Has anyone removed the plastic trim over the rear strut brace & shock towers? I was thinking there's alot of plastic there for what I would expect to be a pretty thin bar of metal. Removal might buy a little extra cargo room. Anyone know what's under there or the most efficient way to take it off?

 

IRC -- it's not a thin bar. More of an solid looking support brace that fills out the plastic cover. I am sure someone has pics.

If I did not like the look of it so much -- I would take the plastic off for the weight savings.

 

yea, taking it off doesnt save you any room, its a huge bar, not a thin one like you'd expect =)

 

You have to remove the trunk side panels 1st, then then the panel that borders the rubber insulation of the hatchback(panels closest to where trunk meets hatchback). All the panels to the cross brace will snap off. Use a flathead screw driver to wedge the snap-on's out, or you'll brake the panel. It is primarily held on with snap attachments.