Jantiz, that is not correct. I have never done the job so I don't know how difficult it is, however, my dealer has broken in to my truck twice, from the inside, and they also gave me field directions to attempt it on my own when it first happened. I was never successful- both times they broke in to repair the latch and I still have all my original parts (and I can not see any breakage on the outside.)

According to the dealer it is more difficult to break in (from the inside) when you have the 3rd row seat, which I have. They said they have to break into many LR3s and even they will sometimes have to break the trim and replace parts. So, it doesn't sound like an easy job, but is possible to do without breaking things.

That said, they did tell me that it was only difficult because the hatch was closed up. When the rear is open it is much easier to get in because you can more easily access all the screws & hardware.

That's my 2nd hand knowledge on the matter. Seems like you can always give it a try and stop if you get to the "do I have to break this?" point.

-todd

 

Can somebody tell me, please, how to dismantle both lower rear hatch support cables so i could proactively come up with some kind of manual release cable in case this popular failure happens in the future? I cant figure out how to take off those two ball sockets or should i try squeeze metal brackets?

 

Anybody?

 

I would LOVE to be able to see the pics at the start of this thread. I plan on making a manual release, and replacing the switch with *hopefully* the revised cable mod in the pics I cannot see. Pics with my intro coming soon, teardown begins tonight........

 

Hey All,

We are having the same problem with our 05 LR3. I would like to look at fixing the problem myself but can't see the pic's linked from the first page of the thread. Can anyone post any pictures of tearing off teh cover panel?

Thanks,
Brad

 

Same problem here also and the pics would be very helpful. They seem to have expired. If anybody has them, please repost.

Thank you!
Greg

 

This happened to me as well..I ended up just shelling out the cash to have the dealer fix it..I didn't want to risk breaking any other paneling inside the vehicle. Pretty lame deal though to have a weak cable like that.

 

Hey All,

Me again from a week ago...

So I spent a couple hours on this and figured out a great solution that costs 0$. We have 3 rows in our LR3 so it was basically the worst case scenario. If anyone still needs directions on this just post a reply and the site will send me an email. I can post detailed instructions to do it yourself for free.

Brad

 

thanks all who contributed to this post. Did the deed yesterday w/o breaking anything. Use a heat gun/blow dryer to warm the plastic trim on each side of the lower tailgate. A door puller tool can be wedged in the edge and worked up and down to free the trim. Take your time, you're working on a LR3 after all. You will break the plastic tab welds while doing this but you can use a combination of 3M double stick tape and good quality glue to do a no-rattle repair. Good Luck!! Steve

 

These ball ends on the cables have a slot that the circlips are inserted into. To remove the circlips slide a small screwdriver under the clip and slide it down the slot towards the ball end. Hold your finger over the clip - you can shoot your eye out with that thing! Once the clip is removed the retractor will pull the cable in. This was not a problem but to ensure the ball doesn't get pulled inside the housing just pop a large paper or binder clip in front of the ball. The male ball mounted on the tailgate can now be removed easily. Good Luck!! Steve