How to remove e46 central fascia

mr_angry

Hey guys,

I have an e46 coupe, and I recently bought an aftermarket stereo head unit that I decided to fit myself. Problems arose when I discovered that there wasn't much room for excess cabling in the cavity vacated by the old stereo. I eventually bunged in the mass of cables, but my aircon has started acting up, and I have reason to believe that its related to the pressure on the cables behind the stereo. Obviously, I'd like to fix this.

I've heard that its possible to remove the entire central fascia (fans, stereo, aircon unit, bits of dash, etc), thus giving access to the entire cavity behind the dash, and allowing you to manage the cabling a lot better. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find a guide online. Does anyone know if this is possible, and if so, can you link to a decent online guide?

Any help appreciated.

Regards,
--
Angry.

Gumbo

hope this helps

http://www.bmw-driver.net/SatNav_1.asp

mr_angry

Thanks - thats pretty much exactly what I was looking for!

mr_angry

Once the head unit is out, you can remove the aircon controls - push them out from behind. This will leave the frame for the headunit and aircon controls to be removed - remove the screws for it and pull it out.

I have to say, this section of the instructions was not what I would call accurate. No matter how much force I exerted, I couldn't push the aircon controls out from behind. Needless to say, I couldn't manage to get the aircon working again either.

Anyone know a good autoelectrics place that will look at this kind of thing, and not completely empty your wallet at the same time?

kdevitt

mr_angry wrote: »

I have to say, this section of the instructions was not what I would call accurate. No matter how much force I exerted, I couldn't push the aircon controls out from behind. Needless to say, I couldn't manage to get the aircon working again either.

Anyone know a good autoelectrics place that will look at this kind of thing, and not completely empty your wallet at the same time?

Its 100% accurate. The air con panel clips in, and clips back out. The air con units are known to play up, theres no reason why extra wiring on top of it would stop it from working.

Stevie Dakota

Jesus, look at the state of the interior! Why would you do that when you can get a much cheaper, more accurate Garmin for peanuts?!

reverandkenjami

Stevie Dakota wrote: »

Jesus, look at the state of the interior! Why would you do that when you can get a much cheaper, more accurate Garmin for peanuts?!

Because he wants to?