Mk1 Technical : Buzzing interior temp sensor removal

Hi all,

I just got a Kuga Mk1 and its a great car so far. The only issue is a buzzing sound in the cabin which I have isolated to the cabin temperature sensor (beneath the wheel near your knee on a LHD).

I saw some advice about trying WD40 But all it did was change the tone slightly so planning to swap it out for a used low mileage part (part #: 3m5t-19c734-ab if anyone needs it).

I had a tried removing the plastic starting from the bottom and you can pull if off beneath the steering wheel But as you move up towards the centre console and the temperature vent it seems more solid.

  

Any ideas on the best way to get enough room to get a hand in there and pull out the sensor ? there is barely enough room to get fingers between the wheel and plastic to get leverage. I dont want to snap anything and dont know if its held there by the push-on tabs like at the bottom or if there is hidden screws somewhere.

Is it just brute-force pulling the plastic or is there a better way ? it seems to be one solid bit of plastic running all the way around the gear stick to the other side.

The other option might be to go via removing the stereo..

Any advice appreciated!