430 Defroster Vents Fix - Questions & Options

I did a search on this topic and found an old thread that I didn't feel like reviving, so I'm making this new one.

I was at Cars n Coffee this morning and somebody noticed one of my defroster vents was cracked, and upon closer inspection the other one was starting to pop out. When I got home, I tied to push the one back in, but it wouldn't stay down. Needless to say, they are also suffering the sticky issue (probably the ONLY thing that wasn't addressed for the issue).

I searched YouTube and found a couple DIY videos, which I found to be funny because it's anything but DIY. I'm a handy person, but there's no way I'm going to remove the entire dash for this, so...

Has anybody successfully replaced the vents without removing the dash or windshield?

Has anyone ever used a Ferrari dealership to resolve the issue?

Does anybody know a place near Pittsburgh, PA who has done such a repair?

I saw somebody makes billet versions, but I'm really not interested in removing the dash. The rest of the dash is in mint shape, except the airbag cover is just barely starting to wrinkle. If the dash needs to be removed and/or the leather fixed/replaced, then I'm paying somebody to do it, but only if they have experience. The problem with owning a Ferrari in Pittsburgh is that there just isn't anybody or any shop around that's done many of these specialty type services (they can barely do mechanical work). I've contacted a couple of specialty auto upholstery shops who are reputable, but they too are inexperienced with what needs to be done. They expect you to drop off your car with a blank check so they can spend infinite time on figuring things out. No thanks.

 

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but I removed the dash in my 360 last summer to do this same job and with a little time and patience it is more straight forward then it seems. There is absolutely no way to remove/replace these without removing the dash - and the billet ones are the way to go. Once you see how the plastic ones are clipped you can tell they will just be prone to fail again. The billet ones are a one time solve.

 

So the problem is they are bolted on from underneath and after the Heat gets to them and the dash leather shrinkage comes into play the tabs on the vent break and that's why they look wavy because some break and some don't. I was able to pop mine out and after that I broke all the tabs and I epoxied a Christmas tree plastic spreadable rivet that you could buy at any Auto Parts. You have to get the right size. I let it sit overnight and put it back in and it works great
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Similar to Lorenzo I fixed mine from the underside. I used something different: metal speednuts that I got at Home Depot.

Was a little fiddly to do but with a thin tool I was able to get in there to fix them. The speednuts were nice since they grab and you can “tighten” it down by pressing down.

Dash has to come out tho. It’s not terrible.

 

Do yourself a favor and fix it right or the leather damage will grow.
Buy the metal vents from Rizzo, they’re about $300 but coming from Australia so they take a while to ship to your house.
I had to do mine, and replace the front piece of dash leather because it had shrank too much to save.


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This is not hard to do. When I got my car, the vents were popped up and bent and sticky. They already broke so I was able to just remove them easily. I bought new Ferrari OEM ones, clipped the plastic tabs off, and put very thin 3m tape all around it, pressed down hard all over and it's been over 2 years, they are flush and look perfect. I would never remove the dash for this unless I had to re do the leather or some other reason it had to come out.

 

I had to remove the dash to do mine as well. Really, this is the best way to do this job. I would not buy the oem vents. The oem vents will eventually get sticky and pop back up again. I too got the aluminum vents from Rizzo(australia). His vents will never get sticky or warp. do yourself a favor and youtube the dash removal process, you wont regret it. Good luck!

 

So you were able to remove the old ones without removing the dash? That is one of my questions yet to be answered.

 

Yes, mine were obviously pretty much broken, I just pulled them up a but and they came off/broke off.

 

There's a caveat here for some folks as the level of dash shrinkage is different between all of these stories. You have some that caught the issue just in the nick of time and are able to put the vents back with tape or tabs. Then, you have some where the leather has pulled much farther and you really need access to the underside to push things back into place which can be difficult with the plastic factory vents and you really need the metal ones that can be bolted down. Finally, you have some like mine where the leather is so shrunken, there is no recess anymore and the dash is completely flat in the back area. There is little you can do in this instance aside from retrimming.

 

Or you could use the Leatherique treatment to restore your original leather elasticity/shape and glue back the sections that came undone and be done. The aluminum vents are a must when doing this repair though.

 

I caught mine early enough that I could use some leatherique and slowly stretch it back. Then used Rizzo’s vents and it turned out perfect - still looks new over a year later. What you will see is these vents provide the bulk of the forward tension on the leather, so this is really the best fix. I know pulling the dash out of a Ferrari is a daunting proposition but it is pretty straightforward and if you follow the YouTube video step by step and take your time you can do it. You will probably spend as much time fiddling around trying to fix it without removing the dash.
Before and after:


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Awesome!!....Did you glue it back where it came off?
Definitely encouraging seeing this. I'm planning on tackling mine over the winter.

 

No - I found it didn't really need it once the new vents were bolted in. I looked at it and was thinking about using a long syringe to try to add some, but I was concerned that I wouldn't get it even and it would create spots/bumps. And I didn't want to peel it back as I figured that would give me more issues. Again it is been a bit over a year and still looks perfect....granted it spends a lot of time covered in the garage but still!

 

OP here. In my case, the dash is fine (no "shrinkage" or any other issue, except the airbag cover just a little bit, nothing that I'm concerned about). In the case of the airbag, it's not that the leather shrinks, it's that the padding under the leather cover dissolves, leaving wrinkles in the leather cover.. However, I just want to fix my defroster vents without removing the dash, because inevitably, the dash would end up worse. I am NOT taking on removing the dash. That is not in my wheelhouse, nor am I even slightly inclined to give something like that a try. I'm come far enough to be able to afford a Ferrari, I'm not about to mess it up trying to do something like that on my own. If anybody out there with experience would be interested in doing it for me, I'd pay you.

 

If anybody out there with experience would be interested in helping me remove/reinstall my dash, I'd pay you.

 

If you were closer I'd be happy to help.

 

Where are you located? The guy that did mine is in the San Fernando Valley in CA. He’s done several guys on this Forum.


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I had the same issue with my 360 years ago. All of these ideas are good solutions, but it does depend on the state of the dash.

 

I had my dash removed repaired and replaced by Fonz at J. Scuderia in NJ.
https://jscuderiautomotive.com/
He sent the dash to an upholstery shop and I’m very pleased with the results. I had them install a set of aluminum vent bezels from Rizzo. Sorry I haven’t even taken a final installed picture.
He’s very experienced and has done this many times.
Good Luck,
Dominic

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I'm in Southwest PA. I'd pay for flight.

 

PM sent to you.


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Image Unavailable, Please Login Take the dash out. It’s not too bad at all.

Wish I was closer to give you a hand. Happy to chat over FaceTime if you get stuck. Great winter job.

 

I've watched a few DIY dash-removal videos and seen some pictures on this forum, but noticed a discrepancies. Does the steering wheel and the overhead trim with the interior light really need removed to remove the dash? I've even seen where a guy remove all of the A-pillar trim and side trim. WTF?

 

I don’t know how you could take the dash out without removing the steering wheel. I guess you could figure out a way to remove the a-pillar trim without taking off that top front panel, but I think there’s more risk in not removing that front top panel than removing it. It’s a few screws and the visors. Quicker just to take it off rather than wrestle with it.