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Interior A-Pillar Trim Question 7th Gen

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  #1  
Old 02-28-2012, 06:23 PM
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Default Interior A-Pillar Trim Question 7th Gen

This has just been like this ever since I got the car. The A-pillar interior trim piece on the driver side is separated from the headliner about 3/16", forming a gap just where the curve transition from the windshield to the roof is. What's got me going on this is the fact that the passenger side piece is tight to the headliner with no gap. I've looked in the manual and, unless I just can't find it, can't find anything on this trim piece.

Has a clip or some type of fastener possibly become loose and just needs to be refastened, or is there something else I can do? If I push up on the piece it doesn't feel like it's grabbing anything and just sags back down. I figured I'd ask about it before I go messing with it. If I remember correctly, this trim piece is exactly the same as in the 6th Gens (goes from the bottom of the windshield and curves back to the B-pillar, all one piece).

I know it's not a big deal but it bothers the crap out of me the more I have to look at it. Help and info is much appreciated!
 
  #2  
Old 02-28-2012, 07:02 PM
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I would imagine you have a missing or broken clip (never had mine apart there)

When I tear the deuce down i can usually get a diagram from my local Chevy dealer's parts department (They never charged me)
 
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Old 02-29-2012, 06:41 AM
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Originally Posted by Tadcaster
When I tear the deuce down i can usually get a diagram from my local Chevy dealer's parts department (They never charged me)
That's true, I've gotten diagrams from my local Chevrolet dealership before, free of charge also. I'll stop there soon and see if they have one that shows what I'm looking for, for a start. Thanks for the feedback.

I was hoping somebody has actually had that trim piece off before and could tell me exactly how it fastens to the car and locations of the fastening points. I want to get an idea of what could be wrong and how/where it's fastened before I start messing with it and take a chance on breaking something.
 
  #4  
Old 02-29-2012, 11:50 AM
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If your car is like my Monte, there is a "fin" or "tab" that slides into a metal "clamp" and that's what holds the piece in place. To remove that piece out of the car completely, gentle tugging from the back, working forward works well.

When I bought my Monte, one of the tabs/clips were broken and the driver side trim piece kept hanging. I was so happy to finally replace it.
 
  #5  
Old 03-04-2012, 03:23 PM
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To the folks who have/had loose trim pieces, do your keyless remotes have a star on the back? I wonder if the poor remote range fix was installed and they had trouble getting the trim back on right. I'm gonna be doing this soon myself and knowing how to remove/reinstall the trim properly would be great.
 

Last edited by ratbuddy; 03-04-2012 at 04:37 PM. Reason: typo
  #6  
Old 03-04-2012, 03:28 PM
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Originally Posted by ratbuddy
To the folks who have/had lose trim pieces, do your keyless remotes have a star on the back?
What does having the star on the back have to do with it?
 
  #7  
Old 03-04-2012, 04:27 PM
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Originally Posted by monte carlo 3831
What does having the star on the back have to do with it?
Star on the back of the remote means the TSB for poor remote range was done on that car, and the new antenna goes under the driver's side a-pillar trim meaning it would have been removed at some point.
 
  #8  
Old 03-04-2012, 05:51 PM
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Originally Posted by ratbuddy
Star on the back of the remote means the TSB for poor remote range was done on that car, and the new antenna goes under the driver's side a-pillar trim meaning it would have been removed at some point.

Good to know, I have the same issues with the a-pillar also and I do have a little star mark on the back of mine, thanks....

How did you find out about the star marking on the remote, just curious, thanks......

I'm curious to see if the others have the same marking or if it's just a coincidence?
 
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Old 03-04-2012, 06:06 PM
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Originally Posted by ratbuddy
Star on the back of the remote means the TSB for poor remote range was done on that car, and the new antenna goes under the driver's side a-pillar trim meaning it would have been removed at some point.
You mean a star inside a triangle on the back of the fob? I do have that on mine as well so this is making some sense now. Sounds like I'm not the only one with this problem with the A-pillar trim.
 
  #10  
Old 03-04-2012, 07:23 PM
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I found it just by googling around wondering why my remote range was so short.. You can see my thread at https://montecarloforum.com/forum/in...diy-fix-33643/ where I link the TSB in the link in the third paragraph. The end of that linked TSB right above the parts list mentions the star on the back of the remotes. My remotes don't have the star, and my remote range is horrible. Seems it might be tricky to get the trim piece to sit right after doing the fix, and I might just end up having a dealer do it. That way I just can go have 'em fix it if they don't properly reseat the trim.
 

Last edited by ratbuddy; 03-04-2012 at 07:27 PM.


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