Thanks a lot Klaus. I had not come across this post, and it answers the question. I note that my '05 V70 has a "stitched" appearance along the bottom of the inset area, whereas the '98 is all one piece. My guess is they shoved the '98 piece on with a formed press, and relied on the adhesive to be strong enough to hold. It makes more sense that the inset area is formed somewhat in the material to be attached (as the '05 appears to be), by virtue of its construction. Then little deformation is required to place it.

I didn't go back and look, but I think the replacement in the photos you referenced are done the same way (two pieces used per panel).

Thanks for demystifying this a bit. I may muster up the effort to remove a back panel as you suggest, and see if I can get it apart. I'll post back when I get to it.

Regards, Don

'98 S70 T5 56.6K