Aluminum gauge bezels
All of these installations are to be performed at your own risk!!!!
On the back lower right side of the gauge assembly, there are two size 15 torx screws. Using the size 15 torx screwdriver, remove these two screws.
On the right side of the gauge assembly, there is an electrical male plug that is only force fitted into the female -- there is no tab or other portion to release. Simply pull the male plug out of the female. Repeat with the other side.
Pull the face panel away from the remainder of the gauge assembly. Next, there are four tabs on the clear gauge face cover. Push downward on each of these tabs while pulling the clear gauge face cover slightly away from the gauge assembly. The clear gauge face cover will not pull fully away because there are four tabs also on the bottom of the clear gauge face cover. Remove plastic cover.
Step 14 (Fitting the bezels):
You are now ready to install the aluminum bezels. Before applying any glue, place each aluminum bezel on top of the gauge bezel that it will cover in order to make sure there is an accurate fit. There will be some slight float in the mating of the aluminum with the underlying black plastic. To locate the large bezels and the two smaller ones that are not full circles, you might position the ends of each bezel against the piece below each such bezel. For example, for the oil pressure bezel, locate it so that the ends of the bezel rest on the top of the curve formed by the black plastic bezel around the water temperature bezel, as shown in the photo. Once you are satisfied with the dry location of each bezel, you are ready to proceed with affixing each bezel in place using the supplied glue.
Step 15 (Gluing the bezels):
This step involves the application of the glue to the bezel and then the application of the bezel to the gauge. Please be careful with the glue so as not to get excess in a place such that the glue will be visible once the bezel is in place, while at the same time use a sufficient amount of glue so as to increase the chances of a long-term bond between each bezel and the corresponding gauge and be careful not to get any drips anywhere inside the cluster.
To better insure that the bezel will adhere well to the gauge, the goal is to locate the glue around a majority of the back of the bezel; however, you do not want to put glue in the area where your fingers will be touching when you go to install the bezel in place. So, with the bezel in its dry-fit location on top of a gauge, put your fingers in a location that is comfortable to both grab the bezel and then where you will also be comfortable holding the bezel against the gauge once you have applied the glue. Next, lift the bezel and apply glue on the bezel backside around the rest of the area not near your fingers. The backside of the bezel has an angled portion as well as a flat portion. Place a line of glue along the angled portion, again staying away from any location that you will be grabbing with your hand when applying the bezel to the dashboard gauge. Preferably, the glue line should span the majority of the perimeter of the backside of the bezel.
Next, locate the aluminum bezel in the desired spot on top of the black factory plastic gauge bezel and push down, firmly holding the aluminum bezel in place for 15 to 20 seconds. While holding the bezel in this manner, try to apply pressure around all of the perimeter of the bezel, such as by sliding your fingers around the top of the bezel. Repeat this process for all six bezels.
Make sure you have not allowed any visible particles to get on the gauge panel before re-assembling it. You might use low pressure on an air compressor, or a cool hair dryer, to blow out any dust. You might also use a clean cosmetics or camera brush to wipe away any visible particles.
Step 16:
Now in reverse order perform all the steps thereby first re-assembling the gauge assembly and then proceeding to re-install it over the steering column. As shown in the two photos, there is a metal plate that is located horizontally above the steering column, and the plate has a square hole in it. There is a white tab protruding downward from the gauge assembly that has to clip into the square hole. Thus, when re-installing the gauge assembly, after you reconnect the gauge plug (and HUD plug if your car is so equipped), you will encounter some resistance as you have to lift the white tab above the metal plate and then push the assembly toward the front of the car so that the white tab snaps in place inside the square hole.
The pic below shows where the above white tab pops into:
Step 17:
Reassemble your interior in reverse order and your done!
