This appears to be a very common issue so it was no surprise that my tailgate handle (or strip/bar or whatever it is called) was loose and it was obvious at least one of the mounting points was broken. Plus I could see the first signs of rust where the handle had worn through the paint.
So, I decided to sort it before it came away in my hand!

Good job I did as it turns out every mounting point was broken on at least one end and two were detached completely.
A hour later, with the help of an old soldering iron, it is fixed. At least I hope so, I am not sure how strong my plastic welds with be!


The paint is very faded and worn on this so I am tempted to paint it matt black. Has anyone done this?

Perhaps more of an issue is the "first signs of rust". Turns out most of the damage was hidden by the handle and the paint is worn through and bubbling both sides plus a little alone the top.


I have never managed a very good job of touching up paintwork and this is much more than your typical paint chip. Still, the car was cheap and I am not fussy so I will have to see if I can make it presentable. I think I will mask to just outside where the damage is then clean it back, prime and paint. Hopefully the handle will hide most of the new paint anyway.
The questions is how to prevent it happening again? I have read a few comments here where people had theirs "fixed" by landrover and it wore through again in a very short time. So I was thinking of two options:
1) Add a strip of "helicopter tape" fill width across that part of the tailgate. So the handle is not on the paint.
2) Add some closed cell strip (the stuff already on the handle has disintegrated). I get the impression it is hard to get to stay in place on the handle.Plus the foam would still rub on the paint (with grit between) and so still cause a problem. So I thought I could stick it to the tailgate instead. So no movement between the paint and the foam and so not chance of more damage.

I am thinking option 2 is probably neater and cheaper. Anyone have any thoughts on that? FL2 2007 2.2d Auto SE. Baltic Blue.

Something like 3M VHB foam tape - so it adheres to both handle and tailgate - would likely help once you get the rust sorted. Current driveway contents:
2021 V60 Cross Country B5
2009 FL2 dog bus and shooting wagon

On Order: 2023 Fisker Ocean Ultra - deposit paid.

I did think about double sided tape but, given how crap the mounting system is, I was worried it would tear as the handle moves?
Maybe I am over-thinking it! FL2 2007 2.2d Auto SE. Baltic Blue.

Yep its a poor design - mine wore through the paint before it had done 50K miles. Jules

yes, it amazes me that it held up this long to be honest. How someone in landrover's design dept though it was a good idea baffles me.

The handle now has it's first coat of paint.
Every time I try and paint something I remind myself to do lots of thin coats. And every time I think "just a bit more here to get it covered" and end up with runs everywhere. You would think I would have learnt! Oh well, I now need to let it dry and sand it back before attempting another coat.....

 FL2 2007 2.2d Auto SE. Baltic Blue.

I have to say the paint on this car is a bit strange. There are lots of places round the handle where it does not appear to have worn through the paint but little rust bubbles are forming. Picking away at the bubbles then causes the paint to flake.
Not something I have seen before. I can only assume small amounts of grit have penetrated the paint and poor paint adhesion is causing the flaking. Not serious but means the area that needs painting has expanded.....




Still, the handle has painted better than I expected....

 FL2 2007 2.2d Auto SE. Baltic Blue.

Finally got the tailgate painted and the handle re-attached.
Paint looks ok from a distance but I learnt a lot of things not to do. The main ones being be gentle when sanding back the clear coat as it is suprisingly easy to take a lot off without meaning it. Also don't paint outside on a windy day surrounded by trees and shrubs!
Not a perfect job but better than the faded old broken handle and rust that was there before!
Oh, and ignore the fact it looks streaky and dirty, it is just that, dirt/pollen etc.

 FL2 2007 2.2d Auto SE. Baltic Blue.