Here's a quick DIY of the front console wood trim install for us MY2004 owners. It's fairly simple but you need to be careful not to scratch up the trim or other plastic parts. I messed up the strip of switches with the dsc, pdc buttoms a little bit by scratching it but it can barely be seen.

So to begin, I'd do this with the car off since you have to unplug things. There's some PDF's on this site somehwere from TIS which show pictures too but I think the below are good.

First you just need to pop out the door lock switch from the top and bottom and unplug it to get it out of the way:






Next, start from the right side there and pop out the long strip of trim. It's a little scarey but trust me, you won't break it. Work your way to the left slowly prying it out.




Here's the nakid dash and the trim I put in the back along with the new piece. You'll see those white clips, you may rip some of them out and they'll be attached to the long trim. Just pry them off and put them back in their slot. When the long trim piece is re-installed you have to rotate them diagonally so they look like a diamond rather than a square. I forgot to take a picture of that.






Next, there's two screws which need to be removed that hold in the plastic center trim. There's some clips on the left and right side which snap out fairly easily. The two clips on the bottom though are a little harder to snap out. I stuck the screwdriver in from the underside and they came out.




The center piece should now be loose but the AC and DSC button strips still attached. They need to be popped out, you'll see the little notches on top and bottom. I suggest popping out the bottom side first, then the top will come out easy for the AC controls. The DSC button strip again was a little harder to pop out since it's hard to reach the bottom but I got it out. Here's the nakid dash again:




That's basically it. The old trim will be out. You can pop the DSC and AC controls back in their respective spots. Snap in the new trim and screw it back in and put the long trim piece back on (after rotating those white clips like I said before). Don't forget to put the door lock button back in and don't loose that wire! The final result:




I love it, looks much, much, much better!! I'll admit like I said above I damaged that strip of buttons with the DSC, PDC, heater buttons. It's not noticable really but I'm looking for a replacement anyway. It should only be a few bucks for the button cover.

Just be careful and good luck!

 

I love mine too. Waaaay better than before!
Good job, Lomag!

 

well done, lomag . i'll have mine done by my dealer this thursday. will post some pics later. hope they won't screw up .

 

If a dealer screws it up, it will be yours, alohalc...

 

i don't expect much from my dealer :'(.

 

alohalc, how much did you get it for? Is it in the E60 accessories broucher?

 

I love my wood piece to.. My car looks a bit more darker from the inside due to the beige converted in poplar wood. I like the look much more, very classy!!!

 

i don't have the exact price now but the parts mgr promised a lower price for me, it should be $109. i'll ask them to install it for me today. btw, it's not in the accessories brochure. just simply give your last 7 digits of your vin to the parts dept and they can order for you. will post some pics later. lomag, i'm going to print out your instructions to the technician. you know how "smart" they are. hope you don't mind .

 

Its OFFICIAL: Lomag has BIG BALLS !!!

Congrats on a job well done.

I must admit that I was a pussy and had the dealership do the install.

 

Awesome thanks!!! I have this piece sitting on my work bench...I was waiting on the dealer but I think this is going to be the first thing I do in 2005 now