The lock in the cargo hatch of my 2003 Honda Pilot is loose and wobbles around – you have to really slam the door hard to get it to engage, and it rattles. I went to Autozone and showed it to them, and the guy pulled the trim molding out slightly and retrieved two short screws with large flat heads. Said I needed to remove the trim panel and put the screws back in. So – how do I remove the trim panel so I can do this? Do I need specialized tools, and is this something I can do myself?
Interior trim usually is held in by clips that “pop” into a hole and sometimes a screw or two. Yes, you can do it yourself. Be careful pulling on the panel and feel around to pull close to the clip. You can also buy cheap plastic trim pry tools at Harbor Freight to help. Buy some threadlocker like Loctite (medium strength blue should do) to put on those hatch screws so they don’t fall out again.
You can use this tool to lift the door card off the clips. It’s only $6 at Auto Zone.
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Help-Door-trim-removal-tool//N-26i9?itemIdentifier=103001_0_0
I have one and use it for my cars. You can also use a flat blade screw driver or a putty knife, but this tool works better. If you need to get into the door, you will have to pull the plastic water shield back to get your hands inside. Just pull back as much as you need and then reseal the plastic on the tarry stuff it was originally stuck to.