Rear hatch panel installation advice

[Zeitgeist 13]

A while back I removed my rear hatch panel while hunting for the ground wire from the latch mechanism. All four of the plastic upper clips had come off the panel and were still in the steel receivers in the hatch, and I assume they had been like this for a while. I glued them back onto the panel by using the glue footprint from the factory as my guide, but now I'm wondering if I oriented them correctly. I'm attempting to reinstall the panel but I can't figure out how to possibly get the clips to engage with the receivers...all the while holding the piece over my head and not swearing like a drunken sailor.

Has anyone else faced this issue or have some tips for getting this thing reinstalled?
_________________
Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[Zeitgeist 13]

I just stumbled upon this thread which explains that it might be a two person job. I think I re-glued those clips correctly, though I have no idea how to verify.

http://forums.mwerks.com/showthread.php?6988293-2003-Eurovan-tailgate-trim
_________________
Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[jjvincent]

The rear panel is a PIA to reinstall by yourself. I find that with two people, it's much easier.

[vwjoel]

So, does anyone know if the thin "J" clips should be glued near the center of the panel or the thicker "K" clips?

[Zeitgeist 13]

I re-glued the J clips in the center, but then again I'm still unable to reinstall the hatch, so perhaps I have it backwards.
_________________
Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[Jgueld]

Had to do this a few times. For single person installation the trick is to partially remove the plastic side trim on the rear window - these are held in with clips. With the side trim hanging off the window, one can push the rear panel under the side trim to get the right angle for the panel clips to engage. This worked well for me.

[markcm2]

I just bought one of the Sony XAV-AX100 Single DIN head units with 6" display and I'm considering installing a back up camera.

Are there any additional tips and tricks or instructions for removing the rear hatch door interior panel on the 2001-2003 eurovan weekender?

[markcm2]

I came up with this for removing the eurovan rear hatch interior trim panel:

[IdeaNerd]

Any tips for getting the screws that hold the rear curtain rod in place to reliably thread back in? I find them quite resistant at times.

[Zeitgeist 13]

[elise111]

Thought I would add my recent experience putting the tailgate panel back in. I tried the VW service manual ‘wedge’ approach as previously listed in this thread. It didn’t work for me- the plastic clips got wedged instead of pushing the wedges out. Maybe my wedges were too blunt. In any case plan B worked.

I used small wood blocks, between 3/8 and 1/2in thick, so 7/16. These were put on the sides, see pic. Thickness and placement of the blocks is important- the right balance to project the metal clip far enough but still be able to be pushed out when the plastic clip engages the metal clip.

The string in the pic is to be able to fish out the spacers after they pop out and fall into the now nearly closed tailgate cavity. As someone else mentioned, mounting the panel needs to be done with the hatch as closed as possible so the weight of the panel doesn’t pry the plastic clips off. A helper is needed to do this. Screw in the 4 side screws while in this position.

As for glue, I didn’t have good results with 2 part epoxy sticking to the remaining old VW adhesive. Someone else mentioned JP Weld and that worked for me, even though it seems it is some variant of a 2 part epoxy.

[IdeaNerd]

I haven't had much "van work" work time in this past year and that will likely continue for quite a while, but when I do eventually get back to it, one of the things I want to do is make custom trim/cards for many/most of the interior panels on one or both of our vans (for both aesthetic and storage-related reasons).

Related to that, these little plastic "trim clips" drive me crazy -- always breaking, either directly or by coming loose from whatever they're supposed to be anchored to. I usually come away from the process (of pulling one off and reinstalling it) feeling like the method of attachment is a rather pathetic arrangement. Does anybody else feel that way?