If only someone had made a proper YouTube video showing the generic tools you can use… and how to properly lay out your vent vanes so you can put them back in easily.
I’ll be making a video on this myself because finding real information on Google, DuckDuckGo, or even YouTube has been nearly impossible. Everything out there is super generic… just quick “how to remove the screen” or “how to fix AC vents” guides… and they only ever show a 4pc VIDA pictogram or the center console vents.
Whatever you do, keep your magnets and old pieces. Don’t toss anything.
Word to the wise: If something breaks, leave the tab on the vane. Do not pull it off. If that tab falls into the vent housing, there’s a real chance it could land in the blower motor area and mess everything up. Then you’re not fixing a vent… you’re replacing the motor.
But if you’re actually trying to remove the outer vents — driver or passenger side — you’re dealing with a completely different setup.
There are tabs that lock those outer vents into place, so they seat properly. If you haven’t noticed, they also have tiny neodymium magnets that let the vanes move with a nice, smooth, controlled action. Without those magnets, the vanes just flap around and blow all over the place every time the AC kicks on. The magnets are crucial.
And don’t even get me started on the middle vane, which houses more magnets for a metal strip on the side that snaps away when you try to pull out the vanes. That one is a pain in the a** to reinstall. You’re looking at at least an hour… maybe an hour and a half. You’ll need:
- Some super glue
- A hook tool
- Maybe even a little sawdust or cigar ashes (this will be mixed with glue to help build up the broken clips aka tabs)
- toothpick
- magnifying glass
- light
- marker
- piece of cardboard
- vaseline
Steps (Do Not Skip Any!):
1.
Fix the hook tool to a hole in the left side on the driver side, on the bottom of the vent. Pull hard and remove the electric wire with a green tab. Pull out the entire housing.
2.
Next, you’ll take the faceplate off the housing, carefully prying the plastic tabs all around the backside of the faceplate.
3.
Count your vanes and get a piece of cardboard. Write numbers from 1 to 7 and put the vanes in the corresponding spot. Now you want to wiggle the first vanes above the center vanes and the first vanes below it to remove them out of the way first.
4.
Move on to the little metal clip that retains the vanes. Pay attention to the orientation of the tiny top and bottom hooks. Use a marker if you have to, to mark the outer side. This is very important because they have stoppers on them that allow the vane to only go to a certain point and stop. They look like a little triangle bump (I’ll explain more below). This is going to be a total PITA on the next steps, as you may need a light and magnifying glass.
5.
Remove the remaining vanes above and below the middle vanes where your tab sits. Make sure you put them in order.
6.
On the housing, you have that little metal flat piece that sits on two tiny tabs of plastic. Be careful or you will break it, but you have to flex the housing so it opens a bit and pull gently on the vane by the side where the metal piece is. (It’s okay if you break it, as you can super glue it back in using a bit of ashes or sawdust to create a thicker, stronger paste.) Orient the magnet on the metal piece onto your vane. Once you have it out, a drop of super glue will hold it in that plastic piece. (You may need a hook tool to capture it.)
7.
Remove any existing pieces. You should have a piece that connects to the open/close actuator in the back. It sort of hooks on there and somehow magically stays there. You need that, as you are going to super glue that piece to the tab.
8.
Take some Vaseline and put it on the vanes area only where the tab sits.
9.
Put the tab and actuator plastic piece together on the corresponding vane. You may need a small drop of super glue on a toothpick to temporarily hold it together.
10.
Take ashes (since they are fine carbon), spread them on the top of the tab, and put a couple of drops of super glue on there.
Important: Don’t let it drip onto the vane or you will have to buy a whole new housing… or deal with it stuck.
11.
Let it dry, then sand away any drips carefully. It does not need to be perfect — it just has to slide left and right.
PROBLEM FIXED!!!
Reinstall the middle vane first. The side away from the metal piece gets hooked in first. Remember to flex the housing.
Then install the bottom vane, and then the top.
Check to see if the vanes move up and down. You may have the metal vane holder upside down, or the center vane is too far past the tiny triangle I was talking about earlier.
Install the second top and bottom vanes carefully, then the remaining ones. They weave in and out of that metal holder on the side. Be vigilant as you put back the vanes — they should move up and down if installed correctly.
Make sure your open/close actuator works (the wheel).
With all the vanes installed, replace the faceplate.
Pop on your green cable, route it to where it sits on the housing properly, and push the entire vent back into place.
Good job… you are all done and ready to be blown!
Bonus Pro Tips
- Cold beer
- Flat surface, far away from dust
- Peer support (preferably someone who won’t laugh when the glue and tab get stuck on your fingers)
- And a few prayers… because you’ll need them
DISCLAIMER
- If you have broken vanes, this will not work.
- If you have a missing tab, this will not work.
- If you don’t have all the pieces, this will not work.
- This will only work if you have all of the small hooks broken off the tab that holds the lever for the actuator to go side to side.
This repair isn’t for the faint of heart… but it’s doable if you’re patient and careful, for about an hour to an hour and a half. I’ll post a video soon so the next person doesn’t have to go through all this blind.