- My model of MX-5 is: __NC2
- I’m based near: __Exeter
- I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: __Hatches behind seats
Not wishing to force or break anything, any tips on removing the hatches behind the seats on an NC2 would be appreciated.
I want to have a look in there to see if I can do any simple sound-proofing.
Pull off the wind breaker, remove the roll hoop plastics, the door sill cover, the seat belt cover, and the door jamb cover. Remove the clips in the cubby hole panel and it will be able to tilt forward. To remove completely you’ll need to remove the centre console too. You can do it without removing the center console but its a bit of a sod getting it back in without snapping stuff.
Sounds complicated all that but easy really
Thanks 
So the hatches don’t just pull out on their own then…
Hi, here’s a pic I took when fitting a smart top module. You can just about see where the clips are. I just pulled from the top, while levering with a bojo tool. Comes out fairly easily 
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A Boris Johnson tool???
@999to5 - I assume that you have a PRHT? I believe that those areas are completely different on the soft tops.
As I’ve been forced to use the motorbike today I am not near my car to confirm but I too think that the soft top is different. In particular the boxes are a part of the large panel
Yes, PRHT.
It does make sense that they would be different, so I should have said - sorry…
Have a look at the smart top fitting instructions on MX5parts web site, it’s in body electrical from memory. There is a photo which indicates that you pull the top of the panel out first…
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Thanks 
I have a soft top.
I removed the whole plastic panel, which isn’t too difficult.
I did manage to break one of the clips on the small console cover behind the seats though.
Inside the cavity, I stuffed with foam carpet underlay and glued to the rear of the plastic panel, where I could.
I’m not overly convinced that it made much of a difference if I’m being honest.
Although I think most of the noise is probably through the drain tubes.
I know what you mean.
I suspect that any one thing is going to do very little and each small improvement is only incremental but I do think the various things I have done are starting to add up and the car is more refined than it was.
These hatches rattle if you tap them which annoys me, so I want to look at making them a tighter fit and also to add some backing material (laminate flooring underlay) to damp them down - maybe see where else I can add something while I’m in there.
When I did mine under the hood stowage, I sort of looped it.
I laid a layer of carpet foam on the floor (and fuel tank)
then doubled back on itself, fixing the upper return layer to the stowage base with spray adhesive.
I rarely drive mine with the roof up, but when I do, I’m not convinced that the foam helped.
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On the few occasions I drive roof up if accelerating hard I get a rattle/buzz from that plastic shelf in the hood void.
I bought some foam pipe lagging before to put around the front edges it seemed to work, but left it out when cleaning. I renewed it but I don’t think I’ve bought it thick enough to cushion the rattle, I still get the noise. No worries yet as the hoods normally down.
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Yes, I rarely drive with the hood up.
I think a lot of the problem with these cars is that there are a lot of hard plastic surfaces that reflect rather than absorb the road noise
Stuffing some foam up the tubes didn’t bring about the transformation I was hoping for… 
Despite much reading on the subject, I don’t think I’ve seen a simple way of ensuring the flaps are in place.
Would passing a trombone cleaner down through the drains have the desired effect??
I can confirm that the hatches come out by levering and pulling the top edge.
I used a bicycle plastic tyre lever. A fair amount of force is required, so it was really useful to know where to apply it or I could well have broken something.
The rear face is a matrix of reinforcing plastic ribs.
I cut squares and rectangles of laminate flooring underlay to fit between the ribs and used a Pritt Stick to hold them in place. Time consuming but quite therapeutic.
Will it make a difference? I don’t know but every little helps.
Having completed this task, I notice there is a similar, smaller hatch between the rear speakers.
Does anybody know if this comes out in the same way???