Fixing a Land Rover LR3 Tailgate - Ep. 13

In episode thirteen, I diagnose and repair the tailgate on our 2006 Land Rover LR3.
Amazon Affiliate Links:
Tailgate Switch: amzn.to/3KJ0R4J
Kaiweets Voltmeter: amzn.to/43ACYoo
Tailgate Actuator: amzn.to/3mHMkOr
Sound Deadening Adhesive Foam: amzn.to/3MMgdHZ
Loctite (blue): amzn.to/3L3tVFd
JB Weld Epoxy: amzn.to/406kjhi
Panel Clips: amzn.to/40eaD4u
Panel Clip Removal Pliers: amzn.to/3LbpjNB
Heat Shrink Tubing: amzn.to/41d2Hlk
Camera Gear Used:
Canon EOS R: amzn.to/3B4ogsw
Canon RF 15-35 2.8 L: amzn.to/3RWE5rI
Canon RP (overhead shots): amzn.to/3N4z4hZ
Canon RF 24mm 1.8: amzn.to/3MITj4j
Rode Wireless Go Lavaliere Microphone: amzn.to/2GHU237
Video Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
1:38 - Unboxing New Switch
2:34 - Diagnosing the Actuator
6:21 - Installing New Actuator
14:46 - Repairing the Tailgate Panel
15:45 - Installing the Tailgate Panel
19:11 - Replacing the Tailgate Switch
22:59 - Conclusion
Views and recommendations expressed are my opinion based on hands on testing, experience, and results.
Email: [e-mail]
Send stuff to: Mike King
7582 S. Las Vegas Blvd. Suite 189
Las Vegas, NV 89123
#landrover #lr3

[@jerrygreene7139]

Job well done, young man! That fix I’m sure was very satisfying and you come out looking like a hero! Awesome!

[@wafflesquare]

Favorite comment of the day!! Thank you, Jerry.

[@Kylehollinger]

LOVING these videos sir. Been in video work for a decade and an LR3 owner for about 3 weeks lol. Stoked to have found your channel and see well setup closeups and shot types and explanations of how things work in context - phenomenal how to vids. Cheers!

[@wafflesquare]

Kyle thank you so much for kind comments!

[@Kylehollinger]

oh yeah...nobody would be mad if you did one on installing a manual tailgate release for those that car camp!

[@donaldgraves2600]

Thanks!

[@wafflesquare]

Thank you, Donald!! Very much appreciated.

[@TreasureDivers]

Mike, another awesome episode. The support you bring to LR3 owners shouldn't be underestimated. The time and effort to produce such a professional piece is very much appreciated in the LR3/D3 community and your daughters reaction says it all. Thank you. David UK

[@wafflesquare]

David, thank you so much!!

[@michaelmartinez6033]

Great video. Nice to see this come together so nicely. Thanks for the tool links.

[@wafflesquare]

Michael you are very welcome!

[@ChelseaBeacon]

Good video and helpul when replacing my LR3 tailgate latch and release cord. I had ordered the actuator thinking my factory one failed. When the new one "failed" i realized I was hitting the release button on the lower part of the tailgate only. Oops. You mention it in your own commentary, but the additional sound deadening does 0 in this instance. Awesome that guys like you have time to put these together and share. Thanks!

[@wafflesquare]

You’re welcome, Chelsea!

I had to fix my top tailgate switch about a year ago. Great video! Would have saved me a lot of fooling around!

[@wafflesquare]

Through the magic of editing you didn’t see me “fooling around” trying to figure it out. I hope it saves lots of people time.

[@ShirleyAerial]

How did you figure out your top switch was bad? Mines not making a sound and can’t get it to unlatch.

@@ShirleyAerial If the top switch is making a sound it means the switch is fine and it’s triggering the actuator. It’s possible that the latch it self went bad. Search for “Locked Out by the Land Rover - Rear Hatch failed” here on KZbin

@@ShirleyAerial Sorry, I read that wrong. If it’s NOT making a sound, the most likely culprit is the switch. As in the video, if you hold both the lock and unlock buttons for a while, it will trigger the rear latch. If it doesn’t, first check the fuses. Iirc, it’s the part of the central locking fuse. Otherwise there might be multiple failures.

[@ShirleyAerial]

@ Thanks. It was the switch that was bad on upper gate. I’d press the lock/unlock and it would activate the bottom actuator. Turns out switch was sticking. So I soldered a replacement switch and all is well. Thank you!

[@michaelsegerstrom4493]

Absolutely laughed at the Good Morning Vietnam reference! Love your videos.

[@wafflesquare]

Thank you Michael!

[@drorgreismann3213]

Hello Mike, thank you for this Ep 13 - it was helpful and accurate. The switch I ordered from Eliaxpress comes with a bit bigger connector so your offer to slaug the wires and connect the switch only works like magic.

[@wafflesquare]

You’re very welcome, Dror! I’m so glad it was helpful.

[@davechristie6988]

Hi Mike, I was a mechanic in the UK and Australian armed forces for over 40 years. We only worked on the Land Rover series 3 and Defender vehicles. That said I still watch all your content as my own daily driver is a Disco 3 4.4V8. I love your presentations mate, spot on with the right amount of detail that would give my mum the confidence to take on aome of these jobs. Anyhoo enough about me. I just wanted say I did this on mine 4 years ago. The torx bolts on my number plate housing were all sized. I had to pry them out and glue the brass inserts back in. I also had a rubber boot around the upper tail gate switch. Yours didn't appear to have one. It might stop it failing again in the future if it has one fitted.

[@wafflesquare]

Dave thank you for the advice!!

[@davechristie6988]

@@wafflesquare hi Mike I just had a look at a Land Rover parts list. They don't show the upper tailgate switch as a separate item nor the rubber boot. They only list the entire handle/switch/license plate light as a complete unit.😱

[@youserious6725]

Went through the same process 2 yrs ago. The actuator broke twice where the cable connects which you may have noticed is a bit flimsy. Second time around I installed a manual override. Had the same problem with the different connectors for the top switch but I removed the individual wires inside the connector and swapped them over from memory. 👍

[@wafflesquare]

Nice! Thank you for sharing.

[@johnmcenroe7878]

Really great thank you!

[@wafflesquare]

You are very welcome, John.

[@robturton3162]

Another great one Mike! Thank you. Any chance of doing a video on upper and lower control arm replacement? 🤜🏻🤛🏻

[@wafflesquare]

Nothing planned so long as they remain sound.

[@christianbentsen3637]

So happy I came across your channel! Love the detail in your videos and the informative way you explain every operation you are undertaking! However I have one thing that is bothering me, unless the bolts on your LR3 has been replaced with standard bolts (as you Americans call it :) ) all your nuts and bolts on an LR3 uses the metric system :)

[@wafflesquare]

Thank you, Christian, for your kind comments. As for the nut sizes, some measurements are interchangeable between metric and imperial. This vehicle has had several owners in its’ life and in some places on the car it is clear someone has been tinkering in there before me. I simply call the measurements as I find them.

[@202dongargon4]

Good job. Love these videos. What do you use to clean your engine?

[@wafflesquare]

I wiped everything down with a wet rag, then applied this amzn.to/41jQU4Q to the vinyl and rubber because it doesn’t leave an oily residue.

[@maksimiljanb]

Did you miss put two central/middle white clips in tailgate panel (on 17:45 timeline)?

[@wafflesquare]

Strangely those center ones did not have a slot for the clips.

[@sampmas]

Hey Mike, I have some of those rubber pieces on the bumper scuff plate that your LR3 seems to be missing. Be happy to send them to you, LMK.

[@wafflesquare]

That would be great, Samuel. Or a link where I can purchase them. My mailing address is in the description of every video.

[@sampmas]

Great, I’ll send em your way. I replaced that same scuff plate on my LR4 and these are left over. Great vids.

[@wafflesquare]

Thank you so much!

[@wafflesquare]

Hi Samuel. Just wanted to let you know I received the rubber pieces you sent and thanked you publicly in my latest video. Thanks again. Very much appreciated.

[@boblonghino7702]

that's not glitter in the gate a friend told me it's dancer dust that stuff will conduct electric current !!!,, also a company in England makes a manual release for the gate inside I put one in my LR4 that works from inside like it ,,, looks Great

[@wafflesquare]

We are in Las Vegas after all!