What a day.

I went out to the car, Siggy, and tried to open the tailgate, guess what? Aye it would not open. Thought to myself Flippin Brilliant, that's all I Blinking well need. Opened rear door, lowered the seat moved all my rubbish and opened it with the internal mechanism. Shouted to the wife to lift the tailgate and the shut it (no I meant the tailgate). tried to open it and it worked. Ya beauty problem solved. Tried it half a dozen times worked fine, I even locked and unlocked it. Went into the hut to get some stuff that I ws taking to the local dump. Your right the tailgate would not open.

Oh Bother I said, I wonder what the problem might be.

Spent the next 30 mins messing about with it, sometimes it would work others it would not.

Next thing my mate appears. He says, what have you broke this time? I explained the problem. Must be the motor or solenoid or something like that he says. Well we begin to strip out the locking mechanism. When I get it out, I take it all to pieces to check it. So there I am sitting on the front doorstep with pieces of locking mechanism lined up along the step. There were no broken springs the little electric motor was working, and all the other little bits and Pieces were all OK. Strange that wonder why it is not working.

Oh well nothing for it may as well put it back together again. After about another 30 mins of much hilarity on my mates part, it was all reassembled and fitted back on the car. I will look at it again next weekend I said.

My mate said it could be the button in the handle. Great shout says me, so I grab the rubber part and pull it off. You should have seen the rubbish that fell out. No wonder it would not work. Got it cleaned out and washed it all out with a good spray of WD40. Tried and tested it about a dozen times, worked every time. Thank the lord for that I said, allI need to do now is put the rubber cover back on. HaHa easier said than done. Try as I might there was no way this little bandit was going to give in without a fight. I tried everything I new to put it back on, but no flippin way was this little beggar going back on. there was no way a little piece of rubber was going to beat me, so off came all the trim to get the handle out of the tailgate. See that will teach you to mess with me, I got the cover fitted again dead easy when it is not on the car, and reassembled everything again. Got you that is you sorted out. Aye did you think you were going to beat me. Then guess what?


No the battery was flat as the radio had been on the doors were left open and all the internal lights were on. No problem says my mate I will get my car and give you a jump start. Not with a 1.2 corsa you won't I said. He insisted on trying, of course it never even tickled it. Had to phone one of the other mates to bring down his big Volvo, that soon got it going then I tried to explain to my helper why his little car would not start mine but gave up when I saw the blank look on his face as I started rabbitting on about Amps Volts and Watts.

On the bright side I now know the workings of the tailgate lock inside out, and it is good to know that if the little motor ever packs up it can be replaced and you do not need to buy a whole unit.