The rear of the car has space behind the panel with the speakers and courtesy lights.
Gonze showed that briefly in his My top 20 CX tweaks post. He also kindly told me more via a PM conversation.
Today with the rain falling & the wind howling I nipped into the garage to have a go.
With the rear shelf cleared you need to pull back the carpet (maybe vacuum it first!).
There are 4 of 3mm allen screws to remove. A long handled ball end key works best.
![[Linked Image]](https://tm-img.com/images/2024/10/20/20241020_110717.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](https://tm-img.com/images/2024/10/20/20241020_110801.jpg)
Then with a thin pallette knife you can lever the 5 plugs out of the wooden frame. I worried about this but not much force was needed and the paint didn't scratch. Despite being removed mine remain tight on replacing them. My car doesn't have an MMC sound system but does seem to have the wiring & the holes for the speakers. A future project maybe.
![[Linked Image]](https://tm-img.com/images/2024/10/20/20241020_111640.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](https://tm-img.com/images/2024/10/20/20241020_112218.jpg)
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Unlike the trad access to the hood release mechanism is easy.
![[Linked Image]](https://tm-img.com/images/2024/10/20/20241020_112240.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](https://tm-img.com/images/2024/10/20/20241020_112247.jpg)
I then fixed my wheel spanner, squirty foam & basic tools into the space securing them with 50 mm self ahesive velcro. The usable space is roughly 14 cm wide by 90 cm long and 13 high but wiring etc means you need to fit the items in a smaller space. I kept the first aid kit, reflective jackets & warning triangle in the car.
But this still liberates a lot of space behind the seats.
In the photo below you can also just see that I applied noise absorbing foam to the rear panel. The car can be boomy at times & I'm hoping this will help.
![[Linked Image]](https://tm-img.com/images/2024/10/20/20241020_115322.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](https://tm-img.com/images/2024/10/20/20241020_115330.jpg)
I have kept an allen key & some thin aluminium bar under the carpet so I can access the area when out.