Bought a nice Kenwood deck. Real anxious to get the damn thing in the car but the radio door/vent piece will not come loose. I'm a big guy and was putting quite a bit of force into it. I could give it more but am afraid I may break something. What's the trick here?

 

A flathead screwdriver with tape on the end is your best friend, pry the top corner of each end to loosen it up, you then pull it towards you. It should come off easily after that

 

Did you remove the plastic center console first? You need to do that to get the radio door out on an AP2.

Then let the door open, and you should be able to pull the bottom of the trim panel away using the door for leverage. Then carefully remove the top pieces. It shouldn't be THAT hard.

 

If you do end up breaking it, it is not that expensive to replace. But yeah, a few clips hold it in place, just pry it out.

 

i used a nice thick fish hook, put it in between the vents right in the middle and pull!

 

ruexp67 has the correct answer for you. AP2 cars (2004 and later) require that you first pop the center console loose and move it a bit rearward. Then the radio surround will come out. The reason you can't get it out is that the bottom is behind the center console.

 

Actually, you don't need to remove the center piece to get the radio door off, just to easily get it back into place. The radio door has two clips that secure it up top, and three slots on the bottom that slide out, so you pry the top loose and pull the door assembly out.

 

To actually REMOVE the trim panel, the center console needs to be lifted up. But, too loosen it, you don't need to touch the center console.

 

Well, I finally got the stereo installed. Let me tell you, the console really should be removed. Left in place, as you pull the radio door assembly rearwards, then upwards to clear the raised area of the console, the 3 lower clips get bent and nearly break. The assembly will come out but putting it back in is nearly impossible due to the fact that the clips cannot be pushed down far enough and at the correct angle to enter their respective holes thanks to interference with the console. I wish I could explain it better. The radio did fit perfectly and there are no clearance issues with the motorized face.

 

I used blue painters tape and was able to remove and reinstall the radio door assy on both an 04 and my 05. Tape allows slippage and scratches are reduced. Taking the console loose does make it easier.