Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Dash Warp Question

I posted this at the tail end of another post, but I may have missed the viewing boat. I have some warpage along the left side of my defroster vent. It's very minor and I would like to try to fix it before it gets to advanced. Looking at the how-to, I think that all I need is the u-clips. I have a couple of questions:

1). Can the defroster cover be re-installed securely w/ the u-clips in place.

2). Anybody have an extra u-clip sitting around?

Thanks!

Go to a wrecker and grab a bunch of clips. They break easy anyway. Take your time,don't force anything.
I thought Ford had a recall on this ? If so, take it there and get it done for free.

The beauty of installing the entire kit is that there are multiple mechanical fasteners helping to hold the instrument panel in place. Yes, the U clips will directly clamp the vinyl/foam material to the substrate beneath, however the method in which the new defroster grille is installed also helps to clamp everthing tight. Having done the install there's no way I'd go that far and NOT affix the new defroster grille--regardless if I picked up some U-clips for free.


EDIT: There was never a recall to fix this issue; there was a campaign but only for owners who experienced the problem within the specfied time frame (which ended 3+ years ago).

Thanks for the info. As I stated, at this point the warpage is very minor. I don't know if I could justify applying the entire dash fix at this point. If the u-clips were a simple install, I was hoping that would take care of me for a while. Maybe I should just order the repair kit to have it on hand for when I do need it down the road.

The corner of the defrost grille keep popping up and then the whole grille would pop out from this warp problem on our 2000 SE, but I was always able to work it back in place.

This fall the problem got significantly worse and the lip of the dash padding material is about 2 inches about the dash frame. The other day I was in traffic and a guy pulled up next to me with the same model. I looked over and his dash had curled even worse than mine. Problem is it interferes with the effectiveness of the defroster.

I was at the dealer today and they will do the kit for $260. He also described the process from a bulletin. (They even have a video) It involves unbolting the streering colomn and then the dash and pulling them back no more than 6" to avoid wire damage. He said that he could not see any special tools being required.

260 bucks??? yeesh....

If you've pulled a dash you'd know $260 is a deal.