Interior trim upgrade

Ashtray door sticking

The ashtray door had become a little stuck. Investigating, I found the culprit: two small cogs, and unfortunately both had deteriorated in exactly the same way. A matching pair of problems.

Front passenger airbag

Removing the front passenger airbag meant tackling the steel rod first—it holds the straps in place and sits in there rather snugly. A bit of persuasion was needed to coax it free, but it proved to be a straightforward enough job once you know what you're doing.

You must of course ensure the rod is properly threaded back through both straps on the replacement panel.

The end result

I'm really pleased with how it's turned out. It feels like the work has taken ten years off the interior — the finish suits the black leather far better than what was there before, and I think it was well worth doing.