360 De-stickying my Stradale

There's a ton of threads on 355s, 360s and 430s, but I couldn't really find much information on how to dismantle the CS cabin to get out the various switches and buttons, so I just sort of started pulling it apart and took some photos as I went.

While this is all pretty basic stuff I thought I'd make it into a thread in case someone like me comes along in future and needs a few pointers to get the confidence to start the job. I'd recommend buying some plastic trim removal tools (eg https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wetado-Removal-Upholstery-Fastener-Terminal/dp/B08PCP9PTC) so you don't damage anything.

Part 1: The secondary control switches

The switches themselves were fine but the surround panel was disgusting. I hadn't realised just how disgusting until I took it out of the car. It was easy enough to just pop out with the trim removal tools.

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The connectors just pull off the back of the switches without any fiddly clips but they are a bit stiff. The connector for the trip computer switches has a little clip and the immobiliser LED just pulls out without disconnecting anything.

Once you have the unit out, the switches themselves pop out by depressing the sprung clips that hold them in the frame - should be self explanatory. Again they can be a bit stiff. Then unscrew the trip computer buttons' PCB to leave the naked frame.

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At this point I cleaned up the PCB with some contact cleaner because I'd been having trouble with intermittently functional trip switches. It didn't look bad but it didn't hurt to clean it.

Then I attacked the frame with some Cillit Bang Black Mould Remover (a household cleaning product in the UK) and a magic sponge (a melamine foam sponge thing). I dipped the sponge in some of the Cillit Bang then gently scrubbed the frame. After about 5mins of gentle cleaning it went from this (taken before removing the buttons):

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To this (taken after reinstalling all the buttons and switches):

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Part 2: The centre console

The centre console is pretty CS specific and I couldn't find a guide of how to remove it. Fortunately it's pretty self explanatory.

Remove the two tray liners using a trim tool (I found this curved one worked well to get under the pieces) and expose three 13mm bolts. In these photos you can see how bad some of the buttons are - particularly the RACE button and the mirror controls.

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Undo the bolts using a 13mm socket and the centre console should just lift up.

A lot of the guides I found for the 360 and 430 suggest you have to snip the cable tie that holds the shroud round the handbrake (sorry, e-brake). I didn't have to do this and could just slip it over the brake handle.

Undo this molex connector (should easily unclip) and you can lift the console completely over the handbrake and rest it on the passenger seat.

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Part 2 continued

Now I had to start taking stuff apart by trial and error...

I figured I could get the switches out without taking the entire thing apart, and I was right. But you need to:

1. Pull this connector apart
2. Release the 'START' button - the silver ring unscrews and you can slide it down the loom and out of the way. There's a black metal washer that comes with it too. Your start button may fall off at this point, don't lose it!
3. Disconnect the grey plug (LC switch) so the rest of the loom stays with the car

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In theory you could disconnect '4' here and remove the entire console from the car - however I could not get the clip undone and didn't want to break it, so instead I undid the retaining clip for the reverse button, '5', by removing the 2x 3mm allen bolts, and left the entire button and loom assembly in the car. Then removed the console.

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On the face of it, removing the locking ring at step '3' didn't buy us anything, but it allows us to undo the 4x 3mm silver allen bolts that hold the metal frame in which the buttons sit - you can see them undone at the top of this photo as the fame is hanging loose. Be super careful here - each of the silver bolts has 3 small washers on it. They're easy to lose...

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Then you can pull the metal frame back and remove the buttons without having to cut the cable tie or remove any more of the loom:

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Part 2 continued:

To clean up the switches I decided against the Cillit Bang. Largely because I didn't want to get it in the switch mechanisms but I also worried it'd be too harsh on the etchings. So I just used isopropyl alcohol and baby wipes. Which seemed to worked really well.

Before:

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During:

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After:

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It's like new!

Repeat for the other buttons. I would be careful with how much alcohol and rubbing you use though - my ASR button had a small chip in the paint on one edge and the isopropyl has made it worse and more paint has come off. I will need to re-paint it at some point. Anyway they generally look great now.

My mirror controls were horrible too, so I removed that from the console (4x of those little 3mm silver allen bolts with the washers!) and I couldn't get the electrical connector off, so left it in situ and used a microfibre and isopropyl again.

Before:

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After:

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Then put it all back together:

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Quite an improvement over how it looked when I started, if I do say so myself:

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And now I have to go out to the garage and take it apart again because I've just realised I put the reverse button in the wrong way round

 

Part 3: Air vents

This is where the isopropyl magic falls down somewhat... The vents have the little arrows painted on them which the isopropyl buggers right up. Anyway here's how it went.

Pull the vent out - this one I just pulled out with my hands but most people seem to construct pulling tools using coat hangers or car stereo removal tools.

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I started attacking it with the isopropyl on a microfibre and got some good results:

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Until we get to the arrow. Uh-oh...

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I might see if I can make a little stencil and re-spray it... Not sure yet. I suspect the HVAC controls will be the same though?

 

Oh really? I can't see them on the website, do you have a link?

Haven't tried yet, I probably won't bother to be honest.

 

I did notice I could just buy a new one, but make do and mend and all that! I've got a caliper rebuild to pay for...

 

I've completely failed to find any of these in the usual shops when I've been out and about recently. Maybe I should try them on the vents...

 

Someone, not sure if the factory or some previous owner, had put some electrical tape on the edges of a couple of my switches.

 

Finally got some free time today and spent an hour or so playing with the CS.

After taking the centre console off again to put the reverse button back the right way up, I did a few of the vents. Quite happy with how they’ve come out. Usual before and after:


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