Help! I feel like the biggest dope ever! I recently bought a 1996 Subaru Legacy station wagon and one of the first things I wanted to do to it was to remove the mediocre Subaru factory radio and replace it with my kickin' aftermarket model. However, when I went to try to do it yesterday, I was unable to get the old radio out because I couldn't get the lower center trim piece off. I felt like such a spazz that I went and got the damn Haynes book for the car, but even with its directions, I still couldn't figure it out. There must be a screw or a clip or something that I'm missing somewhere. Could you please hold my hand and walk me through this procedure, step by step? Thanks.

Starting at the center console cover, lift it up, and you shoud see 2 screws on either side of the latch for the lid. Remove those, and the piece covering the ebrake comes off. The piece with the shifter surround will pull out next, remove the shift knob to take it completely out of the way or rotate it a 1/4 turn so that you have a little room to work.

You will either have a pocket and power socket or an ashtray and lighter. Remove the pocket/ashtray and the underside of the top of that recess has 2 screws holding the radio surround in. They hold up part of the ashtray mechanism if you have it, along with one more screw at the back. A stubby philips head screwdriver is needed to take out the top screws. Just loosen the screw at the back of the recess, you do not need to remove it. Take out the metal slide for the ashtray if applicable.

Now open the cupholder. At the back is a button that will let you remove it from the dash. Remove the two screws on either side of the of the cupholder pocket and remove the pocket. Pop the top piece of trim that surrounds the HVAC controls up to clear for the top tabs of the radio bezel. This should let you remove the radio bezel. It can sometimes be a pain to get the lighter to come out of the dash without forcing it. Unplug the lighter wiring. There are 4 screws around the opening and two that are recessed farther back. Removing them should get your radio out of the dash. Good luck!.

 

Edit: Here's a link with some pics. http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89&highlight=legacy+outlet%2A