How to fix my dash trim?

Apparently my 2002 Lesabre does not like hot October weather. Dash came apart the other day, just not sure how to go about fixing it. Any ideas? Did it become unglued and just pop loose of a trim holder?

http://i.imgur.com/djSKS.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/fYE3k.jpg

It appears to be unseated. You may have to remove the pad and re-install it, making sure all the hooks and latches align with their sockets correctly.

It appears to be unseated. You may have to remove the pad and re-install it, making sure all the hooks and latches align with their sockets correctly.

So remove the hole pad and reinstall it? Can I just reseat the popped up section?

I am scared to do anything as it may make it worse, so I have just let it be.

Looks like the vinyl cover has come unglued from the upper trim pad. The upper trim pad consists of a plastic frame with a vinyl and foam cover stretched and glued over it. You would have to remove the upper trim pad from the car, re-stretch the vinyl and get some sort of an appropriate glue or fastener to hold it down. I've had the trim pad off a number of times but I don't recall how that vinyl / foam combination is bonded to the plastic.

Removing the upper trim pad is quite a chore but its all interior work and just requires a good assortment of 1/4" drive extensions / u joints and a lot of patience. You have to pull most of the instrument panel components to remove the upper trim pad, believe it or not. The plastic piece surrounding the gauges needs to come off and all the faux wood trim. The hard plastic defroster grille has to come out too. If you want to do the project, email me and I'll send back PDFs of the factory shop manual instructions for removing all those bits. I can also give you a rundown on the pitfalls and challenges. There are a couple pesky fasteners that will really give you a hard time. It's a good idea to go to the dealer and get a few extra clips before you tackle it. I also get some adhesive black felt at Michaels or Walmart, I cut little strips and stick it to the edges of the panels wherever they meet. It's a great way to eliminate all the little rattles, clunks and creaks that you hear when you go over a rough road, if that bothers you at all.

You wouldn't guess it but most of the stuff you see on your dash just literally pulls off. They use spring clips to hold the bulk of it together, with a screw here and there. For example, the little bit of faux wood trim that holds the headlight switch is removed by just prying it off. The trick is to pull carefully so you don't snap off the plastic tabs that hold the spring clips. Inevitabely some of the clips will fall down in the guts of the dash. I find that after I drive the car a few days they tend to shake through and you find them on the floor. I have a few extra on hand for when I have to open the dash. I've stripped the dash completely out of the car before, so I've been around the block with that job a few times.

Looks like the vinyl cover has come unglued ....

Thanks, sent you a PM with my email for shop drawings. Sounds like a job I can handle one weekend.

Ah! Sorry I've been traveling, didn't see your PM. Let me PDF these things, it's tricky because one set of instructions links to another that links to another, etc...

Ah! Sorry I've been traveling, didn't see your PM. Let me PDF these things, it's tricky because one set of instructions links to another that links to another, etc...

Thanks. No rush though. I probably will not get to it for a few weeks.