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SOLVED: Defective ‘lid assembly’ (drivers side end cap on dashboard)? HELP!?
Hey guys,
I know some of you have run into this issue, and I was hoping to get an elegant solution from someone who’s fixed theirs.
The deal is: the end cap/lid of the dashboard (left of steering wheel, on the very end/side of dash) is all popped out, only the topmost and bottommost clips actually clip in. I was thinking the clips may have been broken or the tabs were gone, but I picked up a new part (77211-T5R-A01ZA) and it looks identical to the part I have. So after removing the part, it looks to me like there’s no way the clips on the lid could actually clip - the holes are too big to allow the little springy tab to engage. And that’s just it, the lid has no issue otherwise, it’s just unable to clip in because the tabs are floating in the oversized slots.
I tried to put some zip ties on the hole side to make the hole smaller but no dice. My plan b is to just epoxy some more plastic onto either the hole side or the clip itself, but if someone’s already successfully addressed this issue, I’d love to hear their solution. Thanks all!
Here’s the part... the edge with the lip tucks into the rubber seal and the other side SHOULD clip into the end of the dash. Holes too big or clips too small? Who knows?
Last edited by UnFitParent; 08-04-2018 at 11:44 PM.
Reason: Fixed issue
I just don’t trust the dealership, and this was small enough to not be too concerned about the cost. I try to avoid the dealership as much as possible... obviously if I had a major mechanical issue I’d have to allow the dealership to do the warranty work, but I’d do my best to find a service department with a good reputation and skilled mechanic and I’d still be nauseous with anxiety.
People seem to think there’s some magic at the dealership, that they are somehow superior to the average garage mechanic. Nothing could be further from the truth. Dealerships are nests of incompetent fools for the most part, with little or no incentive to do right by you and your car.
I’ve come across a few complaints about this exact part being popped off, I just hope one of those owners stumbles across this post. There’s gotta be someone out there who’s found the perfect fix, now I just need them to find me!
yah i would use epoxy as u noted op, or VHB tape and make alittle tab to secure to dash.
Ah, good idea. I didn’t even think of using VHB, I was focusing on the clips and holes. But yeah, I could maybe tape along the edge of it and secure it to the dash.
I guess I’m gonna try and enlarge the clips with some diy plastic and epoxy, but I’m not overly optimistic about the results... So tape may well be my fallback lol.
Its such a weird thing- I mean, what happened there? They get a batch of parts with holes out of spec? Somebody goof on the clip size and they produced the first run with the wrong size? It’s not happening on every Fit, but it’s not isolated to just me. Weird.
I just don’t trust the dealership, and this was small enough to not be too concerned about the cost. I try to avoid the dealership as much as possible... obviously if I had a major mechanical issue I’d have to allow the dealership to do the warranty work, but I’d do my best to find a service department with a good reputation and skilled mechanic and I’d still be nauseous with anxiety.
People seem to think there’s some magic at the dealership, that they are somehow superior to the average garage mechanic. Nothing could be further from the truth. Dealerships are nests of incompetent fools for the most part, with little or no incentive to do right by you and your car.
I’ve come across a few complaints about this exact part being popped off, I just hope one of those owners stumbles across this post. There’s gotta be someone out there who’s found the perfect fix, now I just need them to find me!
I'm on here every day, and this is the first I've heard of this one.
Here's mine, I think you just need to keep trying to attach it. I remember when I first got mine, it didn't align correctly. I fixed it when I had to route my phone charging cable in the area. I just had to pull it out, and realign it.
Had the exact same problem when i first picked up mine.
I, too, have a general distrust about dealerships even with a brief history as a service mechanic for Mercedes Benz, but I wouldn't go as far to say that all mechs are incompetent fools.
I was in and out of the service department in 20 min.
yah but the issue is the dealer shouldve caught dat during pre-delivery check.
This is true. The PDI section of the dealership should have. The factory line also should have.
But the real issue is OPs concern on how it should be reinstalled. I had the exact same issue, but instead of a DIY fix, I opted to have the dealer do the warranty repair.
makes sense.. for a car guy its just a HASSLE going to the dealer for such a simple fix. id just fix it myself. if the tab is a bit too short id heatgun the tab to shape, or just mount using VHB and a piece of plastic.. i mean u can reach that finisher from the fusebox lid side, no (drop the panel under steering column)? i remember doing the GK's gentex mirror where i accessed that area and its not difficult to work on.
makes sense.. for a car guy its just a HASSLE going to the dealer for such a simple fix. id just fix it myself. if the tab is a bit too short id heatgun the tab to shape, or just mount using VHB and a piece of plastic.. i mean u can reach that finisher from the fusebox lid side, no (drop the panel under steering column)? i remember doing the GK's gentex mirror where i accessed that area and its not difficult to work on.
thats what I had hoped to do, get at it from the other side and just secure it, but it’s super tight in there and no way can you even squeeze a hand in. There’s a metal bracket that pretty much blocks off doing it that way.
So so what I did was had the parts department order the part ahead of time (they didn’t charge me or anything, just ordered at my request which was cool). Then I called and made an appointment to get it fixed by them under warranty... This way I left my options open. So I get there early, and it’s a madhouse and they tell me it could be a couple HOURS. So I cancelled the appt, got the part for like $15 and screwed. Compared it to my lid, the clips on the new one were eeeeever so slightly different, mine looked maybe a bit damaged at the clips. The new one went on and stayed on, BUT there’s still no real positive click on those center tabs, they’re just floating in there. On the new part, the top and bottom clips are tight enough that it stays 99% flush and that’s close enough for horseshoes.
I did actually fit the old lid with some epoxied tabs making it a bit bigger, but since the new lid worked out I didn’t even mess with it. I’d rather be able to get it on/off easily when I want to get in there to wire a switch or something.
I appreciate everyone’s input and help, great community here and good people. Thanks fellas!
Had the exact same problem when i first picked up mine.
I, too, have a general distrust about dealerships even with a brief history as a service mechanic for Mercedes Benz, but I wouldn't go as far to say that all mechs are incompetent fools.
I was in and out of the service department in 20 min.
Just so nobody is offended - I definitely didn’t say all mechs are incompetent. I said that “dealerships are nests of incompetent fools FOR THE MOST PART” which I think is pretty fair and true. Sure, there’s gonna be a good mechanic at a dealer somewhere, but he’s in the minority. Those guys just scare me, and then when they start talking (and you realize they have no idea what they’re talking about) they scare me even more!
i thought the dealer had to add fuses after delivery to the dealership. they would have to open this cover to get to the under dash fuse box easily. someone at the dealership was being sloppy after delivery.
I get why most people don't trust dealerships. All I know is cars aren't perfect from the factory. It's why these quality control checks are in place. Still, shit happens. But no way I'm gonna invest my time money to fix someone else's mistake when it should have been right the first time.
Now that someone mentioned a fuse. I did find one in the glove compartment. Never heard of installing fuses during the pre delivery, but now it makes sense why the panel was pulled open like that and not secured properly.
I get why most people don't trust dealerships. All I know is cars aren't perfect from the factory. It's why these quality control checks are in place. Still, shit happens. But no way I'm gonna invest my time money to fix someone else's mistake when it should have been right the first time.
Now that someone mentioned a fuse. I did find one in the glove compartment. Never heard of installing fuses during the pre delivery, but now it makes sense why the panel was pulled open like that and not secured properly.
07-31-2018, 06:53 PM
