Used to pull every dashboard by hand, finally broke down and got a trim tool set
I spent my first six years in this trade prying dash panels off with a flathead and a rag, and I cracked a customer's radio bezel on a 2013 Civic that cost me $180 to replace out of my own pocket. About four months ago I dropped $46 on a plastic trim tool kit at the parts store down on Grand Ave, and I have not put a scratch on a panel since. Last month alone I pulled three dashboards for heater cores and every clip came out clean, no snapped tabs, no glue. The old way was me guessing where the hidden screws were and yanking until something gave. Now I pop the panel, look at the back, and see every clip before I touch it. Any of you still doing it the hard way, or did you switch over too?