Got two bubbles, and another successful replacement, with the help of Chad from ReelDeal. Excellent customer service!
Some notes from my repair may be repetitious, but here goes:
- Find out first if you have a Gen 1 or Gen 2 screen, using Chad's link here.
- A pool of adhesive had leaked out, even though only two very small bubbles appeared on the screen.
- Goo Gone helps with adhesive clean up.
- On a Gen 1 screen, the large wire harness rotates 90 degrees to release AFTER you press on the small tab on the top of the harness to allow it to rotate. The wiring harnesses on this car are very simple and robust, ONCE you figure them out!
- Inflatable air pump to lift dash is not required, but is the right tool for the job.
- A ratcheting torx screwdriver is sufficient, for the T15 screws.
- Set the steering wheel to the outmost and lowest position.
- Tape up the silver trim around the MCU and instrument cluster.
- This repair also teaches you how to disassemble a large part of the left side of the dash, for future repairs.
Using a quote of $1,600 from the Service Center, and $300 in parts, I saved $1,300 for two hours of labor. At $650 per hour for my time, this is equivalent to a salary job making $1.3 million per year. I'll take that labor rate for my time.
Also, a big shout out to xAgyex for post #162 in this thread, with very detailed photos and explanation. Thanks.