I followed the manual for 2002-05 and it didn't work...
I removed the decorative trim and 4 screws behind it, screw @ bottom of panel, screw behind arm rest (2x for drivers side).
Tried to lift up, tried to lift out, did not budge.
Tried passenger and drivers side front doors.

What am I doing wrong?

Tough start to a planned big audio upgrade.

 

im sure you push them forward to front of car to unhook them

 

Any screws hidden under the door handle? Maybe that's just a b5 thing... If you do indeed have all the screws, pulling up on the skin should do it. Hmmm! Hopefully a b6/b7 owner can chime in. www.audiworld.com might have a tech article that covers it... check it out. B6 and b7 have the same door skins I believe.

 

Once those screws are all out the panel is still held firmly in place by plastic clips. Use a screwdrivers to pry out the bottome of the panel far enough to get your hand in there. Then pull hard. Youll hear some bad plastic cracking sounds. Thats the clips pulling out. Sometimes a few of them will break. Not a big deal. You can reinstall without all the clips or you can replace them if you want.