Removed the plastic piece (pictured) through which the trunk locking mechanism passes in order to remove & repair the CD changer. Repairing the changer was quite simple. However, trying to replace the plastic piece that I will call cowling, but I'm not sure of the name, has been very difficult.

Has anyone had any experience with this? Are there any tricks I'm missing? I seem to be able to get it just about right, but getting the rubber lip over it seems darn near impossible. I would think that I should be able to get the rubber lip in place before bolting the cowelling back in; otherwise, it would crimp the rubber behind the cowelling?

Also pictured is a lesser issue where the trunk liner at the top by the hinges on both sides doesn't snug as one would expect with the frame. This issue was not caused, but just seems to have happened over time. Seems to me, the only solution would be get some strong glue and brace until dry. This is minor & I

Cowling upside down.

Cowling rightside up.

Upper liner separation passenger side(USA Vehicle)

Upper liner separation drivers side(USA Vehicle)
don't know if I want to bother with it or not, unless there is an easy fix.

 

It appears as though you need to rotate it 180 degrees by looking at the top picture. According to mine anyway. The "cups" are indented into the area toward the rear and the covers snap in from the inside of the trunk. You might try some white self adhesive backed velcro from a fabric store for the loose corners. It can be trimmed and slipped between the panels. I have found it to be quite strong.

 

The bits hanging down at the bottom corners of the window.. have you replaced the two fir tree trim clips that keep this joint with the middle trim section up against the roof of the trunk?
They were missing from mine so I had to replace them.. but before I did I had the same hanging situation that I can see in your pictures. The side trims also have a flap that slips into a slit in the middle section at this point. (or the other way around!)
Having said all that I've had the whole lot out recently to do my audio upgrade and its a SOB to get it all back in right!

As for the plastic bit..
There's a flat clip at the very top of each end (at the pointy bit) that fits into a slot on the car that keeps it tight against the body.
Again before I took mine off it was loose at these top corners, because these two flat clips weren't located properly

Very difficult to describe this stuff!!
Hope it helps

 

Thank you both very much. I agree that these parts are what a late mechanic would tell me are a "very poor installation", by that he meant, I think, poorly designed or impractically designed for a good fit & finish.

Paddy X-350, the ears on either side on mine seem to be going in the wrong direction to fit into the slots you mentioned. I will play with it a bit to see if that might be the solution.

The velcro for above sounds very plausible.

 

Problems Solved!!

Cowling:
1. I did not have the spare cover raised. It must be raised for the cowling to seat properly.
2. The ears must seat in the slots.
Actually, once you know how to do it, it is a quite good installation.

Top part:
The slots were reversed(By the dealer when they did some work 30K miles ago.). Once I reversed - GOOD AS NEW! However, there is some sticky tape up there that is no longer sticky. If it should sag again, I will add another piece of stickum.

Paddy, your post was the one that solved the issues. RancheroGuy, your suggestion was spot-on, too.

Have a great week & thank you both again,

Steve