MR2 Side Vent Removal to drain

I was getting some water sloshing around behind the driver's seat after it had rained. There is a drain hole behind the side vent that gets blocked so this video is an instructional video for how to fix this.
Hope it helps someone else.

[@hutchrt0596]

Please put in title about drain because I searched for a way to do this forever. A year later stumbled on this and never realized it would have been this easy.

[@Stratboy999]

A good tip is to cut a V in the bottom of the flap, I did that with mine and had no problems since.

[@Fonerepublic]

I've now just removed that flap altogether and flushed it through with clean water. I had to shove a cable tie down the hole from the top to start it flowing. Once it started it cleaned it all out eventually.

[@Stratboy999]

+msharif911 I'm sure that will do the trick. No fun having water sloshing around in the twisty bits.

[@stantetreault685]

The little cover will pull off if you wiggle it as little. It is slotted and comes off rather easy. Under neath that is another obstacle that I'm not quite sure how to get around. I pulled the blockage out with a small screw driver and shop vac. I pulled the white body plugs off by squeezing the back tabs together and pulling them out through the front. It makes the installation much easier. No more sloshing!

[@Fonerepublic]

Thanks Stan. I've got to do mine again as that flap seems to retain dirt and debris and cause the blockage. This time I will definitely just get rid of it all together and flush it through with clean water also. Someone did tell me how to remove the whole plastic housing thing from the MR2 Roadster Owners FaceBook page but I can't remember offhand.

[@stantetreault685]

msharif911 I didn't use any tool to pry the cover off, just my hands and I started with the other side. The tabs just slid behind the fender.

[@jamesstewart1305]

@@stantetreault685 that's how I did mine. That way you can slide the top 2 clips off first then lift cover to remove from the bottom vertical clip.

[@youlikethatsideboob]

Saved for posperity.

[@whitecat3131]

Where do you buy those plastic wedges to pull it off from?

[@MasoodSharif911]

It’s called a trim removal tool/kit. Originally intended for removing door panels but work really well where you would normally use a screwdriver to pry something off but these don’t damage the it. I got these on eBay for about £5 a set of 7 or 8 different ones.

[@georgeadams6254]

I've been getting that sloshing on my mk3. What should I search to get a tool like that to ping the cover off? cheers.

[@georgeadams6254]

Don't worry. Just looked through all the other comments and found the answer.

[@MasoodSharif911]

They’re called Trim Removal Tools. More important than that I’d recommend getting some spare clips as they will break.

[@georgeadams6254]

@@MasoodSharif911 Thanks. Are the clips universal or do you know if I'd need a particular type?

[@MasoodSharif911]

@@georgeadams6254 I got mine on eBay. I had to drive around without those covers on for a week before they arrived. I’d only broken a few but I didn’t trust the remaining ones to hold the cover.

[@georgeadams6254]

@@MasoodSharif911 Are you able to look through your order history and send me a link to the product or maybe an equivalent? Don't want to order the wrong thing :/ Thanks.

[@pnsmexico]

You took the vent off to do what again??

[@Fonerepublic]

See my first post, its pretty clear in there. The one about water sloshing around.

[@CJ-pe5dl]

where can you buy those tools?

[@Fonerepublic]

CJ I got mine on eBay. They are called Dash Removal tools. They aren’t specifically for this job, just a general tool to replace using a screwdriver which would obviously cause damage to your paintwork/dash/door card etc.

[@jeffperez4430]

What Year MR2 is that?

[@Fonerepublic]

It's a late 2002.

[@zachhallison2431]

I did mine with a spoon

[@adm2204]

Good job on the spoon but Zidane is best.

[@zachhallison2431]

Lol he is

[@therealslimshady4555]

A spoon done that one in the video 📹

[@therealslimshady4555]

Hi boi u have hands like feet.