I've read a few posts on here regarding water leaks and I have a very slight one myself..winters enroute and edinburghs not the driest of places so this is my job for Sunday..just ordered one from island 4x4..

Any pointers would be appreciated hugely? After I've removed old seal what's the best solvent/cleaner to remove gunge/mastic? Also is the new one in 1 piece ? If so is there anyparts of tailgate going to get in the way of the fitting....ta

Fairly straightforward job to replace the seal, I just used a soft scouring pad and some cleaning fluid to remove the remnants of the old mastic sealant from around the lip of the tailgate, then wiped down with a damp clean cloth and left for a while to dry. If there's any large chunks of crud or flaking paint, just remove the crud with your fingernail and rub them down gently to avoid damaging the paintwork too much.
I found that starting from the top centre of the tailgate and working around evenly fitting the seal onto the lip either side, doing a bit at a time, was the best way for me.
The seal comes as a one-piece item, with the mastic bead already in the slot, so no need to use any extra mastic. I made sure the seal joint would end up in the centre on the bottom lip of the tailgate opening.
Only 'tricky' bit is where the spring loaded tailgate flap is, but it's easy to prop it up and work around it. Just be sure to get the seal fully seated on the lip and don't nip or damage the seal when seating it.

That's answered all my questions..thanks for the detailed reply...

I put a new tailgate seal in this week (Duckworths £133 inc VAT delivered).

The old seal looked fine when fitted but the underside was compromised. Make sure you get the join at the bottom centered and there are two re-inforced parts where the lower tailgate closes, which you can feel (but not see). There is mastic already inside. It is a simple job and a pain in the n*ts at the same time. 2012 L322 4.4 TDV8 AB low mileage - a peach
1986 V8 Defender 90 County ex-Swiss Army - Red everything....

My preferred Independent: Roy Hardy. R & B AUTOS LTD, 20 Brook Road, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 2BH 07500 866775‬ (Ex LR Chief Technician)