Car dash board advice needed

[bugbear]

My car (Ford Focus mk1) has an electrical problem in the instrument cluster.

This is common, well known, and a new cluster from Ford is £500 + Fitting.

Ouch.

There is a recommended-by-my-local garage company that will fix/refurb my old cluster,
WITH A 2 YEAR WARRANTY for £140.

But I need to remove it, and post it to them.

This video makes it look easy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOrmDJ-GojM

I was stumped by the blue plastic lever used at 0:51, but it turns
out you can buy them.

Looking on eBay for "plastic trim removal" tools, UK only, "buy it now", I get around 2000 results,
from £1.65 for a set of 4, up to around £100.

This is a one time deal - I just need get the cluster out.

Can anyone advise on the cheapest tool that won't actually
break on first use?

BugBear

 

[technium]

Hi Mate

I have a set of those plastic trim removal tools, im happy to post them to you to borrow and return, saves you buying a set?

Colin

 

[Racers]

I would be inclined to pop out with a handful of cutlery, it was good enough for our bicycle tyres.

:wink:

Or hand craft some from an exotic hardwood.

Screwdriver wrapped in insulation tape?

Pete

 

[bugbear]

Hi Mate

I have a set of those plastic trim removal tools, im happy to post them to you to borrow and return, saves you buying a set?

Colin

That's very kind (thank you) - but the cheap ones probably cost less than the postage here-and-back.

I agree it's a mad world.

BugBear

 

[technium]

Hi Mate

I have a set of those plastic trim removal tools, im happy to post them to you to borrow and return, saves you buying a set?

Colin

That's very kind (thank you) - but the cheap ones probably cost less than the postage here-and-back.

I agree it's a mad world.

BugBear

oh yeah good point, well give me a shout if you change your mind.

Colin

 

[RossJarvis]

I've got a Transit connect, which also has some known dashboard problems. Recently it developed one, but having taken it out and cleaned a lot of contacts it started working properly again. I can't help you get it out, but if you do it's worth giving everything a clean and reconnecting to try it out before sending it off.

 

[DrPhill]

If it is any help I got some of these. They seem robust and cheap enough.

 

[bugbear]

If it is any help I got some of these. They seem robust and cheap enough.

That's just the sort of information I was after! Thanks.

BugBear

 

[flying haggis]

is the company that does the repair any where near and you could get to? if so they could take it out and fix at same time. i had my Mercedes cluster pixels replaced by a company local to ( they were in Gorleston near Gt Yarmouth) and I took the car there and waited while it was fixed, about 45 mins

 

[Bm101]

Do yourself a massive favour BB.
Lend the car to my lads at work as a makeshift workvan.
Give it 4 days. The trims will all be removed. There will be 3 gallons of dried coffee over the dash. The radio will be broken but stuck on Kiss FM. Half a tuna sandwich stuck down the back of the passenger seat.... And they wonder we can't have nice things. *sighs

 

[bugbear]

So far, so good. I had a look around kitchen drawer, and found a spatula, a fish slice, and a pastry scraper, all in soft plastic, of various thicknesses.

The spatula worked!

BugBear

 

[Noel]

Who are you using to repair it? I've used BBA Reman maybe a dozen times, never a issue with them, quick and efficient.

http://www.bba-reman.com/gb/index.aspx

 

[bugbear]

Who are you using to repair it? I've used BBA Reman maybe a dozen times, never a issue with them, quick and efficient.

http://www.bba-reman.com/gb/index.aspx

http://www.actronics.eu/en

Local (ish) to me, recommended by my garage.

BugBear

 

[bourbon]

I was lucky. I knew about the fault with the Focus before I got mine in 2006. The main dealer who I bought it off, changed it before I accepted it. The mileage was reset to zero so bear that in mind. I still have the car 130000 miles and still going strong

 

[AES]

A bit late, but it it's of any help at all, some years ago, my brother, who used to fit mobile phones, etc, in cars at the start of that boom (when they were usually girt great boxes with lots of wires, etc) said that his most useful tools were a pair of bicycle and a pair of motorcycle tyre levers, plus a hard plastic kitchen spatula (like the one pictured above).

But he also said that you had to learn each individual car make and model, because not every dashboard had the clips and retainers fitted where you'd expect them to be (based on experience with other makes).

AES