Boot Lid Replacement

[PsYcHe]

Due to a bike carrier mishap, the D2 needed a new boot lid.. Thanks to the guys at A8parts, a replacement in the correct colour was shipped and I got round to fitting it today.

A reasonably simple job with a couple of fiddly bits, took about 2 hours maybe 2.5.

F-word count (a good measure of the complexity of a job) - 2 and another 2 self-induced, one becuase I took the gas struts off too early and got thumped in the head by a boot lid, and the second when I broke the number plate surround (another ordered from A8Parts).

Tools Needed:

8mm socket (with extension)
14mm Socket
Screwdriver (cross)
Snips (for cable ties)
Assistant - To hold the boot lid(s) in place for about 2 minutes

Process:

1 - Take out warning triangle and undo the two nuts holding the carrier in place (8mm)
2 - Undo the fuzzy-covered screws holding the trim in place (8-10)
3 - Undo the screws holding the grab handle in place
4 - The cover should now just be held on by two pop-on connectors in the centre, gently pull it off and put to one side.
5 - Undo the connectors for the lights (leave the bulb holders in the clusters). (remember to do the number plate connections too).
6 - Remove the 4 nuts holding in the left cluster (8mm) and remove
7 - Undo the same 4 nuts for the right cluster
8 - Then disconnect the 2 bars on the boot lock, undo the two nuts and it should just drop out
9 - Remove the light cluster
10 - There should be two black connectors you can see, one near the left and one near the right, split them (probably need to cut the cable tie)
11 - Look inside the boot lid to the left of the position the boot lock was in. You'll see a black box with a connector in, disconnect that (1* F-count), it's on with lugs, so it's fiddly. If you need to unscrew it, the screws are behind that black tar stuff on the lid and they're a PITA to get to, but do-able (1* F-Count).
12 - Disconnect the central locking hose on the left
13 - Start to pull the wiring loom back through the hole on the right. Be careful not to snag connectors on the way through. Use the hole just above the exit hole to adjust the connectors and take them out one at a time.
14 - Have a cuppa, and ponder how the hell this is going to go back in
15 - Pop off the lid-end off the struts (needs a decent bit of force)
16 - Get the assistant to hold one side of the lid and undo the bolts. Loosen the bolts on the other side, then remove while holding the lid, and place the lid to one side.
17 - Fit the new lid using the reverse of 16.
18 - Re-attach the central locking pipe and struts (or ouchy time!). I found one strut is good enough to hold the lid in place where you put it, where two forces it all the way up.
19 - If the lid you get has the old loom in it, then good. If not, you need to feed a coat hanger, some wire or a cable guide tool, down from the top to the hole just above the entry hole for the cable.
20 - Feed the original wiring loom back through the entry hole one connector at a time as that's all there's space for, and just pull it out the hole above where the guide cable/device is.
21 - Tape the cable end on to the pushed through cable (just one of eithe rend of the 'y' shaped loom), and pull all the way through to the top.
22 - Realise you've forgotten which leg of the 'y' is which Left hand side has one of the number plate light connectors on it as the other is in the centre of the 'y'.
23 - Feed the cables back into position. Left hand side is a doddle, right hand side is a bit more fiddly as you need to put the 'black box' connector on first as you pull it through.
24 - Re-fit the number plate light connectors.
25 - Re-fit the left hand side light cluster and pop the connectors back on.
26 - If you need to swap the number plate holder over, do it now, there's 5 screws which will likely be the same colour as the boot lid and hard to find, three along the top and 2 at the bottom. You can manipulate the old lid to work out the best way to get them off which will make re-fitting easier.
27 - Fit the right-hand side light cluster with the 4 nuts
28 - Push the lock barrel back up and orient for the two bolts that are part of the cluster. Put the washers on before the lock, then push the lock home, tightening the nuts.
29 - Put the two bars back on the lock. Close the boot partly and see if the mechanism seems to work Both with key and central locking.
30 - Reconnect the wires for the right hard side cluster, and the black connector that goes to the lock.
31 - Close boot and check the lights are connected properly (just with ignition on, no engine running, and pop into reverse, lights on, fogs). Test each one seperately as you could mix them up
32 - Cable tie the wires up (if you want).
33 - Re-fit the trim. Pop the two centre connectors back on. Then the triangle bracket and then the rest of the screws that you took out at the start.
34 - Double check that it all works.
35 - Tidy up before you get moaned at