The ‘electrics’ subforum seems like an odd place for this question, but the forum subtitle specifically invites posts about heating and ventilation, so here it is!
My air vents (mk.2 eyeball-style) are very sticky, and not too easy to move around in their sockets. I was thinking that a bit of silicon spray lube around the extremities would be the thing to free them up a bit - would that be the best way to attack it? Or is there a better way?
A cross over topic whoa! Maybe the a vent topic could go in the Interior forum… Leave it or move it, you decide [;)]
The friction that holds the vents still is created by a felt type material stuck to the inner surface of the vent holder. I’ve not tried it but I think any sort of spray may make the problem worse. If you want to pop the vents out of the dash you can taken them apart. I’d try cleaning the felt and vent before spraying anything on them. Take care you don’t make them too loose though.
Cheers, Robbie. How simple is it to pop the vents out of the fascia? Is there a ‘how to’ for vent disassembly anywhere? It sounds like it might be worth trying, but I had a very bad experience taking a vent grille apart on my V70 once … [:(]. Once bitten, and all that …
The vents are held in by clips located at 3 & 9 o’clock and will pop out. The problem is getting a pearch on them without damaging the surounding dash. There are a number of methods for removing them. I usually persevere with a screw driver pushed down the vent then use it at an angle to pop the vent out (best seen rather than described), others suggest looping a length of wire round the divisions in the vent then giving it a sharp tug to jolt the vent out. I’ve also read that the hook that is the battery stay makes a good vent puller, I reckon the threads would be a bit harsh on your skin though.
No “how-to” that I know of…
OK, thanks, I’ll have a look at some point over the hols. It’s not exactly a high-priority job, so it might have to wait for a while!