Failed Buttons on Corolla HVAC Panel

[jd]

Make

Toyota

Model

Corolla Versa German Built

Year

2008

Miles

145000 KM

Engine

2.2 Turbo Diesel

German Built Corolla like nothing I've ever seen. Great diesel power, 6-speed manual, THIRD ROW seating, keyless entry, power windows and locks, cruise and to this issue: Dual Zone Air Conditioning. Corolla!
This pic is the HVAC Panel in the center of the dash above the console.
Problem is: The top two right hand buttons are loose and dead. Button just wiggles and pushing down feels like there's no switch or cotacts below it. Navigation/Entertainment screen above it. There are parting lines above and below, extending down the edges. This makes me the Bezel comes off, and there might be visible evidence of the problem under it.
Can you help get the Bezel off, before I just pry with questionable outcome?
Can you offer any advise about this HVAC control's Bad Buttons?
I can only imagine and hope some of this is similar to other Toyota models.

As always, THANKS!!!

 

[jd]

Seems my pix went away,,, will re-load tomorrow,,, I also think it's VersO not the VersA I posted.

HEADS UP! Mother's Day tomorrow!!!

 

[jd]

Can't seem to edit the OP, so here is a pic of the Panel


Hey, If you're Admin, nothing was wrong at BAT. I lost my WiFi/WLAN connection right as I was trying to post the pic.
I'm ready to go pry, carefully, and see if I can get that trim off. I'm hoping something came off the back of a button, leaving an actually working switch underneat,

 

[jd]

Armed with Spatula, Table Knife, and Gerber "Dime" multitool, I went a-prying after Church and Lunch. Found I could pry the Bottom of that HVAC panel away from the Dashboard, but not the Top. Discovered I could pry the panel with Start/Stop and an A/C vent from the driver side, and a corresponding one with Power Outlet and an A/C vent on the passenger side. This revealed a screw on each top corner. You can see them in the photo. Then two multi-pin plugs. There must be 20 wires to this thing! Here"s Dash with HVAC Panel out. Note the otherwise hidden row of white relay otherwise hidden.

So, what came out was a complete control module, not just a bezel off the top. Made in Hungary by the way... Inside the house on a towel over the dining table, it came apart in layers. Scary part was that flat white ribbon cable. It doesn't have connectors at the ends. Instead, what looks like a connector squeezes it into contact. I really thought it wouldn't connect again properly and take out the whole HVAC system.
yThe two screws securing the module to the dash showed signs of being removed and installed several times. When I took the layers apart, black plastic chips came out. That white piece is actually three pieces, and the end related to the failed buttons was also broken in two. There's a third piece, hard to see in the photo since I caught it on edge, holds the display and the actual switches. Five screws through that third piece hold it against the white piece and that sets up the right clearance for the buttons. Of the five, two screws were replaced with larger ones and another was stripped in the plastic. Worse, one of the larger screws had totally broken its boss off of the black plastic. THIS WAS THE PROBLEM! Switches were OK, and I was able to pull the white piece back into position. Did this by melting a hole in the black part with a heated nail. and driving a longer screw.

Once assembled, ribbon cable pinched back into its connector, the buttons felt better. Slack was out of all buttons and we could feel the switches being pushed.

Only took about 10 mics to reinstall into the car. Two connectors, two screw is, push the side pieces back into place (no screws in them) and cranked up the little diesel. ALL HVAC CONTROL FUNCTIONS RESTORED!!! Left me emotionally drained. So much risk to be thousands of miles away possibly crippling the family's only vehicle. But GLORY BE, it worked!

Daughter's Mother's Day Present!

 

[Mobile Dan]

To get to the mountaintop, you must risk the dangers of narrow paths along a precipice. Bravery and skill combined, enjoy the view to which you climbed!

 

[jd]

Car falls outside the "imports" definition in BAT, but I thought somebody might be able to help, or at least enjoy the adventure. Some of this odd stuff can actually be fixed not simply replaced. I'd hate to see the price of that part! There'd been trouble there before, from all the broken plastic and stripped holes I found. That, and somebody before me had glued little pieces of felt to the three switches opposite the ones I worked on, to regain touch to the buttons. I had to add spacers too, hole punched out of self adhesive plastic from furniture drawer stops.

I love your analogy to a Climb! I had a heart surgery in 2007. In 2012, somebody asked how I felt afterwards. I said that in 2011 I visited Mount Lassen in California. The peak of what's left of Lassen after a major eruption is 12500 feet. Parking lot is at 8500, and hikers should plan 3-5 hours up and back. I was up and back in 3, and while I was up there, I got to look DOWN on a plane threading its way through the passes. I enjoyed that View VERY MUCH!!!

Have a great rest of the week!