I thought I read a couple of threads about removing the dash on HCHI's, but can't seem to find them again in my searching.

I am looking into a new head unit (built in Bluetooth, adding ipod control and XM Radio) in my 04 HCH. Anyone have some tips, tricks, tools that may make my job a little less stressful? I have replaced stereos or at least added electronic gadgest to all my cars, so I'm not to worried about that aspect. I just want to make sure I can get good access without breaking anything.

While I am in there I think I'm going to wire in another 12V outlet, but this one will be unswitched.

 

I found some pretty detailed instructions on the dash removal and it looks pretty straightforward. I am a little concerned that the faceplate for the OEM stereo appears to NOT be a nice tidy rectangle, but rather some fugly trapezoid.

Has anyone replaced their head unit on a Gen I? Any pics of your install?

 

I have done it and you need to be very careful. If you buy your unit from crutchfield, it will come with detailed instructions for how to handle all the install steps, and usually they figure out the faceplate adaptor for you too.

However, when I used the crutchfield instructions for mine, there was a mistake in the directions which led me to break the cigarette lighter trimpanel. I think it was because there are two different types - one has 6 snap tabs that you just pull on to remove, and some are screwed in from behind. As you follow the instructions you'll need to be careful to figure out which kind you actually have. Snap tabs are easy, but the screw-from-behind like mine was harder because I had to also remove the entire gear shift trim assembly to get to the screws in the back of the cig lighter trimpanel. I complained to crutchfield and provided them with the correct instructions which they assured me they would update so you might not have an issue there. It turned out the 03 EX instructions were more accurate for my 04 HCH than the 04HCH instructions were. I hillbilly-engineered my old cig lighter trimpanel to work again, though it's a little loose.

The other tricky part is getting the stereo unit out without indenting the soft dash material around it. I used some backing to protect it but it's so soft that you can't pry out that huge console without some denting, which has evened out over time but it looked pretty uneven for a while after. Getting the stereo out requires prying out the entire console that contains the stereo and heater - that entire thing snaps out with a zillion snap tabs. It's pretty heavy and I'm surprised the whole thing is stable on just snappies, but it seems to work. It's a good reason to make sure you don't break any tabs or miss any when re-inserting it. It's not a very good design if you ask me. They easily could have hidden a few screws to hold it in and make it much easier to remove.

I hope that helps, feel free to reply or PM if you have questions.