LR2drivendiscover wrote:

Thanks for merging the threads, Taztastic.

However, I think my last message was intended for LR customer relations... Will it still show up on that thread?

Cheers

Amellia, thank you for your attention. I will pm you the details.

Taztastic, you are correct regarding the fact that the vehicle is out of warranty; however, seeing as this issue has been noted by other users and that it's likely to be a costly fix, I wish to pursue the matter with LR and see what their opinion is and to which extent, if at all, they are willing to contribute.

So I went ahead and removed the handle. Its a very easy job, two screws to remove the interior trim and seven bolts on the handle itself, unclip the cable and off it comes. As you can see from the photos below the paint had been rubbed away not just in the corner where I could see it but also out of sight. You can also see on the second photo how the rubber/foam gasket had been completely rubbed away and the plastic handle had started to wear as well. There was a lot of dirt trapped behind the handle which had been acting like sand paper. I replaced the gasket all round the handle with 3m Automotive tape and also added some around the bolt holes to pad it out there as well. If it wears again I will add some plastic washers around the bolts to space it away completely. If you have any sign of rubbing I would recommend taking the handle off for a look its an easy job and could save you from a serious rust problem.

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Thanks for the tip, R2RGE!

This is indeed next on my list - I also noticed that Powerful UK have a very good video on Youtube demonstrating exactly how to do this!

Completely agree about the rust, always want to catch that earlier than later!

I've stuck to spraying some rustproofing in there until I get a reply from LR as I want it to be in "original condition" instead of looking like I've fiddled in there. I just think that a re-spray from them would look a lot better and last longer, if not too expensive. Otherwise, I will sand the area ever so slightly and apply some touch-up and a clear coat before - just like you - adding 3m automotive tape or any similar type of padding between the handle and the panel.

Cheers

Hello all

This may well have started on mine since I can see a bit of s spot of lighter colour just at the top left edge of the handle - where it (almost) meets the metal / paint.. There is a ~ 2mm gap there though
Might have a go at taking the thing off if it's that easy but might be worse on the bits you can't see ??
Does the intererior plastic trim just pull away after you have undone the 2 hand hold screws or do you lose loads of clips somewhere down the tailgate. I assume the bolts holding the handle are obvious once you've removed the interior trim / plastic.

Thanks

Yes the trim pulls straight off. The clips are robust so dont dissapear anywhere, with the boot open you are pulling vertically down so the risk of losing a clip or bolt inside the tailgate is low. The bolts are obvious once the trim is off.

Thanks for this. Might have a go in next few weeks. Was the automotive tape , the double sided acrylic stuff?
Thanks

I initially bought it but in the end decided against double-sided tape as I want to be able to remove the handle after the winter and check the condition back there. I'll probably also want to paint the indented "Land Rover" writing in black. Instead, I replaced the worn-out padding with a layer of hockey tape (staying true to my Canadian roots! ) and superimposed it with a layer of plumbing tape.



This doesn't look too good but it's only a temporary fix until LR get back to me (they said it should be this week. I'll do the same thing with the tape but make it look better when I do the final touches next week.

When I removed the handle, the bolts on each extremity were completely rusted out (in fact, the one on the passenger side required a plier to take out as it was so rusty it had partly came undone). As a result, I only re-installed the 4 centre bolts/screws and will be going to LR to get two new bolts/screws.

Sorry to resurect an old post. But did anyone find or create a solution for this problem? or at least to stop it re-occuring?

As. Recall I put some rubber washers on to lift it a bit from the bodywork.

Perfect. thanks. I'll have a gander.