I'm somewhat dismayed to see this return on my 09 a matter of months and a couple of thousand easy miles after it was supposedly rectified by a dealer.

Don't get me wrong I know once rust is in place anywhere it will only ever come back without introducing new metal, but I was hoping for a bit more than a couple of months especially after immediately drowning it inside with Dynax!

Anyhow just out of interest can anyone answer a couple of questions;

1. How much roughly is a genuine upper tailgate panel? Is there an exploded diagram that shows how its all bolted together?

2. More importantly how do you stop any new upper tailgate becoming swiss cheese withing 4 years!! Where is the water coming from and where is it getting trapped......the existing drain holes appear to be useless?

2. Why do more recent L322s "appear" to be worse afflicted than older ones? I see early cars being broken with what look to be better tailgates...Its perplexing; I've had this with a few cars recently where more modern iterations of a vehicle actually appear worse protected rather than better, Aston Martin DB7s being one example.

Surely if it's only a few months ago and a couple of thousand miles since the repair was carried out it indicates the job wasn't done properly and the dealer should be given the chance to do the job properly before you should be considering tailgate replacement.
Interesting that my 2004 tailgate to date has no signs of corrosion.

I had mine done on my 12 plate, a couple of years back by Chartwell in derby. They replaced the panel, which is what should be done under the corrosion warranty.

They filled it with rust proofer and let that drain out of the drain holes. I’ve not had any problems since, touch wood.

Grinding it back and repainting won’t stop the rust as that is coming from the inside of the seams. Brand new panel and cavity proofer is the best and only way to stop the rust coming back. There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
FFRR 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography Santorini Black.
Fiat 500x 1.4 multiair Lounge 2015
2010 LR D4 Commercial 2.7 TDV6

Having had a tailgate replaced under warranty and then having to have the replacement treated and painted after about a year again on a 2012 WM (starting under 3 yo) but the tailgate on a 2004 car having only the odd bubble after almost 10 years, my theory is that the newer cars either used poorer steel with more recycled content or less protective paint (perhaps due to changed environmental regulations).

The corrosion on mine was not coming through from the inside, so I'm not sure that the cause is water gathering inside or that filling the inside with waxoyl or similar is the answer (it can't do any harm though and may prevent other problems). That said the new panel needs the side seams sealed when it is painted to match the rest of the car, and a poor job with that would not be helpful. My replacement one had to be re-done because the seam seals were not right, but even after that there was corrosion (external, elsewhere, starting at the corners/edge, not near the seams).

Maybe one could treat the new panel in some way before it is painted (it may come undercoated, so that might have to come off first) but Q whether galvanising or similar is realistic/cost effective.

Presumably Dan@Duckworths or Matfords (site sponsors) or indeed another dealer could supply a price for the tailgate. The assembly, seam sealing and painting will need to be priced too of course, unless you can do that yourself. Only Range Rovers since 1988

No corrosion on my 55 plate , just the rear wheel arches. try getting one of an old one

Cheers all for your replies/sympathy..

I should have said it was a non-franchised dealer done as part of a sale, plus it was the other end of the country, so no worries about comeback there. I knew the rust would break back through but thought a half inch of filler might give me 12 months breathing space at least!

In all other regards the car is spotless elsewhere (except maybe a tickle of rust on the usual spots on the rear wheelarchs which interestingly haven't got any worse).

It certainly does seem older = better with regards tailgates, and the theory of crap steel/thin paint rings true. (Do you remember in the 70s/80s when the USSR started opening up and dumped their cheap steel on the market where Fiat and Opel were waiting with mouths open?) It must be this, nothing comes out of the drain holes and I cant see where it would get in...? Perhaps its also exaggerated by the "aerodynamics" of the RR whereby all the road crap and salt seems to cling to the rear end, and all the wiper sweepings drip off the edges too?

Does anyone have a screengrab of how tha back panel comes apart?

Last edited by Lester Burnham on 29th Dec 2018 11:27am. Edited 1 time in total

My Dec 2007 Tdv8 had very minor corrosion on the front of the rear wheel arches,none elsewhere on the body,both tailgates are immaculate.Seems pot luck whether you end up with a goody or a lemon. 2008 L322 Vogue 3.6 TDV8 in Java Black with parchment and Navy interior. 125000mls.

I used to be indecisive and have a split personality... but we are ok now...I think?