Freelander 1 Boot opening mechanism

Hi guys,

Opened the boot on the hippo saturday afternoon and instead of having that chunky solid feel of squeezing the switch to open, the switch just feels loose to the touch..

It still opens & closes fine, but where as before you could just slam it to close it & the window would go up, now i have to physically hold the switch back with my fingers as i slam the boot.. Otherwise the boot closes, but the glass stays in the 1 inch down position. So basically, the switch doesnt return to its correct position, and you can operate it just by tapping it with your finger!!

has anyone else had this problem? Im working 12 hour nightshifts at the moment, so havent had a chance to look at it.. I managed a quick (and very tired) read of my haynes manual this morning, but from what i can make out i need to remove the interior boot trim, window and regulator just to get access to this switch??

So what im asking is

a) anybody had this problem with their hippo? - if so what did you do to fix it
b) is the haynes manual right? - do i have to go at it from the inside?


For what its worth, i noticed when it happened that my number plate light is also hanging out of the housing - perhaps quite a big problem has happened inside the mechanism??? The actual handle thats attached to the boot (with the lock and land rover badge on it) are still as solid as a rock though..

Answers on a postcard please

I recently had to replace the entire rear handle assembly due to rusty moulded in bolts. Had to but the whole damn lot as LR don't do separate bits of the handle.

Don't try to work on the switch or the number-plate light from the outside - you will just short out the connections, so yes you have to strip the trim from the rear door - very easy. I cut the plastic film with a Stanley knife so I could re tape it later.

I think there are only 3 nuts to remove - take care not to drop them into the depth of the inner door. (Unless you happen to have a double-jointed dwarf on hand for such occasions!

Now for the fix of your problem - there is a small spring that returns the moving part of the handle to its normal position. Your spring will have either rusted through or if you're lucky has just moved out of position.

As for the number plate lights - once the handle is off you will find that the little square slide on things for the self-tapping screws are probably rusted away - easy to replace.

Good luck - it's a fiddly job - but straight forward enough.

As said above it will be the spring thats at fault - easy to get into once the handle is removed.

Thanks lads..

Top advice as always.

Ill have a crack at it later in the week. Glad to know its a straight forward enough fix though. Is it a standard spring i can pick up from a DIY outlet etc??

As far as I can remember it's not a coil type spring but the fairly common 'Loop & V' shape / type that I've encountered in microwave door latches and cassette players for example. I reckon you could crack up a pretty good replica from some household source with the help of a couple of pairs of pliers say in a matter of a few minutes.