I trying to remove the driver's side rear plastic trim panel to get access to the small storage area. I seem to have hit a snag. How do I remove that metal rod that the back seat latches to? Or do I even have to remove this in order to remove the big trim piece? Here's a picture of what I'm talking about.

 

look in the center of it, it takes a torx bit, unsure of what size, or if you dont have those, find a allen wrecch that fits well, or all else fails, vice grips around the head of it.

Kevin

 

it's a T-47. Get a torx bit that size attach it to a ratchet and turn counter clock wise. should take less than a minute.

 

Thanks for the help! Funny thing is I did try that at first, but couldn't get it to break loose so I thought there was a different way to remove it. Hopefully I can manage to get it out this time.

 

I had to use a 1/2 drive breaker bar to get mine loose

 

When reinstalling retorque to 1000 foot pounds.

Just kidding!

 

I am pretty sure thats the spare tire compartment your talking about isnt it? If you are planning on taking your spare and jack out I have a word of advice, DONT. I have gutted the entire back and it was the hardest thing I have done yet but maybe its just my car.

 

I am pretty sure he is referring to the drivers side rear cargo box.....
Davebird84 is right.... Torx Bolt T47, and i thought it was 2000 ft lbs of torque.....

 

My bad, your right. I believe theres one of those on each side of the interior and on the left side is the storage box and the right side is the spare tire area. By the way what do you need to access this box for?

 

mine only has it on the passenger side because I only have one latch to fold the back seat down.I believe newer third gens had 2 ,1 on each side because there was a latch on both sides of the back seats,Or maybe only split rears get 2 of those .Whatever the case I only have one

 

??? Gutting the interior is not that difficult..

 

:werd: ..... I have had the interior out of all of the 3rd gens I have owned. No probs here....

 

No you misunderstood what I said. What I said was that after having gutted the entire interior out the hardest part was getting that goddam spare tire crap out because of a bad screw. It is very easy, the only other problem I have so far is that tire compartment is rusted through and a nut on the front struts wwould not come off.

 

ahh... I get you know... I know what you mean, I hate it when I cant get a nut off.

 

For that nut on the front struts we started wwith a powerful impact wrench, wd40, then a wrench and hammer, and finally we have to go to a 4 foot long ratchet arm about as thick as a half dollar. Pain in the *** to say the least.

 

Once you take it all apart a few times its cake mine is a shell but getting it all back together nice is a different story

 

Well once I got them off I took the thread to a wire wheel and cleaned them up and made sure to use something to smooth it up.

 

I think the hardest part about removing the panel is not breaking the plastic hatch screws!

 

Out of all the interior the only panel that ever gives me problems in the A-pillar covers.