Relocating a/c-heat controls - upper shelf area?

I am new to the Renn forums...just purchased an '02 (996) C4S with 26K miles...yes, my first Porsche...fun! I have seen a good number number of posts regarding moving the the a/c-heat controls to the lowest shelf in the lower center console, as part of an aftermarket Nav installation...but I have *not* seen a part number for a trim panel piece if I want the a/c-heat in the *upper* shelf area (just one spot up from the lowest center console area). I have done several searches trying to discover any photo or mention of this on the rennlist and renntech forums, all to no avail. Is anyone aware of this as a possibility, finding an OEM trim piece for putting the a/c controls in the upper shelf area (of the lower console)? Part number? Thanks!

Welcome. This topic has been discussed in the past so if you use the search feature, you should find what you are looking for. Bottom line, check out the Bumperplugs.com site (Rennlist sponsor). They will have what you need.

Thanks for this, ML. The problem is that all the searches I have done for this site show the lowest shelf as the *only* possibility, including going over to the Gallery page of the Bumperplugs folks. One other poster (Jimmer23) has asked the same question as me (in one of the turbo areas), and there hasn't been a clear-cut answer there, either. My question remains unanswered, unfortunately.

first and formost, nice car! only because i just bought a 2002 C4S also! i want to know this option as well, since i want to remove the stupid cd holders and put the ac controls there.

As far as I know, when I asked the dealer, the cubby hole wont fit in the bottom slot. I relocated the AC controls to the bottom, and put my CD storage (almost useless) in the middle slot and did a double din in the dash....I dont think there is a bezel for the controls in the middle either.

NP996, Here is a photo of my current arrangement, which includes two cubbys...so your dealer may have been, uhhhm, mistaken! <no photo!> Okay, now I see that I don't have enough posts under my belt to be allowed to post a photo...what a strange forum rule! I was getting ready to take some photos of my new '02 996 C4S coupe to post, but I guess that would be futile right now. Anyway, I have two open bins in the "stack" (if that is the correct term), since I knew I would never use the CD-storage bin. I think my only chance to have the climate controls located in the upper bin/cubby area is to simply cut-down the height on the exisiting trim piece...we'll see if I can get the cut edges clean enough for attractive use. If this fails, then I'll just do what everyone else has done, and not real loss, since the original trim piece would just be discarded, anyway. Thanks to all, -- LEP

thats a possibility or my memory could be off....but call a dealer and ask them, I was told it could not be done, the exact reason, not sure it was a few years ago, but there is a reason everyone has the controls at the bottom and NO ONE has them in the middle....let us know if you find a solution....

The only reason that I can think of that everyone re-locates the climate controls to the lower spot is that Porsche doesn't make the proper trim piece to fit the upper spot! I will definitely be cutting the existing trim piece to give this a try, and I will check with Eric at Bumperplugs (I also can't yet list complete URLs, as a new poster here...strange!) to see if they can do this work...I don't have a bandsaw! -- LEP

or it could be something in the routing of the wires. It was a tight fit getting them tho the lower location, and the connectors are long and large....it could be that there is no room behind that upper slot for the connectors. It may not just be a bezel piece. Porsche usually doesnt do things "just because". The engineering behind these cars is amazing and everything is in a place for a reason...I found this out by working on them in the past 4 years or so. Between my 986 and now my 996, almost everything is logically thought out. Keep us posted.