1. Prepare the car. Put on safety glasses, if desired. Set the parking brake. Shift the transmission into "Park" or 1st gear. Turn the ignition key to the "Off" position.
2. Remove the shift knob. If your Legacy has an automatic transmission, unscrew the shift knob by turning it counterclockwise by hand. If your car has a manual transmission, lift up the shift boot and unscrew the shift knob with a 12mm wrench.
3. Remove the front cupholder insert. Pull up on the rear edge of the cupholder insert to pop it out of the center console.
4. Remove the two trim pieces. On either side of the shift lever, there are two trim pieces that must be removed. Use a flat-head screwdriver or pry tool to carefully pry up these trim pieces, starting from the rear and working your way forward.
5. Remove the screws holding the center console. Underneath the trim pieces, there are two Phillips head screws that must be removed. Use a screwdriver to remove these screws.
6. Pull up on the rear of the center console to remove it. Once all of the screws are removed, gently lift the rear of the center console up and pull it towards you.
7. Unplug any connectors. There may be electrical connectors attached to the center console that need to be unplugged. These usually have a small tab or button that can be pressed to release the connector from the harness.
8. Remove the armrest, cupholder, and emergency brake boot. The armrest, cupholder, and emergency brake boot are now separated from the center console. To access the emergency brake boot, simply lift it off of the shift boot collar.
Re-installation is essentially the reverse order of removal.
