2009 Is250 Center Vents Help

[chaboiBLu]

Hello there,

I've came across an issue where I can not remove the center vent on top of the NAV console. I checked on youtube and ran across one video which showed how to remove the vent by using a flat head screw driver and pulling the clip down until it clicked.

Well.. when I pulled the clip down, I broke it. I actually broke 2 of them which are the more easier accessible ones closest to the center of the vent. The other 2 that are farthest apart doesn't even click in place when I pull the tabs down.

So I came up with a genius idea to cut up an old credit card and stick it in place to keep the clips from going back up.. that failed..

Has anyone ran into the same issue as myself? Any tips on removing this vent?

Thanks!

[1990LS400]

Try using multiple small screwdrivers if there is anything left to grab on the broken clips. It sounds like the spring loaded clips are similar to those holding in the center vent in my 2000 LS400 which I have removed countless times.

Looking at photos of the 2009 IS250 center vent assembly, it looks very similar to the ones on my LS. I use a plastic trim removal tool to gently pry around the edges of vent assembly as I pull the clips gently inward with the screw drivers. The word "gently" is important as these vent assemblies are fragile and expensive.

Here is a photo from an instructional document I did showing me prying the center vent out on my LS. Your IS may be different but I've found over the years that the interiors of a number of Toyota and Lexus cars are held together in mostly the same ways.

[chaboiBLu]

Thanks for the quick response. My mistake was to use a plastic laptop spudger. Apparently, the spudger was not stiff enough to pull the clips down fully so it would bounce back up. That ting sound that the clips make when it bounces back up is so frustrating to hear.. Switching to a small flathead screwdriver I was able to get the 2 outer most clips to click down. After removing the center vent, I broke off the 2 center clips =)

BTW, prying from the top will do nothing. The clips that you're instructed to pull down are not what's actually holding the vents in place but are more like "extra security". I left the two outside clips pulled down and when I pushed the vent back into place, the vent pretty much clipped itself into place similar to when you're putting a battery cover back on your phone.