Passat wagon trim removal
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Difficulty: 2/5

Introduction

How to remove the passat wagon rear trim for soundproofing, rear shock absorber mount access, or other reasons.

Tools

philips screwdriver
needle nose pliers
thin tip screwdriver
dental pick 
10mm allen wrench

Procedure

Remove the back seatbelt roller cover, no clips, just pull it out.

Remove the rear seat side bolsters.  It's held in place at the bottom with a clip, in the middle with velcro, and at the top with a black knob.  Pull the bolster up at the top to release that knob.  Remove the bottom clip, there's a 10mm nut behind it that you have to remove later.  Below is the underside with the clips/knob circled.

Pull the plastic door sills down and towards the center of the car.  They are held in place with a plastic edge and clip in the middle.  You can either remove it completely for cleaning or just loosen the rear end to loosen the rear trim.

Remove the rear door panels, outlined in green below.  This is the last step before you need tools.

Now remove the rear seat backs.  They are held in place at two points.  The outer edge's pivot is held with a 10mm allen bolt, the inner edge pivot is held with a clip.  To remove the allen wrench end you have to push it back and down since there's a lip to it, pictured below.

The silver part on the outer hinge that you have to push down and back is outlined in green below.

To remove the inner pivot, remove the clip holding it.  Use a thin screwdriver to bend the center lock of the clip out so you can pull out the clip.  You can just bend it back into place when you reinstall it.

The reason why you had to remove the seat backs is not only because it makes it easier to remove the side trim, but also because there are 6 plastic speed nuts that hold down the carpeting.  They unscrew, don't try to pull them off.  When putting them back, you can push them on and then tighten them a few turns.  Remove the carpeting.  Here is a picture of the speed nuts after removal with their locations circled.

If your retractable plastic cargo cover is in place, remove it, 5 phillips screws on each side.

Pry up the rear hatch sill (the one that goes from one end to the other) with a fine screwdriver.  Be careful, the 5 clips can break here!  If they do, just glue them back later.

2 phillips screws hold in the shock cover.  Lay to the side.  Use a dental pick to remove the plastic screw covers.  Use a 10mm socket to remove the thin sheet metal fast nuts and a deep 10mm socket to remove the nut under the seat side bolster that you removed earlier.  There are also a few phillips screws along the edges.  If it doesn't move, look for another screw, don't force it!

There is a snap clip that holds in the carpeting and the end of one trim piece.  There is one hidden screw on the side pillar that holds in the top of the trim piece.

You now have full access to the upper shock bolts or can add soundproofing as desired.

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