REMOVING THE DASHBOARD TRIM
It is extremely important to remember that all of this trim is very brittle and easily snapped so be very, very gentle.
1. At the side of the dash accessible by opening the passenger door is a trim plate held on by 1 screw, remove this plate.
2. This will expose 1 screw that holds on the thin trim panel that goes all the way across the dash, and 2 screws that hold on the main side vent. Remove all three.
3. Do not remove the panel at this stage as it will snap.
4. Now carefully pull off the heater direction arrow buttons, the temperature control knob and the fan control knob, and take out the cigarette lighter.
5. Remove the nut that secures the temperature control dial (the fan speed dial is not secured).
6. Remove the panel behind these buttons and knobs - it clips into place so it might need some careful, gentle prising.
7. After removal of the heater trim panel, you will expose the heater control unit, it is held in place by 4 screws on a piece of clear plastic. The 2 on the left should be removed as they hold the long thin trim panel in place, you should also slacken off the 2 screws on the right of the clear plastic panel as this will allow easier removal of the long panel.
8. Remove the circular 'heat sensor' vent by gently turning it anti-clockwise, then remove the screw behind it. (This is VERY fragile)
9. There is a rectangular blanking plate within the trim panel opposite the passenger seat, remove this by sliding it up towards the windscreen, do not pull it as it will snap.
10. Remove the 2 screws behind this panel.
11. The trim panel will now remove and it is a simple operation to remove the electrical connectors from the back, change the bulb within the clock and/or reconnect the rubber pipe (if it has come loose).
12. Half an hour and a couple of screwdrivers should suffice.
Whilst you are in there, check the lights on the cigarette lighter and the heater controls - unless you enjoy taking it to bits!
Halfords bulbs less than £2, official Porsche bulbs around £4
13. I took two digital pictures whilst doing this (sad eh?). You can see them at http://photos.yahoo.com/diver964 They are in the album called 'Dashboard'. You can see the pipe for the heat sensor in the top left hand corner, and the back of the white clock unit. The bulb goes in the hole on the right hand side It may be easier for Rob to incorporate this pic into the FAQ section rather than people linking through to the photo album - Nik M, Paul S
DASHBOARD REMOVAL
Not too difficult this one Ed,
1. Remove shrouds from steering wheel.
2. Remove lights control switch, this just pulls off.
3. This will expose a brass nut that holds the light switch control unit in place. Remove this nut.
4. Remove temperature control knob, fan knob and ventilation direction arrows, all of these just pull off.
5. Remove brass nut that was behind the temperature control knob.
6. Very carefully prise off the black plastic control panel fascia plate.
7. This will uncover a plastic heater control unit that is held in place by 4 crosshead screws, remove the 2 on the right and loosen off the 2 on the left.
8. You should then be able to pull the black plastic fascia strip away from the dash and gain access to the troublesome rheostat.
Note: It has been a couple of years since I did this on my car Ed, so be careful as I might have forgotten something. If you feel any resistance when trying to remove the black plastic strip have a good look round for some of the infamous Porsche "hidden screws" As with Marks washer jet problems don't be tempted to use WD40 if cleaning, use a special electrical cleaning fluid - Regards Nik M