know and I can give you some additional tips.

 

i am also looking into doing this upgrade. what are the additional tips to help make it easyier..

 

A few additional tips.

1. Use multi layers of Duct tape above and below the strips.
2. Use a size 3/16 drill bit. I used a hex ended driver bit in a small Skill iXO driver to make access easier and allow for low speed drilling.
3. Mark the first hole and drill. If off slightly re-adjust using trim piece and mark rest of holes. If you miss a screw by a large margin drill a second hole to allow better access.
4. Drill thru plastic until you hit the screw point. You will be able to look into hole and see the silver end which is flat. The more centered the the hole the better.
5. Use a pointed round soldering iron tip that is smaller than the 3/16 drilled hole. Put the tip of the hot soldering iron directly on the end of the screw and apply constant pressure while heating. I used a fair amount of pressure. When you feel the screw release and depress about 1/8 of an inch stop pushing and remove iron. It took about 10-20 seconds per screw to complete.
6. do all the screws along the full length of the trim piece prior to attempting to pry the piece from the dash, you may need to repeat heating and pressure step if it does not pull away. Don't be afraid to pull firmly. Do not press screw to deeply pushing the screw out the back of the dash.
7. Use a needle nose vice grip or pliers to grab the end of the strip once you free the first screw.. Place screw driver behind trim on exposed side of trim to create a gap for the needle nose pliers. You may be able to just pry off with screw driver as well.
8. Wipe down dash remove Duct tape and press in new trim pieces. Replace side vents and center horse shoe. You can use silicone adhesive prior to pushing in place if desired. Mine seems to be very secure so I will wait and see.

Good luck

 

thanks for the tips, i now have enough confidence to do it..

 

Great job! This one goes into the scrapbook that I keep for my other interior mods. Thanks for the tips!

Rudy

 

I've never understood the way Porsche put the strips on there. Most of car is constructed like Lego's where everything just snaps together, but for some reason the strips screw in from behind the dash and require a person the size of a 10 year old to get at easily. I did it last year and it took an entire day. As usual, my wife said "you spent the whole day just for that?" Some of her other mod comments: "I can't tell a difference" (stock bumper to GT3 bumper and that one hurt); and "Now you can't see those red brake thingy's as well" (Stock five-spoke wheels to RG5's).

 

I agree. There are more screws holding these strip in than any other part in the car. The air box only has a single bolt securing it to the car. The only thing I could come up with was crash saftey. They may have been concerned that the strips would dislodge during a crash or airbag deployment. Interestingly the tabs on the back of the strip seem to hold them in the dash fairly well, like all of the other snap together pieces.

 

Is there a DIY for these strips, and a source for the parts/part #s? I have a 2001 C2 Black/Black and would like to break it up with the aluminum batwing, strips and gauge surrounds.
Thanks, Steve

 

You can purchase the strips from Bumper plugs for $99. Seach the forum for dash trim strips installation. In the thread you will find some directions for completing this install. I found by using a mix of the described methods with the additional tips I have outlined the job was very easy. My guess is I could do the entire job in less than 1 hour with prep and clean up. If you need some additional support PM me and I will send you my phone number. Once you get the tools and process down the install is quite easy.

 

looks very nice ... to change the subject a bit ... what head unit is that and how hard was it to change it to the bottom position? Looking to change mine out and I like it down on the bottom. Could you shoot me any info I may need for moving it down to that spot?

Thanks.

 

I have a Pioneer Avic D3. this model has since been upgraded by Pioneer and sold under the premier brand. I like this head unit due to its simple volume **** and button controls along with the touch screen controls. Only negative is a lack of hard drive which for me was not an issue due to a large capacity iPod. To do the install I purchased a used lower console to allow me to return to stock if I desired. You can find them for around $75 or less. The easiest thing is to remove the lower console and use a dremel tool to remove the middle shelf and grind down the sides to allow the head unit to slide in. You then need to cut a slot in the side to secure the head unit using the mounting screw. Pretty straight forward. Once you try and place the head unit into the lower console you will see what material needs to be removed to allow it to fit. Just takes a little patience not particularly hard. Once this is complete you remount the center console into the car and do the install. You will also need to make a custom faceplate for the unit surround. This can also be done by any decent stereo installer. Once in place loosen the attachment screws allowing you to slide the unit forward or back until it sits flush to the face plate. I have been thinking machining the surround out of aluminum I will post up the outcome if I ever get to it. I have also thought about doing one in CF. Lastly you will need to purchase the lower bin for the upper console to fill the left over slot.

 

Here is a picture of the tools I used minus the duct tape and the torx driver used to remove the side vents.