gmrulz4u Posted October 20, 2002 Report Share Posted October 20, 2002 These aren't like MAJOR problems or anything, and are all interior related, but they're annoying... First, the plastic display for my Electronic Climate Control has had a deep scratch in it since I owned it, is there anything I can do to get rid of this? Without having to replace the whole thing? I think I asked before if it was possible to just take the clear plastic cover protection peice off, but apparently it's not?! Just to clarify, the scratch is over the plastic that is on the actual greenish temp. display... Secondly, the screws in the top/inside corner(close to the side mirrors) won't stay in!! I'm not sure if I have the right size in there? It seems OK, but a couple days later, and they're almost all the way out again? Does anyone have book or manual that tells you the exact size of these screws? Lastly, for now, my stupid windshield defrost/defog plastic vent thingy never stays down! What's the best way to fix this? It appears to need more screws than the existing 2(one on each end) that mine has. Also, is this thing even necessary??!! What does it do? Just direct the air flow?? If I just took it off, and put some mesh material in place of it, what would happen when I tried to defrost my windshield? Anything? THANKS:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted October 21, 2002 Report Share Posted October 21, 2002 how bad is the scratch? Like a gouge? Could just get a climate control from a junkyard and use JUST the front face. Or possibly clean the face REALLY good and spray the clear window with a nice heavy coat of clear paint. Remember the lens has to be REALLY clean for this to work. Those screw holes I guess get bigger with wear, tension, probably from taking the screws out all the time. Just use a slightly bigger, slightly longer one, pick your own at a hardware store, get some with bigger threads To keep the vent from popping up, the dash has to be totally flat. YOu can do this by removing the dash and driving in screws along the perimeter of the defroster vent, where it wont be seen once you reinstall the vent cover. As to removing it, well, the worst it could do is just look like crap I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TurboSedan Posted October 21, 2002 Report Share Posted October 21, 2002 i have an ECC from a '91 CS that i have for sale. no scratches! joshua Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted October 21, 2002 Report Share Posted October 21, 2002 why dont you install it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmrulz4u Posted October 21, 2002 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2002 How much would you want for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted October 21, 2002 Report Share Posted October 21, 2002 1. You can buff it with a Dremel (or similar) rotary tool and those tiny little buffing wheels. They're perfect for something like that. I used mine to buff some scratches out of my Nokia cellphone's plastic LCD lens and it worked great. 2. Are you talking about the ones that hold the trim panel on? If so, the holes may have just stripped out. GM used self-tapping machine screws. If someone isn't careful removing/reinstalling the trim panel screws, it would be easy to strip out the holes in the sheetmetal. You could go to one bigger screw, or just use some epoxy to form new threads in the sheetmetal. You might take something like JB Weld, fill the hole, then use the self-tapping screw to re-tap some new threads. 3. I agree with Brian, your dash must be totally flat. I ought to post my Cutlass dash repair pictorial. If your dash is flat, but the vent just won't stay in, you might try some Liquid Nails (available at any hardware store). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gimp19 Posted March 16, 2003 Report Share Posted March 16, 2003 1. You can buff it with a Dremel (or similar) rotary tool and those tiny little buffing wheels. They're perfect for something like that. I used mine to buff some scratches out of my Nokia cellphone's plastic LCD lens and it worked great.2. Are you talking about the ones that hold the trim panel on? If so, the holes may have just stripped out. GM used self-tapping machine screws. If someone isn't careful removing/reinstalling the trim panel screws, it would be easy to strip out the holes in the sheetmetal. You could go to one bigger screw, or just use some epoxy to form new threads in the sheetmetal. You might take something like JB Weld, fill the hole, then use the self-tapping screw to re-tap some new threads. 3. I agree with Brian, your dash must be totally flat. I ought to post my Cutlass dash repair pictorial. If your dash is flat, but the vent just won't stay in, you might try some Liquid Nails (available at any hardware store). Shawn did you ever post that dash pictorial I still havn't fixed mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted March 16, 2003 Report Share Posted March 16, 2003 Sorry, I completely forgot! Here's a (hopefully) pretty self-explanatory picture. I've linked it instead of putting it in the thread because it's 400k and some people might not care to see it. http://www.w-body.com/Temp/PA280156.JPG I pretty much just drove 3/4" long self-tapping phillips screws through the recessed edge of the defroster. There are fewer screws on the windshield-side because that side is much less likely to warp and lift. This method works great! I painted the screw heads black after this on this particular dash. If your dash is graphite, covering the screws with a strip of electrical tape works great and less tedious than painting. sometimes the dash actually has shrunken and even pushing the padding down so it sits flat won't let it reach the edge of the opening. When that happens, I've found heating the vinyl up with a heat gun makes it a bit more pliable. That particular dash in the pic ended up looking MINT when I got the vent back in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeverSayDie Posted March 16, 2003 Report Share Posted March 16, 2003 I used Liquid Nails to hold my dash cover down where it had started bubbling up. It only lasted about 2 days and was right back up again because of the heat when the car was parked in the sun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted March 16, 2003 Report Share Posted March 16, 2003 nothing beats mechanical fasteners Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gimp19 Posted March 16, 2003 Report Share Posted March 16, 2003 Thanks Shawn I better get it fixed before summer starts rolling in cause it gets terrible when the interior gets really hot. I really havn't paid atention to it all winter but in the summer the damn thing pops way up and it drives me nuts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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