MINI tailgate hinge replacement
I replaced the snapped tailgate hinge on t'old MINI today, and it wasn't too bad a job. The design is a bit crap and they tend to seize, and then break and attempt to bonk you on the head with the tailgate. Didn't like that. The hinge is held on by a single nut but you need to partially drop the headlining to reach it. To do this you need to: remove the tailgate seal remove the rear seats remove the rear side panel trim on the affected side This is all covered by some helpful folks in this YouTube video. After this, you need to remove the white C-pillar trim; it's held in by 4 plastic tabs (2 top, 2 bottom), which fit into metal clips in the body. It needs a sharp tug but there is a fair risk of breaking the tabs, but I got away with it. Now you should be able to gently pull down the headlining, to release the clip in the centre: That should give just enough clearance to get a 13mm socket onto the nut securing the hinge. There is quite a lot