CaveVan Forum

VW T4 "Eurovans" => Interior! => Topic started by: Spencer Allen on September 21, 2016, 11:40:29 am

Title: How do you remove hatch panel
Post by: Spencer Allen on September 21, 2016, 11:40:29 am

I need to repair my rear washer wiper nozzle on my 02 weekender but not sure how to remove interior panel and what tools to use. Will I need new fasteners or will the ones in there now be reusable?Any help or photos would be appreciated.
Spencer
02MVWK

Title: Re: How do you remove hatch panel
Post by: robinson1509 on November 16, 2016, 04:30:41 pm

Remove the 2 strap screws(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161116/edb8990fc6540e5518429fd37c179ed1.jpg)lift the strap to disengage the strap hook(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161116/4719f4a6b6bc5f19b6754479e88d1b5d.jpg)remove the 6 small screws on the very top of the plastic trim pices(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161116/693650064d0f6e68043ab9a287b98526.jpg)the sides of the plastic trim are held on with clips.(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161116/f777a39dd32340f8ad4b310eef9b673b.jpg)the bottom card has 6 screws 2 on the side and 4 on the bottom.(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161116/605fbe0568439bc4e3af43c3d7e8e955.jpg)and the card lifts up to disengage clips. The clips are glued on the card with weak glue and they may come off. Hot glue is the best way to fasten the clips. (http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161116/a9ebfe35da0e109bd14c44eee6200ee6.jpg)
(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161116/86b7bbd86a991f8d0f7bed6dd3b3a0d0.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171003/9268b1b39d3a94bff7955675da69c3d8.jpg)

Title: Re: How do you remove hatch panel
Post by: peter.haug@roadrunner.com on August 12, 2017, 12:17:14 am

I found getting the panel off fairly reasonable, getting it back on was a real challenge.  A few things I learned that worked for me-
1.  Epoxy the plastic clips back on.  Clean the clips and the panel with isopropyl alcohol before gluing.  Note that the clips have different thickness because the panel and the hatch have some curvature.  I used the witness marks of the glue to figure out which clip went where.
2.  The metal clips on the hatch are impossible to engage when trying to slide the panel back on the hatch.  My solution was to cut small 1/2in spacers to pry the metal clips open enough to engage the plastic clips during reassembly.  I made little 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/4 spacers on the table saw, and used two per metal clip.  I put them in ever so slightly so that when the panel was slid in, the epoxied plastic clips knocked the spacers out while they engaged the metal clips.  See attached pic.  I actually had to make larger spacers than shown in the pic.  The pic was 3/8in and those weren't enough.