Need Help ASAP - Removing Rear Hat (Deck) Lid
 

Hey, all, my buddy and I started the install on my car audio system this evening in my A6, and we're trying to build a shelf underneath the rear deck lid in the trunk as a few other members have. We're trying to remove the interior rear deck lid in order to mount some hardware into some 2x4s in the trunk. I'm going to do a search, but time is limited and thought somebody might have something off the top off their head. We already removed the side rear bolsters and 3 other screws about in the middle from inside the trunk underneath the deck lid. We see the 3 tabs underneath as well, and it looks like there are 2 beefy tabs on either side through one of the peep holes underneath. We took a run at them, but seems like they're not budging. Any ideas?

Boston Driver has written excellent instructions. Search for rear shelf and look at the registry
 

in his sig.

Basically, the C and D pillars and the rear seat all have to come out.

Thanks for the info, BD!

You have to remove the rear seat-backs and the C/D pillar trim...<lots more and with pics!>
 

<b>D-pillar trim removal</b>

You have to remove D-pillar trim, which spans from the B-pillar to the lower corner of the rear window.
<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/D-pillar_1.jpg"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/th_D-pillar_1.jpg"></a>

Remove the little "AIRBAG" trim on the upper B-pillar trim to reveal a T-25 torx bolt that has to be removed.
<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/D-pillar_2.jpg"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/th_D-pillar_2.jpg"></a>

Then, remove the coat hanger. With the coat hanger pivoted to the open position, use a philips head screwdriver to remove the screw.
<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/D-pillar_3.jpg"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/th_D-pillar_3.jpg"></a>

Now remove the coat hanger block to reveal another T-25 torx bolt. Remove that bolt.
<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/D-pillar_4.jpg"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/th_D-pillar_4.jpg"></a>

Remove the rear grab handles by removing the T-25 torx bolts hidden under the square caps that you can see when the handle is down. Just use a thin screwdriver to open those caps, and you will see the two bolts hidden under there.
<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/D-pillar_5.jpg"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/th_D-pillar_5.jpg"></a>

Then, Looking at the rearward grab handle hole, you will see a brass colored washer.
<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/D-pillar_6.jpg"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/th_D-pillar_6.jpg"></a>

Grab that with some pliers, and pull hard toward the front of the car. You should feel it pop.
<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/D-pillar_7.jpg"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/th_D-pillar_7.jpg"></a>

Then just pull the trim away from the car frame, toward the center of the car, to release the single metal clips located just below/rearward of the clip you release with the cable. This picture below shows the clip that was released with the cable glued to the brass washer. Using pliers, remove that from the slot in the car's frame so you can reinstall it in the D-pillar trim.
<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/D-pillar_8.jpg"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/th_D-pillar_8.jpg"></a>

<b>C/D-pillar trim removal</b>

This trim piece is the triangle trim around the triangle window, and is what actually retains those BIG curved tabs of the rear deck. Along rearward edge of the C/D-pillar trim, you should see a few T-25 torx bolts tucked up there, maybe hidden by the side curtain airbag. You can see them in the pic below, just below the airbag. Remove those bolts, and then pull toward the center of the car to release the metal clips.
<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/D-pillar_9.jpg"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/th_D-pillar_9.jpg"></a>

<b>Rear seat removal</b>

The rear seat has to be removed because the outboard shoulder belts go through the rear shelf. Poor design IMHO. Here is a post I did about the <a href="https://forums.audiworld.com/a6/msgs/522030.phtml">rear seat removal.</a>

With the rear seatback removed, also release the lower anchor points of the outboard seatbelts. With the side bolsters (the side cushions closest to the rear doors), use a 17mm socket to remove the lower anchor bolt for each outboard seatbelt.
<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/Seatbelt_1.jpg"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/th_Seatbelt_1.jpg"></a>

The seatbelts then can be fed down through the holes in the rear shelf. Remove the plastic caps that cover the holes, pictured below. Careful with those plastic caps that cover the hole in the rear shelf...they break easily. However, if you break them, they are cheap to replace (about $2 each...I broke one oops!). Just use a small screwdriver and gently pry the tabs just below the slot where the seatbelt passes through, and under the seatbelt guide show in this pic.
<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/Seatbelt_2.jpg"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/th_Seatbelt_2.jpg"></a>

<b>Rear shelf removal</b>

If you have the rear sunshade, there are three bolts underneath the rear shelf, I think T-25 torx bolts, that must be removed.
<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/Rear_shelf_1.jpg"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/th_Rear_shelf_1.jpg"></a>

In addition, there are three metal clips along the forward edge of the shelf that are released by pulling toward the front of the car. If you do not have the rear sunshade, the three bolts are not there, but instead, three metal clips are hidden, and are easily released when you release the front clips previously mentioned.
Sorry, no pic of those clips or the rear shelf removed, but here is the under-frame of the shelf, and you can see one of the slots where the metal clip was located on the forward edge of the rear shelf.
<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/Rear_shelf_2.jpg"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/th_Rear_shelf_2.jpg"></a>

Voila! Done! Just be careful not to pinch any of the antenna connections along the driver side D-pillar, and be mindful of the tabs along the rear edge of the shelf when you re-install. At night, with an interior light shining in the car, you can use the reflection seen in the rear window to line up the tabs for proper re-installation. you can see the slots for the rear shelf tabs along the bottom of the rear window in this pic below.
<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/rear_shelf_3.jpg"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/th_rear_shelf_3.jpg"></a>

Also, there are two tabs along the lower edge of the D-pillar which must feed into slots along the outward edge of the rear shelf. Sorry, no pics of that one.

Hope this helps!!!

I've nearly done everything on this car and THAT is a firkin bear. I gave up on it when I
 

was trying to take mine out for my tint dude.

Turns out he was a pro and didn't need it out anyway.

The rear shelf is not too bad for tint guys unless you have the rear sunshade...
 

the shelf with the OEM power sunshade adds about 1n inch to the height of the shelf on the erar half, and it's a bit akward to work all the bubbles out of the tint with that thing in the way. My tint guy did not mind, and I was reluctant to pull that thing out again. MAJOR PITA!!!

Thanks BD!!! We were about to scrap trying to remove the shelf all together..
 

We hit a brick wall on this last night, so we were about ready to scrap it all together and use some L brackets, but this just might give us renewed hope...or headaches!!! We were going to try to secure the amp shelf from up above the shelf going down in order to make it a little cleaner. We almost have the amp shelf done. Just need to finish carpeting it. Took some pics of it last night and will have to post them later.

Glad I could help, and as far as securing the shelf from above...<edited>
 

should be no problem. From the pic of the rear deck with the shelf trim removed, you can see that there are lots of holes, etc already there, but it should be no problem if you need to drill soemthing new. Just make sure you can get at the 3 torx bolts to re-secure the sunshade (if you have the sunshade).

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v739/hliu55/sunshade/Rear_shelf_2.jpg">

Be VERY careful no to pich any wires or damage the antenna connections that run up the side of the window when moving around stuff back there. In the pic above, you can see ont he left side of the pic along the botom of the window a wire for the parktronic speaker. More on that one later...

I had to remove the shelf from my 2.7T to get the sunshade out, the non-shade decjk from the 4.2 to install into the 2.7T, then install both decks in the cars. I then realized that I (by mistake) cut the wire connector for the 3rd brake light in the 2.7T, thinking it was a connector for the sunshade, so I had to pull the shelf again to re-run wires for the 3rd brake light. Fun times!

Luckily, I pre-ran wires for the rear sunshade when I initially installed the shelf in the 4.2. I NEVER wanted to go through that again!!! however, remember that wire I mentioned for the parktronic? Bingo, pinched, and I had to pull the shelf AGAIN to fix the wire!!!