Removing the stock HU advice
 

OK so I decided to install my MP3 HU in my P5 tonight. I had all the parts together, the din pocket, the wiring harness, the new HU, everything was good to go. I checked out some posts on how to remove the stock HU, and I made the metal hanger u-pulls. I also tried a pair of those ford-forks you can get at walmart for $3. Anyway, to make a long story short, the hardest part of this f'ing install is taking out the stock radio! I tried and tried and tried and tried and all I got was frustration. Nothing worked. I thought I was getting the right side out a little, but then the left wouldn't budge. I decided after i gashed my hand in several places that I would take a break. Then I decided I really wanted to finish the job, so I gave it another go. No luck. :red: Now it looks like there is larger gap on the left side of the HU than on the right. Anyone ever actually make the HU completely un-removeable by messing up the spring clips with the hangers? I'm beginning to think that's what I did. I have never had a problem with a HU install on any other cars but this one. :tear: Any suggestions or advice (besides "take it to Best Buy!") would be helpful.

Here I go replying to my own thread the morning after... let me tell you, I was so frustrated last night and that was obviously apparent in my original post. Today I am going to give in and buy a second set of those $3 removal tools and try that. If it doesn't work, I'm taking them back to walmart for my $3. I've read that it is easier to visualize the removal if you remove the glovebox so I may try that as well.

On another note, anyone know how to polish or buff out a hairline scratch in the CF trim around the radio, or know of a good product that will do it? It's such a small scratch, only visible to my eyes because I know it's there. And yes, it happened at one of the points where i was rocking the car back and forth by the HU and letting out the loudest primal screams... I can't believe how securely that radio is held in there... wonder what the theft statistics on that thing are. lol

Ha ha! Victory is mine! Turns out all I needed was a good night's rest to sleep off the aggravation. And then a little eyeglass screwdriver to bend back the one clip to the right position to slide the ford puller into. Came out like a champ. And I didn't do any damage at all really, except for that small scratch mentioned above, and now the keyholes are bored out a little wider to get the pullers into. But who cares. Now I'm really excited to install the new HU, but I won't be able to get to that until 11pm tongiht!

I know this is kinda necroposting, but for the small scratches on the CF (for the benefit of anyone else who might look at this thread and wonder) ...There's a clear coating on the CF material, so your safest first bet is to use a "cleaner wax," as it has a gentle abrasive in it. You can use a q-tip or a folded corner of a paper towel or microfiber cloth to do it. Very light pressure, very small circles, and a conservative amount of the wax, so you don't have to try to retrieve the residue from the nooks and crannies around the scratch afterward. The best method for me has been to put a small amount of wax on whatever I'm using, rub it gently until the wax just starts to disappear, then use the cleanest section on my microfiber to wipe the wax off, and repeat until the scratch is gone. The light pressure helps you to avoid adding swirly scratches while you're trying to remove the jagged scratches. when you're done, wipe down the whole piece of trim so the sheen matches, and off you go!