2004 ALTEA - broken tailgate release ?

[legin2009]

My 2004 ALTEA 1.9 tdi FR has been absolutely brilliant for 40,000 miles but this week the tailgate release button fails to open the tailgate (I have the central locking, properly unlocked).
ie. when I operate the SEAT badge button on the tailgate, it does not pop open. Nothing happens. FOr the last few weeks it had become a little fussy. ie. I had to press the lever a bit firmer to get it to operate.
QUESTIONS
(1) Presumably there is a way to pop the tailgate from the inside. Can anyone advise how to do it.
(2) Any pointers on diagnosing the problem. Is it electrical actuator or cable? Hopefully once opened I can dismantle it.

Thanks in advance for any pointers

 

[moonsurfer]

Hi legin2009,

I has exactly the same problem a couple of months back!

Answers to your problem though:
(1) Presumably there is a way to pop the tailgate from the inside. Can anyone advise how to do it.

Yes there is a way - at the bottom of the inside panel of the boot is a horizontal slot, pop your key into there and push it to the left (I think??) and that will release the mechanism.

(2) Any pointers on diagnosing the problem. Is it electrical actuator or cable? Hopefully once opened I can dismantle it.

The solution for me was to replace the microswitch which is activated by the SEAT badge. Think it was around £50 for the part - direct from VW courtesy of my local indy. All I then needed to do was pop the panel off as much as I could and if I remember there's roughly 3 nuts to undo for the switch and 3 for the surround. A 10 minute job in total.

Anyways, hope that helps.

 

[legin2009]

Moonsurfer,
Thanks for your post. Much appreciated.

 

[rich13]

I had the same problem, in which i think it was more due to the fact that the plastic casing around the pivot pin ( which allows the seat badge to tilt) had become worn, and due to the fact that it was not activating the microswitch, hence it did not work.

 

[will105]

hi had same problem , on 04 altea , twice actually first time was micro switch in badge , second was the latch on base of tailgate , contact Dave at SERE on this forum , best price ive found

 

[warriors_44]

Hi Guys,

I have the same problem on my 07 plate, how do you get the tim of the tailgate?

Thanks in advance Rob....

 

[altea-ego]

I too have had this problem. The microswitch plunger is made from plastic and it had worn down. I fixed it by putting a small blob of araldite on the end of the switch plunger. £50 for a new switch ouch!, glad I did a DIY job now! Bewarned the rear trim panel is difficult to get off and back on and held on by nasty plastic trim poppers.

 

[Big Ejit]

I too have had this problem. The microswitch plunger is made from plastic and it had worn down. I fixed it by putting a small blob of araldite on the end of the switch plunger. £50 for a new switch ouch!, glad I did a DIY job now! Bewarned the rear trim panel is difficult to get off and back on and held on by nasty plastic trim poppers.

Thats a great fix! Fast, cheap and very easy. Ours started to refuse to open just recently too. Now the tailgate pops well before the handle is pulled fully.

Just had to wait an hour for the resin to go off properly before refitting.

 

[altea-ego]

cool, glad it helped you out.

 

[CrispDust]

bizarely mine has just started to do same thing!

 

[geff]

Hi All,

I'm having this exact same problem with my Toledo MK3. So what's the deal in getting the trim off? Some of you have clearly managed it. I'm stuck. I've unscrewed 3 tork screws; one in either side and another in the boot lid handle. Where do I go from there? I've managed to get some of the trim off which is held on by little metal clips but there appears to be 2 big plastic mouldings holding it in place in the middle of boot lid which aren't the metal clips. They're sort of cylindrical with cross heads. I'm totally stuck, any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[geff]

Hi All,

I'm having this exact same problem with my Toledo MK3. So what's the deal in getting the trim off? Some of you have clearly managed it. I'm stuck. I've unscrewed 3 tork screws; one in either side and another in the boot lid handle. Where do I go from there? I've managed to get some of the trim off which is held on by little metal clips but there appears to be 2 big plastic mouldings holding it in place in the middle of boot lid which aren't the metal clips. They're sort of cylindrical with cross heads. I'm totally stuck, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry to bump this thread. Can anyone help with the above...I'm stumped with this at the moment and my boot is still playing up. I'd sooner not take it to the stealers and them charge me a fortune.

 

[Sir Monkfish]

I would have thought it would just be a case of gingerly prying the trim off after removing the screws?

I looked at mine earlier and can only see one torx either side and one in the handle as you said....

 

[Big Ejit]

Your Tolly trim panel seems to be similar to the Altea trim panel so I will go though what I did on our Altea.

1, Take the screw out of the pull handle(s) (plus remove any other screws visible)

2, Starting at one edge of the trim panel, pull it down releasing each 'arrow head' metal clip. They hang on for dear life then release with a pop that makes you think it broke.

3, There are two remaining plastic location towers (cross shaped) in the middle part of the trim about 40 cm apart. Pry these out of the metalwork or if you are lucky, the panel will come away by itself.

4, Take the connector out of the nickel coloured handle body cover - press the side tabs in and it will come out by hand.

5, Put the shaft of a screwdriver into the tailgate latch to close it - (If you close the boot before doing this, you will now have to climb through the car to flick the lever on the back of the lock inside the boot lid to open it up)

6, Remove 6 x 13mm nuts from the handle cover and remove (Careful, the outer handle will now be loose)

7, Gently lower the tailgate, remove the handle and unscrew the microswitch from the handle body.

8, Add a small blob of Araldite (approx 3mm in Diameter) to the tip of the plunger on the switch - Has a red gaiter around it

9, When the resin has set, refit the switch and open the handle up - you should hear the switch click when the handle is about 50% open.

10, If you are happy with how open the handle is when the switch clicks, refit the lot! Refit is a reversal of removal. However, check all the trim fixings are on the panel and not in the metalwork of the tailgate.

Note! When you reconnect the handle, operate it and the latch you previously closed with the screw driver should click open when the switch clicks. Otherwise the tailgate will just bounce off the pin when you close it.

If that doesn't work - a new switch is needed.

All the best!

 

[geff]

Your Tolly trim panel seems to be similar to the Altea trim panel so I will go though what I did on our Altea.

1, Take the screw out of the pull handle(s) (plus remove any other screws visible)

2, Starting at one edge of the trim panel, pull it down releasing each 'arrow head' metal clip. They hang on for dear life then release with a pop that makes you think it broke.

3, There are two remaining plastic location towers (cross shaped) in the middle part of the trim about 40 cm apart. Pry these out of the metalwork or if you are lucky, the panel will come away by itself.

4, Take the connector out of the nickel coloured handle body cover - press the side tabs in and it will come out by hand.

5, Put the shaft of a screwdriver into the tailgate latch to close it - (If you close the boot before doing this, you will now have to climb through the car to flick the lever on the back of the lock inside the boot lid to open it up)

6, Remove 6 x 13mm nuts from the handle cover and remove (Careful, the outer handle will now be loose)

7, Gently lower the tailgate, remove the handle and unscrew the microswitch from the handle body.

8, Add a small blob of Araldite (approx 3mm in Diameter) to the tip of the plunger on the switch - Has a red gaiter around it

9, When the resin has set, refit the switch and open the handle up - you should hear the switch click when the handle is about 50% open.

10, If you are happy with how open the handle is when the switch clicks, refit the lot! Refit is a reversal of removal. However, check all the trim fixings are on the panel and not in the metalwork of the tailgate.

Note! When you reconnect the handle, operate it and the latch you previously closed with the screw driver should click open when the switch clicks. Otherwise the tailgate will just bounce off the pin when you close it.

If that doesn't work - a new switch is needed.

All the best!

Sorry for not replying sooner. I only just got round to doing this all, this weekend. My wife, bless her has coped with an intermittent boot problem for the whole time.

Anyway, I just wanted to say a massive thank you for your guide!! Although a bit of a pig of a job, it saved a chunk of money compared to taking it to the stealers. It's worked perfectly. With the araldite trick and a bit of white grease in the actual catch mechanism and the boot opens with a single press everytime now. Thank you so much!!

 

[TDI_luver]

Toledo boot lock

I just wanted to say I tried the DIY fix on my 2006 Toledo MK III boot lid lock - same problem as with other posters, the microswitch pushrod had worn down over the years so that it was no longer able to close the switch contacts when pushed by the cam lobe in the 'handle'. The blob of Araldite trick worked perfectly.
And yes, the trim is a pure BI*CH to get off and on properly, but i managed in the end.

Thanks very much to everyone, especially Big Ejit (great Irish username that, straight out of Father Ted !) who took the time to submit the instructions for this DIY fix. Probably saved me at least 100 bucks at the stealers for supply/fit/VAT etc, but cost me zero as i had tubes of araldite in the shed !

Nice work guys, have a beer on me!

 

[andyj]

Just digging this thread out of the archives......

Got this issue on my Wife's '54 plate Altea.

Will be taking a look at the above DIY fix one evening this week

 

[routers77]

Your Tolly trim panel seems to be similar to the Altea trim panel so I will go though what I did on our Altea.

1, Take the screw out of the pull handle(s) (plus remove any other screws visible)

2, Starting at one edge of the trim panel, pull it down releasing each 'arrow head' metal clip. They hang on for dear life then release with a pop that makes you think it broke.

3, There are two remaining plastic location towers (cross shaped) in the middle part of the trim about 40 cm apart. Pry these out of the metalwork or if you are lucky, the panel will come away by itself.

4, Take the connector out of the nickel coloured handle body cover - press the side tabs in and it will come out by hand.

5, Put the shaft of a screwdriver into the tailgate latch to close it - (If you close the boot before doing this, you will now have to climb through the car to flick the lever on the back of the lock inside the boot lid to open it up)

6, Remove 6 x 13mm nuts from the handle cover and remove (Careful, the outer handle will now be loose)

7, Gently lower the tailgate, remove the handle and unscrew the microswitch from the handle body.

8, Add a small blob of Araldite (approx 3mm in Diameter) to the tip of the plunger on the switch - Has a red gaiter around it

9, When the resin has set, refit the switch and open the handle up - you should hear the switch click when the handle is about 50% open.

10, If you are happy with how open the handle is when the switch clicks, refit the lot! Refit is a reversal of removal. However, check all the trim fixings are on the panel and not in the metalwork of the tailgate.

Note! When you reconnect the handle, operate it and the latch you previously closed with the screw driver should click open when the switch clicks. Otherwise the tailgate will just bounce off the pin when you close it.

If that doesn't work - a new switch is needed.

All the best!

Followed these instructions and now the boot lid opens better than it ever has done in our ownership. Many thanks.