On 18/08/2020 12:04, Dave N wrote:
Our toaster (a cheap 12 year old Philips model HL-5224) has died and
I've been looking at taking it apart in case there's a simple repair
possible such as fixing a loose connection.

Depends how it fails. The last one to go on me the magic smoke a huge
bang and shower of sparks came out after the element blew and the then
much shorter live loose end sub element touched earth.

Can anyone suggest how to remove the cover without breaking it, or am
I on to a loser?

You need to figure out exactly how they put it together and work back.

Chances are the right screwdriver head and sufficient torque will get it
or sheer off the head to allow you to get in. The chances of a
successful repair are slim and a cost effective one even slimmer.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown