The D3 centre console is certainly a bit easier to dismantle than the D2's from what I remember.
Undo a couple of screws behind the ashtray and the centre console lifts off which reveals the screws for the HVAC unit.
When I bought my D3, it had completely the wrong HVAC control unit fitted, one from a 3G car when mine has 2G MMI. As a result, nothing I pressed corresponded to what it should have done. For example, the driver's fan speed operated the passenger's air flow direction etc.
God knows how that happened, my guess would be the part needed replacing when it was in the hands of the dealer and they just bought the first part they could find with that part number, instead of noting the letter at the end of the part number which changes everything.
CP kicked in when I swapped that HVAC panel. The only features that could be used were ones related to safety (front demist and rear demist) until I took it to my local extortion racket who had to do their usual half hour diagnosis for £60 and they rectified it during that.