Dear All,

Do I not like this. Investigating the non-lifting glass hatch, intending to replace the micro switch , I successfully stripped off the body coloured panel to reveal the horror show attached.

There is (as is well known) a strengthening/reinforcement bar that runs across the bottom of the glass (CQD500010) and it is documented that it is prone to rusting. Yes, it sure is! Mine has pretty much disintegrated, leaving a lot of flaked rust under the cover.

The bar itself is available and is affixed to the plastic panel beneath it by ~15 M8 Nyloc nuts. My problem is that the whole area is so rusty (inc the nuts themselves) that they won't unscrew and basically will need to be cut off.

Cutting them off will also release the plastic panel below (this is the one that is changes when owners upgrade the later tailgate trim. However, if I do cut them off, I cannot see how, or whether I can replace the bolts beneath. Are they removable or bonded into the base of the rear screen assembly?

I have done many online searches but can't seem to find anything that helps. Hope the question is clear.

Tks, John

Very common problem John. First sign that it is corroding is the lock on the upper, plastic section fails. The rubber press to open it tends to get porous but also there is a condensation problem between the skins of the upper section and the water gets trapped at the bottom. It is one of the reasons why later cars have a 1 piece tailgate. You may have to source a 2nd hand upper section and replace the original. The lock failed on both the 2.7v6 and the 3.6V8's that I owned but fortunately the cars were still in warranty (just!) so LR footed the complete replacement of the upper section on both cars. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW