Has anyone ever removed the right side ac vent?
10-06-06, 04:53 PM
#17
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Cost & Delivery Time
The site for the right side is:
http://www.japanparts.com/db/partslist.php
If anyone orders, please let me know how long it took to get it and what the total bill was with shipping.
Thanks,
Don
http://www.japanparts.com/db/partslist.php
If anyone orders, please let me know how long it took to get it and what the total bill was with shipping.
Thanks,
Don
Don,
The total price was $104.25. I placed the order last Sunday (1 Oct). I paid using PayPal and it took until Tuesday for JapanParts to have cash in hand. They shipped on Tuesday and it arrived on Thursday (5 Oct). I wasn't home to sign for it, so it was redelivered today. Attached is the postal tracking log.
I haven't pulled the factory vent yet to see how much of a job it's going to be cutting out the part of the dash that would interfere with the cup holder part of the new vent. I know there's going to be a lot of 'cut and fit check' action, but I hope it's not really 15 hours!
Jim
10-07-06, 09:49 AM
#18
I will have to take the new RX350 to the dealer to check out, seems there is a noise coming from the left & right window glass, it comes and goes, but very annoying, seems like the glass is vibrating. Anyone has this problem? Just drive between 40-50 on city road.
10-08-06, 09:32 AM
#19
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Part Number 4 RH Cup Holder Vent
Several Forum members have privately ask me for the part number on the box of the Right Side Cup Holder Vent I bought from JapanParts.com. The part label on the Toyota Genuine Parts box identifies the part as "235 REGISTER ASSY." with part number 55650-48040-C0.
Jim
Jim
10-13-06, 04:17 PM
#20
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The Modification Is Made
Oh woe is me!
I’ve completed the modifications for the Right Hand Cup Holder Vent that I bought on line from JapanParts.com. Here is my sorry tale. [Photos to follow] There’s lots of good news to begin with. First, to remove the factory vent you only need a medium to small flat head screwdriver, and dogged determination. A flashlight focused inside the vent on the left side will reveal two “keeper prong” (I don’t know what else to call them) rectangular access holes. There’s one near the top and another about two thirds the vertical distance from the top. The idea is to insert the screwdriver into the front of the access hole and engage the vertical slot in the plastic “keeper prong” and sort of force it/pull it to the inside of the vent. When done properly, each “keeper prong” will ‘click’ into place inside the vent housing effectively removing these two obstacles from interference with the dash cut-out edge. There is also a similar kind of “keeper” on the right side near the top (it’s white plastic and more like just a bump). While I didn’t do this, you might also want/need to “push” this “keeper” to the left by placing the screwdriver (flush with the dash) with the tip under the right side vent housing. IF YOU DO THIS, PUT SOMETHING BETWEEN THE DASH AND THE SCREWDRIVER to protect the dash! Open the Glove Box and notice you can kind of get a grip at the very bottom of the front edge of the vent. The rest is just firm, steady, but gentle pulling straight out to also disengage two aligning/support “pins”. [Check out the photos to get a feel for what I’m trying to say] Don’t ask me how I know this, but it is possible to separate the front face of the vent from the main body of the vent assembly. If this happens to/for you, it is much easier to remove the vent assembly!
I bought a cute little 6 inch hack saw (Home Depot) that I used for 95% of the dash work. The blade can blessedly be rotated in fixed 60 degree increments from normal vertical -- all the way around. I never once used it in the normal vertical position. For the remainder of the job, I used a Dremel tool with a cut-off disk (#420) at very slow speed (a little less than 2) to clean up the hacksaw work a bit and to modify the new, expensive Cup Holder Vent. I have to tell you kids that this is major surgery that required many coffee/smoke breaks! Even so, it only took me a total of about 4 hours. Having done it once, I could now do it in about 45 minutes.
There’s an old adage among woodworks: ‘Measure twice, cut once’. My approach to this task was to measure it, eyeball it, visualize it from three angles, and trial fit it at least three times before making any cut very slowly and carefully! ALL horizontal hack saw cuts should be made with the flat of the blade absolutely horizontal to the ground. You will end up cutting all material (this is relatively soft plastic) to a point just above the ‘leather’ covering at the bottom of the cutout area. Use great care here! On the Cup Holder Vent assembly there is only one aligning/support pin on the back side. It is on the right side in exactly the same position as the factory vent. Do not cut away its corresponding dash mating dothingy. [See photos] You will have to cut away the dash material below it to allow room for the cup holder tray/box. [This is a bit difficult to see in the photos] Just remember to “measure it, eyeball it, visualize it from three angles, and trial fit it at least three times before making any cut very slowly and carefully”! You will want to end up with the right side of the Cup Holder tray/box just touching the ‘new’ right side of the dash cut-out, and with the aligning/support pin squarely engaging the dash mating dothingy. Also, you will notice a #2 phillips head screw just under the vent area when looking in and up into the opened Glove Box. Remove it. The part of the dash that it screws into will be removed, and it’s easier to cut through that part of the dash plastic with the hack saw if the screw is not in place! Don’t ask me how I know this either.
The new Cup Holder Vent assembly has two Mounting Flanges on the bottom of the hard plastic cup holder tray/box. A LARGE one at the very back bottom and one SMALLER at the very front bottom. Both of these need to be removed (this is what I used the Dremel for) to make the cup holder tray/box flat along the bottom and the back side. While I haven’t removed the Left Hand Factory Cup Holder Vent to verify, I suspect that factory dash cutout is made and shaped to accommodate and use these Mounting Flanges. They are not only useless on the right side, they are in the way!
And now for the rest of the story. I was extremely and exceedingly pleased with my handiwork and the great care I had taken to get it done. The substantial pile of little, mangled pieces of dash plastic (now “expertly” separated from their preferred location) gave way to a nice, snug, but non-binding pathway for insertion of my really cool (non-returnable now that it’s “fixed”) Right Hand Side Cup Holder Vent! After sliding the assembly into the cut-out -- easily fitting the nice, foam gasketed vent air channel into the air plenum horn – perfectly engaging the aligning/support pin with the dash mating dothingy -- I encountered a bit of resistance with about .75 inches to go! OK, it was total resistance. This was very strange since there ‘clearly’ just couldn’t be anything in the way to prevent complete insertion. After all, I had measured it, eyeballed it, visualized it, and trial fit it many, many, many, many times! After several insertion attempts with the same results, I measured one more time. It turns out I had failed to take into account a little 1.25 inch diameter wire harness bundle that runs up from somewhere below, just under the air plenum horn, and to (among other things) a little micro processor mounted above the Glove Box enclosure. This cable is sheathed, tape wrapped, very stiff, and affixed to the firewall (?) with a metal cable stay strap. It is immovable! This cable bundle blocks the cup holder tray/box from going in any further. As best I can determine from Toyota’s InfoTech site, some (maybe most) of the wires in this #%!@ bundle terminate at the previously mentioned micro processor and are related to the Hybrid Drive control system on my RX 400h. YIKES! Even if I could figure out how to remove the metal cable stay strap, there really isn’t any room to move the cable bundle out of the way.
This may not be an issue except for the 400h, but my recommendation is to remove the factory vent assembly BEFORE purchasing your very own, really cool Right Hand Cup Holder Vent, and definitely before you renovate your perfectly functional dash! The distance from the front of the vent to the rear of the cup holder tray/box (with the mounting flange removed) measured along the top edge of the cup holder tray/box is 7 1/8 inches. This is how much unobstructed space you will need from the most protruding outside front edge of the factory vent to the area under the air plenum horn for at least the 4 inch width of the cup holder tray/box.
Fortunately, the original vent still fits and functions. But it’s not as nice a fit and finish as it originally was (a little bit of its supporting structure is somehow missing). If I have been at all able to adequately describe my predicament, and if anyone can think outside of my tiny little box, I’d appreciate any suggestions. I’ve already thought of a crush test for the Cup Holder Vent that would find it just in front of one of my Son’s pickup tires, and taping 8x11 inch signs with 2 inch high lettering in each of the door windows (inside and out) that say “No Cups Allowed”!
Oh woe is me?
Jim
I’ve completed the modifications for the Right Hand Cup Holder Vent that I bought on line from JapanParts.com. Here is my sorry tale. [Photos to follow] There’s lots of good news to begin with. First, to remove the factory vent you only need a medium to small flat head screwdriver, and dogged determination. A flashlight focused inside the vent on the left side will reveal two “keeper prong” (I don’t know what else to call them) rectangular access holes. There’s one near the top and another about two thirds the vertical distance from the top. The idea is to insert the screwdriver into the front of the access hole and engage the vertical slot in the plastic “keeper prong” and sort of force it/pull it to the inside of the vent. When done properly, each “keeper prong” will ‘click’ into place inside the vent housing effectively removing these two obstacles from interference with the dash cut-out edge. There is also a similar kind of “keeper” on the right side near the top (it’s white plastic and more like just a bump). While I didn’t do this, you might also want/need to “push” this “keeper” to the left by placing the screwdriver (flush with the dash) with the tip under the right side vent housing. IF YOU DO THIS, PUT SOMETHING BETWEEN THE DASH AND THE SCREWDRIVER to protect the dash! Open the Glove Box and notice you can kind of get a grip at the very bottom of the front edge of the vent. The rest is just firm, steady, but gentle pulling straight out to also disengage two aligning/support “pins”. [Check out the photos to get a feel for what I’m trying to say] Don’t ask me how I know this, but it is possible to separate the front face of the vent from the main body of the vent assembly. If this happens to/for you, it is much easier to remove the vent assembly!
I bought a cute little 6 inch hack saw (Home Depot) that I used for 95% of the dash work. The blade can blessedly be rotated in fixed 60 degree increments from normal vertical -- all the way around. I never once used it in the normal vertical position. For the remainder of the job, I used a Dremel tool with a cut-off disk (#420) at very slow speed (a little less than 2) to clean up the hacksaw work a bit and to modify the new, expensive Cup Holder Vent. I have to tell you kids that this is major surgery that required many coffee/smoke breaks! Even so, it only took me a total of about 4 hours. Having done it once, I could now do it in about 45 minutes.
There’s an old adage among woodworks: ‘Measure twice, cut once’. My approach to this task was to measure it, eyeball it, visualize it from three angles, and trial fit it at least three times before making any cut very slowly and carefully! ALL horizontal hack saw cuts should be made with the flat of the blade absolutely horizontal to the ground. You will end up cutting all material (this is relatively soft plastic) to a point just above the ‘leather’ covering at the bottom of the cutout area. Use great care here! On the Cup Holder Vent assembly there is only one aligning/support pin on the back side. It is on the right side in exactly the same position as the factory vent. Do not cut away its corresponding dash mating dothingy. [See photos] You will have to cut away the dash material below it to allow room for the cup holder tray/box. [This is a bit difficult to see in the photos] Just remember to “measure it, eyeball it, visualize it from three angles, and trial fit it at least three times before making any cut very slowly and carefully”! You will want to end up with the right side of the Cup Holder tray/box just touching the ‘new’ right side of the dash cut-out, and with the aligning/support pin squarely engaging the dash mating dothingy. Also, you will notice a #2 phillips head screw just under the vent area when looking in and up into the opened Glove Box. Remove it. The part of the dash that it screws into will be removed, and it’s easier to cut through that part of the dash plastic with the hack saw if the screw is not in place! Don’t ask me how I know this either.
The new Cup Holder Vent assembly has two Mounting Flanges on the bottom of the hard plastic cup holder tray/box. A LARGE one at the very back bottom and one SMALLER at the very front bottom. Both of these need to be removed (this is what I used the Dremel for) to make the cup holder tray/box flat along the bottom and the back side. While I haven’t removed the Left Hand Factory Cup Holder Vent to verify, I suspect that factory dash cutout is made and shaped to accommodate and use these Mounting Flanges. They are not only useless on the right side, they are in the way!
And now for the rest of the story. I was extremely and exceedingly pleased with my handiwork and the great care I had taken to get it done. The substantial pile of little, mangled pieces of dash plastic (now “expertly” separated from their preferred location) gave way to a nice, snug, but non-binding pathway for insertion of my really cool (non-returnable now that it’s “fixed”) Right Hand Side Cup Holder Vent! After sliding the assembly into the cut-out -- easily fitting the nice, foam gasketed vent air channel into the air plenum horn – perfectly engaging the aligning/support pin with the dash mating dothingy -- I encountered a bit of resistance with about .75 inches to go! OK, it was total resistance. This was very strange since there ‘clearly’ just couldn’t be anything in the way to prevent complete insertion. After all, I had measured it, eyeballed it, visualized it, and trial fit it many, many, many, many times! After several insertion attempts with the same results, I measured one more time. It turns out I had failed to take into account a little 1.25 inch diameter wire harness bundle that runs up from somewhere below, just under the air plenum horn, and to (among other things) a little micro processor mounted above the Glove Box enclosure. This cable is sheathed, tape wrapped, very stiff, and affixed to the firewall (?) with a metal cable stay strap. It is immovable! This cable bundle blocks the cup holder tray/box from going in any further. As best I can determine from Toyota’s InfoTech site, some (maybe most) of the wires in this #%!@ bundle terminate at the previously mentioned micro processor and are related to the Hybrid Drive control system on my RX 400h. YIKES! Even if I could figure out how to remove the metal cable stay strap, there really isn’t any room to move the cable bundle out of the way.
This may not be an issue except for the 400h, but my recommendation is to remove the factory vent assembly BEFORE purchasing your very own, really cool Right Hand Cup Holder Vent, and definitely before you renovate your perfectly functional dash! The distance from the front of the vent to the rear of the cup holder tray/box (with the mounting flange removed) measured along the top edge of the cup holder tray/box is 7 1/8 inches. This is how much unobstructed space you will need from the most protruding outside front edge of the factory vent to the area under the air plenum horn for at least the 4 inch width of the cup holder tray/box.
Fortunately, the original vent still fits and functions. But it’s not as nice a fit and finish as it originally was (a little bit of its supporting structure is somehow missing). If I have been at all able to adequately describe my predicament, and if anyone can think outside of my tiny little box, I’d appreciate any suggestions. I’ve already thought of a crush test for the Cup Holder Vent that would find it just in front of one of my Son’s pickup tires, and taping 8x11 inch signs with 2 inch high lettering in each of the door windows (inside and out) that say “No Cups Allowed”!
Oh woe is me?
Jim