Replacing wood trim

[Jules28]

Just got a 2011 Legacy, loving the car but hating the wood trim. I've been looking online for instructions on removing the trim but I haven't been able to find anything detailed enough. Can anyone point me in the right direction? I would really appreciate it. This is proving to be very frustrating.

[Sarang]

For the doors: Remove the two screws and the only other stuff holding the door panels on are pop-its. The wood trim is attached to the door panels with a series of screws from the inside.

For the dash: take apart the lower dash (under the steering wheel) and the trim unscrews from the back in a similar way. The panel over the glove box is really easy too.

 

FYI, buying other OEM trim pieces to swap out can get expensive. I bought this: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B007OXCIB0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 for about $3.50 and applied to my wood trim myself. A year and a half later it still looks great. Even if you screw it up it only cost you a cup of coffee and your time.

[Humble Rumble]

Wrapping to a color of your preference will likely be easier and much, much less expensive than sourcing and swapping out the pieces.

 

An alternative to wrapping you might think about is a Remin dash kit from carid.com. The pieces are a sort of gel sticker essentially, and there's a huge variety of finishes you can pick from. I haven't done this myself, but I've seen the results and they look quite nice. The kit for dash trim on our cars is about $80 (add some for certain finishes). A bit easier to install then wrapping as well.

 

Here's the link for those, you can select through the options, and they have other interior piece kits you can pick up if you want: https://www.carid.com/2011-subaru-legacy-dash-kits/remin-dash-kit-main-kit-17543289.html

 

The attached pictures show the finish "Real Red & Black Carbon Fiber".

[NVAKeith]

Here a DIY thread:

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/diy-replace-wood-trim-silver-trim-186465.html?t=186465

[Jules28]

Here a DIY thread:

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/diy-replace-wood-trim-silver-trim-186465.html?t=186465

 

 

Yeah, I've seen this post but the photos don't come up on my computer or on my phone, making it a bit useless.

[JLGT]

Blame photobucket.

[Jules28]

For the doors: Remove the two screws and the only other stuff holding the door panels on are pop-its. The wood trim is attached to the door panels with a series of screws from the inside.

For the dash: take apart the lower dash (under the steering wheel) and the trim unscrews from the back in a similar way. The panel over the glove box is really easy too.

 

FYI, buying other OEM trim pieces to swap out can get expensive. I bought this: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B007OXCIB0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 for about $3.50 and applied to my wood trim myself. A year and a half later it still looks great. Even if you screw it up it only cost you a cup of coffee and your time.

 

Ok, maybe this is a stupid question. When removing the door panel (with two people) do you have to disconnect the wires to be able to get to the trim screws? I'm worried I'm gonna screw something up if I desconect the wiring lol.

[Sarang]

Ok, maybe this is a stupid question. When removing the door panel (with two people) do you have to disconnect the wires to be able to get to the trim screws? I'm worried I'm gonna screw something up if I desconect the wiring lol.

 

No. When I did it alone, I was able to prop the panel up with one foot while unscrewing the screws. I'm sure I looked a bit like I belonged in a Dr. Suess book, balancing there with each appendage doing something different, but it worked. You might be able to use a milk crate or something to prop the panel on if you don't want to look so ridiculous.

Honestly, I would say just go slow and careful of the first door you do and the other three will go much faster. The trim by the steering wheel is a bigger PITA.

[dgoodhue]

Ok, maybe this is a stupid question. When removing the door panel (with two people) do you have to disconnect the wires to be able to get to the trim screws? I'm worried I'm gonna screw something up if I desconect the wiring lol.

 

IMO your more likely to scratch up your door panel not disconnection the wiring. Even with two people its going to be unwieldy doing that work from behind.

 

I have not had my Legacy door panel off but I have had quite a few other car door panels removed. It usually isn't that hard to disconnect the wiring. You also will probably make sure the clips are on the right place as sometimes they separate from the door panel and stick in the door.

[testa422]

I never disconnected the wiring when I removed trim or swapped mirrors. No need to

[JT_36R]

What kind of wrap did you use? Where did you pick it up from?

 

JT

 

Wrapping to a color of your preference will likely be easier and much, much less expensive than sourcing and swapping out the pieces.

 

An alternative to wrapping you might think about is a Remin dash kit from carid.com. The pieces are a sort of gel sticker essentially, and there's a huge variety of finishes you can pick from. I haven't done this myself, but I've seen the results and they look quite nice. The kit for dash trim on our cars is about $80 (add some for certain finishes). A bit easier to install then wrapping as well.

 

Here's the link for those, you can select through the options, and they have other interior piece kits you can pick up if you want: https://www.carid.com/2011-subaru-legacy-dash-kits/remin-dash-kit-main-kit-17543289.html

 

The attached pictures show the finish "Real Red & Black Carbon Fiber".

[Jules28]

Wrapping to a color of your preference will likely be easier and much, much less expensive than sourcing and swapping out the pieces.

 

An alternative to wrapping you might think about is a Remin dash kit from carid.com. The pieces are a sort of gel sticker essentially, and there's a huge variety of finishes you can pick from. I haven't done this myself, but I've seen the results and they look quite nice. The kit for dash trim on our cars is about $80 (add some for certain finishes). A bit easier to install then wrapping as well.

 

Here's the link for those, you can select through the options, and they have other interior piece kits you can pick up if you want: https://www.carid.com/2011-subaru-legacy-dash-kits/remin-dash-kit-main-kit-17543289.html

 

The attached pictures show the finish "Real Red & Black Carbon Fiber".

 

I looked into getting the dash kit but I wasn't 100% sold,then I was planning on getting it wrapped but the shop wanted me to JUST bring in the trim pieces so they could JUST wrap it ( I would have to take it out and put it back in myself) and charge me $250 which I thought was absolutely ridiculous. I thought about wrapping it myself but then I remembered how I screw everything up. So, lucky me I was able to find some OEM silver trim on ebay, I bid on it and ended up paying $67.

[Jules28]

No. When I did it alone, I was able to prop the panel up with one foot while unscrewing the screws. I'm sure I looked a bit like I belonged in a Dr. Suess book, balancing there with each appendage doing something different, but it worked. You might be able to use a milk crate or something to prop the panel on if you don't want to look so ridiculous.

Honestly, I would say just go slow and careful of the first door you do and the other three will go much faster. The trim by the steering wheel is a bigger PITA.

 

This whole thing seems to be a PITA, I wish i could get over it but I really HATE that wood trim, it drives me crazy. After doing some research the doors seem to be pretty cut and dry, i'm the most nervous about the trim behind the steering wheel for sure.

[Timothy.B]

I did mine last fall: http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5508689&postcount=82

 

It wasn't too bad. Set aside a day off where you have nothing to do. It's gonna be awhile

 

The door cards are the easiest pieces of cake. You basically just take the two screws out in the center of the door, hidden beneath the cover pieces, cup one of the corners and pull it towards you and it snaps out, then you work your way around the door, lift it up to slide it off. I took the trim off with a screw driver while I held it. It wasn't bad.

 

The glovebox was pretty simple to remove. The strip to the left of the wheel is a small challenge. I can't recall how I did that. There's a thread somewhere. The worse is actually that little triangle piece. You have to take the cover around the HVAC controls and head unit to get to the screw for it.

 

The corners are the worse to do. I have two of them that kinda came loose and need reheated and stretched.

[Jules28]

I did mine last fall: http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5508689&postcount=82

 

It wasn't too bad. Set aside a day off where you have nothing to do. It's gonna be awhile

 

The door cards are the easiest pieces of cake. You basically just take the two screws out in the center of the door, hidden beneath the cover pieces, cup one of the corners and pull it towards you and it snaps out, then you work your way around the door, lift it up to slide it off. I took the trim off with a screw driver while I held it. It wasn't bad.

 

The glovebox was pretty simple to remove. The strip to the left of the wheel is a small challenge. I can't recall how I did that. There's a thread somewhere. The worse is actually that little triangle piece. You have to take the cover around the HVAC controls and head unit to get to the screw for it.

 

The corners are the worse to do. I have two of them that kinda came loose and need reheated and stretched.

 

 

I got the radio trim off, what the hell do I do next?! lol

 

 

[Jules28]

I did it

[Jules28]

THANK YOU to everyone that explained and helped me do this! I was able to do it all by myself, the BF is seriously going to be happy that he doesn't have to do it. I ended up not disconnecting any of the door cables, I just looked ridiculous balancing it on one foot while getting the screws off lol. The first door took me about 20 minutes, second one took me 7 minutes and the two front doors took me about 15 minutes a piece to do. The hardest part was def that small triangular trim, I kind of just looked at it for like 20 minutes cursing to myself.