Why do we have a leak in our 3 door hatch where the back seat on the drivers side is very wet we have taken out the seat and removed the plastic trim from the boot we still can't find where it is coming from has anybody any ideas?

I remember VW used to have their heater core under the back seats. When the core goes bad, all the water in your radiator leaks under the back seat floor mats. I'm not sure if this is the case, but does your heater work? Do you smell a maple-like odor under the seats? Do you keep filling the radiator a lot? Real puzzle.
Or, it may be coming from under the seats. Water from rainy days may be coming in from under the body. Check if you can see daylight under the seats: Place a high beam light source under the car and see if you can see the light from the inside. It is really a mystery if this isn't the cause.

Unfortunately, the 04 Golf does not have a back-up release lever on the inside of the trunk lid so there are only a few options. You can try and get the trunk motor/latch to work again or remove the plastic trim on the inside of the hatch to gain access to the inner workings.

The trunk latch is released by a electric motor when you press the release button on the drivers door or by holding down the trunk release button on the remote. If you can hear the electric motor in the hatch moving when trying either of these methods, then your problem is most likely a broken plastic lever that connects the motor to the latch.

Some Golf/GTI models had a lock cylinder in the exterior handle on the hatch that can be used to gain access to your interior.

If none of these methods are working for you, then the last resort is to climb into the interior and remove the trim from the back of the hatch. There are screws tucked into the grab handle pockets on the trim that need to be removed before pulling the plastic off (the trim panel is held on with metal spring-like clips that sometimes come off the plastic and stay on the hatch and can easily be removed from the hatch and re-installed onto the plastic trim.

Hope this gives you a good place to start.

This is all the Bentley shows:


Location: Driver's side door trim in storage compartment.

Removing:

- Remove driver's side door trim:
Repair Manual, Body Interior, Repair Group 70 - Unplug connectors.



Carefully disengage catches -arrows-.
- Press switch for interior monitoring and towing protection -1- or trunk release switch -2- out of trim toward rear.

Installing

Installation is carried out in the reverse order.



Remove trunk lid lock.

Repair Manual, Body Exterior, Repair Group 55
- Use a flat screwdriver to pry plastic tab -3- off retaining pins -1-.
- Bend plastic tab fully to rear.
- Pull contact switch -2- first sideways and then up and out of trunk lid lock.

Installing

Install in reverse order, paying attention to the following:

Note:

Make sure that washers are correctly seated between plastic tab and trunk lid lock.

see if this helps

1. Remove the rear trim screw.

1. Remove the lower trim screw.

1. Release the side trim front retaining clip.
2. Pull the lumbar mechanism out slightly from the seat.
3. Push down and pull out, releasing the side trim front retaining clip.
4. CAUTION: Take care when removing the side trim cover. Excessive force will break the mounting tabs.

Release the side trim from the mounting bracket.

1. Disconnect the seat control switch electrical connector.

Front Door Panel - Town Car - Removal
CAUTION: To avoid breakage of door pull cover(s), insert a screwdriver diagonally between pull strap and chrome bracket. Snap out both sides then remove.

Snap out two door pull strap retaining screw covers. Remove screws.

Remove two screws on front and rear side of front door trim panel.
The following procedure must be used during removal and installation of the door armrest and trim panel. Refer to the appropriate illustrations for component and vehicle model identification.
Using the Trim Pad Removing Tool from Rotunda Windshield and Moulding/Trim Removal Kit 107-R0401 or equivalent, pry the trim panel retaining clips from the door inner panel.

NOTE: Do not use front door trim panel (23942) to remove trim clips from door inner panel. Replace any bent, damaged or missing push pins.

Remove window regulator control switch housing from back of front door trim panel . Lift up housing, remove retaining screws and disconnect all connectors.

Disconnect driver seat regulator control processor switch (driver door only) if equipped.
Twist out interior lamp wire assembly and remove the front door trim panel.
Installation

Ensure plastic watershield is secured to door panel.
Position front door trim panel to door. Connect interior lamp wiring.
Position the window regulator control switch housing and connect switch connectors. Install the retaining screws.
Connect driver seat regulator control processor (14C708) (driver door only) if equipped.
Align door lock side to its mating slide on the sheet metal (front doors only).
Snap in front door trim panel. Ensure all retainers fit properly.
Install two retaining screws on front and rear side of front door trim panel .
Install two retaining screws and pull strap covers.

Good luck Remember rated this).

We had same--water on driver side rear floor (soaked!). Driver side front floor seemed dry until feeling UNDER rug, was slightly damp. We found the location of TWO leaks causing this.

Leak #1 was through the parking brake line/cable seal; Recaulked with silicone. Removed plastic trim on floor between floor and door to reveal metal channel filled with water.

Leak #2 was where the door meets the car, near the hinge. It was the accordian-looking tube housing the wiring for the door. The big, rubber, circular plug connecting it to the main part of the car had come loose and water ran down through that, into the SAME metal channel filled with water from leak #1; will seal with silicone.

Note: We found that the channel filled extensively near the front door, BUT the carpet edge from the floor near the rear seat was dipping into it, wicking it up to the rear floor. Also, upon acceleration, the water in the channel gushed toward the back, thus soaking the rear carpet.

These leaks were found by removing all plastic trim (covering edges of carpet by doors), then one of us pouring water into specific areas of the exterior of the vehicle, and the other one watching closely with a flashlight for any signs of dripping.

by the door handle remove plastic trim atatched with veltcro start removing plastic clips with a clip remover some might break as some are meant to break when taken off

I just bought the part last week for 61.76 from the dealership. It takes about two hours to unscrew the strap from the inside, remove trim from the inside starting at the top, sides and bottom. Remove the license plate from the outside of the hatch. Next remove the 8 bolts (10mm)and 3 white plastic tabs that snap on from the large black plate and move to the side (you don't need to disconnect the wires). From here you can reach around the rear window unit and open the door by moving the latch or pulling the cable. You should remove the 4 nuts that hold on the rear window assembly and move the to reach two nuts which holds the center portion of the trim piece you are trying to remove. There should be a plastic piece covering the cable and latch, it just pops off by pulling it straight out. There are three plastic tabs in the corners and one screw (lock for the hatch) that holds on the license plate assembly to the rear hatch along with two white plastic tabs which are located at the bottom two holes for license plate. These plastic tabs come in from the front. Use pliers to squeeze the together and push. You will need to disconnect the license plate lamp wire connector from the left side. The license plate assembly should drop away. Two screws hold on the latch, remove and replace and reverse proceedure.

First, take off the license plate.
Since the hatch wouldn't open, I started from the inside and took down the top trim piece. After that the two side pieces come down, then the main trim piece which covers the bulk of the door comes out. These are all popped in with the white tabs.
There are 3 access hole covers to pop out (don't forget to install them back in when done) and through the left hole you can see the mechanism to unlatch, press it down with a screwdriver and open the door. If anytime you close the door you will have to do this to unlatch, up until you disconnect the cable and pull out the handle, then you have to locate the cable and pull that directly.
Behind the large trim piece you will find a metal access cover, remove the 7 or 8 10mm bolts holding that on and pop the 3 white tabs and let it hang off to the side. Disconnect the cable from the handle assembly by reaching in from the right hand side and popping of the cable from the handle assembly.
From the left and right access holes, locate the two 10mm nuts which hold the license plate assembly to the door and remove them. Then there are 4 plastic tabs that come in from the outside that hold the license plate assembly on in each corner, try and locate those and using some pliers squeeze them together and push it through. Next locate the license plate lamps wire connector and release that from the left side, it’s the simple push in and pull out square white connector.
After these are out, put back in 1 or 2 bolts into the large metal access cover so the hatch can be lowered (don’t close it).
Here is where I had fun, begin to pop out the assembly that it was bolted to. I ended up breaking 3 of the 4 plastic tabs in each corner because I did not use pliers from the other side to pull them out, however it remained somewhat useable (hindsight 20/20).
Now the license plate assembly can be taken to a bench to replace the handle assembly (Toyota doesn't sell just the handle, it is a small assembly). Two screws out and the assembly is replaced.
Before pressing the license plate assembly back onto the truck, make certain all the plastic tabs are in the assembly and not in the truck. Reverse the process to re-install.

You need to remove the big plastic or vinyl rear hatch trim to get the side trims off. Remove the 10 mm bolt that holds the pull handle (if you have a pull handle), and then, using a flat tool, (like a stiff putty knife), insert the tool between the vinyl trim and the tailgate to loosen the plastic clips (there is like 18 of them); one the hatch panel is off, you will see that you can now remove the side trims.