TorqFix

Removing and installing side panel trim without tank flap — AUDI

Removing and installing side panel trim without tank flap on Audi: 11 steps. What to remove, in what order, and what to check after.

Workshop procedure for AUDI — the exact step sequence and torque figures, straight from real workshop data.

11 steps

🧭 Before you start

Fits: platform code 42

Don't miss

  • Completely screw down adjuster nut, but do not tighten.
  • When tightening the bolts, the nuts of the adjuster elements automatically turn towards the mounting points of the side panel trim (3) to lock it in place.(Item 1) and (arrow) can be disregarded.

📋 Procedure

  1. Carefully release adhesive between air intake grille (1) and side panel trim (2)(arrows).
  2. Prise off trim (1).
  3. Remove bolts (2) and (4).
  4. Carefully pull side panel trim (3) out of guides in direction of travel (arrow).
  5. Remove old adhesive at air intake grille and side panel trim.
AUDI? Steps differ between engine variants — check this job against your exact car before you commit to it. Check my car — free →
  1. Attach new double-sided adhesive tape (1) to air intake grille (arrow).
  2. Check freedom of movement of adjuster nut (1) of adjuster element (arrows).
  3. Completely screw down adjuster nut, but do not tighten.
  4. Insert side panel trim in guides.
  5. Tighten bolts (2) and (4). [Note: When tightening the bolts, the nuts of the adjuster elements automatically turn towards the mounting points of the side panel trim (3) to lock it in place.(Item 1) and (arrow) can be disregarded.]
  6. Press side panel trim onto double-sided adhesive tape.

Who makes these pages, and how

TorqFix was built by a mechanic — after a 2,700 km drive with five roadside repairs that no diagnostic tool could explain.

The figures on this page come from manufacturer workshop documentation and are shown as they are. The page is assembled automatically from that data — it is not written by an AI. The AI works in the chat, where it answers for your specific car. It writes nothing here.

Variants of the same model differ. Cross-check torque against the factory manual for your engine before final tightening.

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Workshop data on this page last updated 20 Sep 2026.