Ever since I got the car, I can (not) remember the times I had to open the boot. It was OK for the first few years but after that, I have to remind myself that the boot is not holding anymore. Either that or Gravity will do it for me.
Sadly, there are times when I needed to use it, this problem can be a real headache. The rear boot, with its glass panel is heavy. And therefore, using my head as support is a no-no but I did it anyway. I mean, it is much safer than a stick which can break or slip, causing the boot to slam down hard or even, main someone.
Normally, the rear boot is help up by a pair of dampeners (or absorbers) and once it reaches the specific angle, the boot will lock in place. But now, with those absorbers gone, nothing works. I am fine with that. But then, just last month (or two), the boot cannot be opened anymore. After digging around, I realised the lock mechanism has gone bye-bye. To be specific, one of the plastic part holding the thick piece of metal has shattered. OK, this means the car is more secure since the only way to open the boot is through the rear seats... I'm still OK with that.
Or so I thought. I forgot that the coming Sunday would be the second trip for the Movers. Yeah, we're moving to our very own house. In other words, I'd need to repair the boot asap since I would be using it a lot. And so, the back burner lock got ordered and arrived within a few days. And doing this is as easy as 1, 2, 4...
Open Sesame
The first thing I'd need to do is to get the boot opened. Its a very simple thing except that my mind could not 'store' the experience I had weeks ago when opening it for the very first time. So, I had to fiddle with the oil mechanism much longer than I wanted to before my fingers remembered what needed to be done (and as soon as it did that, I've forgotten whether to turn it left or right...).
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To reach the lock mechanism, I had to remove 12 plastic clips holding the rear panel.
Later on, I could not find them after keeping in a safe place...
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The main culprit is this lock (yellow). It has a solenoid which disengages the handle above.
When I pull the handle, it will push the long metal rod to engage the lock.
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Here is the new lock mechanism. This is the part (yellow arrows) which caused the whole boot to fail. Its main job is to make sure the metal rod does not come out of its socket. Then again, this little bro has been doing its job for more than 10 years.
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The dampeners
The next thing is to get the boot to stay in position so that changing the lock mechanism would be easier. Unfortunately, in my arrogance thinking this was a simple job, I forgot to watch some YouTube videos and went straight into the task.
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While I'm at it, I have also ordered the boot dampeners to scratch that decade old itch.
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The first issue is that I am not sure if I can just pop the dampener out of its socket. So, it was better to just unscrew it. I have to be very careful since the nut felt soft and after a few tries, the edges were almost gone. If my adjustable spanner had feelings, it would be pissed.
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As the screws had very or almost no exposure to the weather, this is how the original white paintwork on the left side looked like. The rest of the grime was due to the weather and also my leaving it exposed for a year while I was away working in another State across the Sea.
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| The nut on the right though, was rusted but luckily, I was still able get a strong grip with the spanner |
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The new dampener (above) and the original (below). I made sure both lengths are the same and you can actually twist the ends a little for this.
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I did not take images of the steps to replacing them but here are the main points.
1. Use a stick to hold the boot up.
2. Unscrew both dampeners. This is the part where things can get tricky. You'd need to hold the boot higher (and also worry about the supporting stick falling) while you unscrew. If you do not, the nut, which is pressed by the boot, can be a real pain in the butt.
3. Screw in the new dampeners with the thinner end at the boot. At this point, if you are doing this by yourself, you cannot, and I really mean, cannot, close the boot. The results can be expensive.
4. Lift the boot higher so that the other ends of the dampeners can each reach their respective screw hole.
5. Try closing and lifting the boot but do not shut it or else you'd need to unlock it from the inside again.
Changing the locks
OK, now comes the most easiest part of this evening's adventure. The rear boot's lock mechanism is held with four 10mm bolts. And it is controlled with a group of wires. Remove all those, replace the part and put everything back together.
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The electrical connection to the lock mechanism is locked into place via a clip. Just carefully unclip it and then release the plug.
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My finger shows where the plastic part had broken on the old lock (left). The new lock as its own metal rod too.
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I'm not sure on how to explain this but you just insert the other end of the rod into this plastic hole, turn the white plastic part around it will lock it into place. This is from the other side of the handle, located above the lock.
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Ta-daa! All done and the metal rod is locked into place
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And done! This took about an hour, far longer than I anticipated but I am glad it is done.
The only thing now is to find the 12 plastic clips so I can close the rear panel.
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