Like many of you L405 owners, I noticed the upper tailgate was not aligned with the rear quarter panels and the lights. It was falling.

The fix is easy; you need to take the spoiler off (5 screws + a few wires to unclip) then unscrew the three hinges bolts (2 each)

To lift the tailgate back in place, you need to unclip the two powered struts from the tailgate (they unclip like regular ones.) then you can raise and push forward the upper tailgate while someone else tightens the four bolts.

It was all nice and tidy as new... until the boot wouldn't soft close. After many attempts, the two tailgates (upper and lower) became crazy and acted up in weird ways.

The thing is when we took the first powered strut off the tailgate, the car beeped as soon as the strut figured there was no more load on it.

24 hours later, it closed - yet won't soft close - and more importantly will not let me lock the car.

So
1 - my advice is: remove the negative lead from the battery when you do this.
2- would anyone know how to reset it all or program it without going to a shop to save time? I do own an IID TOOL but cannot find anything related to this, and there is no fault code.

Many thanks

Click image to enlarge

I just tried this on the 2019 RR solo.

I basically did what this video shows, lining up the holes, one side at a time with the struts connected and supporting the tailgate forced up with a 2x4 so I could tighten the holes by myself. Took forever and looks exactly the same, maybe even worse, because the left side protrudes about 2mm. It's not even close to being horizontally aligned. I'm not sure what to do next. I guess I need to find a helper and try again disconnecting the struts from the door. Do I just let them dangle with the wire after unclipping them? Is it possible the hinges have dropped and those bolts bolting the hinges to the body need to be pushed up? 2023 L460 Range Rover SE P400
2019 L405 Range Rover ATB LWB

This just ISN’T the way to do it!!!! Did you guys even use the “Search” facility above, to search the word “Tailgate” in the L405 sections? This brings up a huge amount of results on a well-known issue.

Try reading this thread, for starters:

https://www.fullfatrr.com/forum/topic56661.html

 V6 Vogue - “Less is More” - less to go wrong!

I'm not sure if the guys are talking the same thing here. This thread seems to be about the level of the entire top not lining up with the lights at the bottom of the tailgate, but the link seems to be referring to the gap to the C pillar? maybe the C pillar adjustment method does both?

This is the link to the other video -  Got - 2017 SDV8 Autobiography in Loire Blue
Had- 2008 TDV8 Vogue SE in Java black
Had - 2007 S/C in Stornoway Grey

@Gremlin500 - what I am saying is that I have the hole within the hole lined up on both sides and it's still not aligned with the body lines. Do I have worn upper tailgate hinges? Is it possible the tailgate hinges have slid down within their holes? I did come across this in my search https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10182161-0001.pdf.

Though, I did in fact adjust the spoiler to get it off my pillars. It's all messed up there from years of rubbing. My plan was to fix the misaligned tailgate first. Then adjust spoiler. But that has not worked out yet.

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

See my reply above yours  Got - 2017 SDV8 Autobiography in Loire Blue
Had- 2008 TDV8 Vogue SE in Java black
Had - 2007 S/C in Stornoway Grey

I have the same YouTube link. And I did the same thing as in that video. But by myself. What next. 2023 L460 Range Rover SE P400
2019 L405 Range Rover ATB LWB

I'd love to know how you managed that yourself, it seems like 2 man job to me. Got - 2017 SDV8 Autobiography in Loire Blue
Had- 2008 TDV8 Vogue SE in Java black
Had - 2007 S/C in Stornoway Grey

Jig one side into position. Hold with hand while wedging long 2 x 4 in. Tighten.

I imagine most people’s issue is that the rear tailgate is outwards and down at an angle if that makes sense.

Mine is aligned and filush but off vertically. 2023 L460 Range Rover SE P400
2019 L405 Range Rover ATB LWB

Agreed, it’s 100% a 2-person job, or the tailgate moves as you’re tightening.
The Powerful UK video is very useful.
Remember when looking at the “hole in a hole” situation, up is down, and down is up, or you might be making things worse!
IIRC, adjusting the ROOF end of the hinge only moves the upper tailgate closer to, or further from the vehicle opening, (affecting the gap between front of spoiler and roof). Adjusting the tailgate (lower) end of the hinge allows the tailgate to move up or down, or twist the liftgate CW/ACW to get the side gaps parallel.
If it’s only the bottom horizontal edge of the tailgate that’s dropped, you shouldn’t be touching the roof bolts at all. It’s very much a trial-and-error process, that might take 4-5 attempts to get perfection. V6 Vogue - “Less is More” - less to go wrong!

But my holes are centered. And the pics above are the result. Are you saying I need to off center them to align it horizontally then? So essentially have the top part of the hole, when looking at it from underneath, wider than than the bottom? Essentially off center. 2023 L460 Range Rover SE P400
2019 L405 Range Rover ATB LWB

Yes! ! DON’T try to centre the holes, just pay attention to where the panels are!
There is SO much innacuracy of the panels that hardly any two tailgates will have the same relative hole positions. The panels AND the hinges, AND the roof, are NOT precision parts, they are all just pressings, hence the need for an adjustable system.

Look at the positions of the holes in the two pics I posted of my tailgate after alignment in the thread I linked to above, the 2 holes are in wildly different positions, yet the tailgate is now perfectly aligned!

Good luck!  V6 Vogue - “Less is More” - less to go wrong!

Thank you. The problem I am having is that with the struts attached I can’t really go back/higher any more without me feeling like I am straining the hinges backwards too much. That might be because I was doing it by myself with a 2x4. I’ll give it another go tomorrow and will solicit my wife to help even though she is bitching up a storm. Thx for the advice. 2023 L460 Range Rover SE P400
2019 L405 Range Rover ATB LWB

Spent about 5 hours today futzing with it.

This is the best it will get. The left hinge roof holes are as far forward as they can go. I still don't understand what has changed over the last 6 years in the body of this vehicle. I'm sure it came from the factory perfectly aligned.

I used the powerful method to adjust mine and it was much improved, but not exactly perfect. It has dropped slightly since, but still not as bad as when I first got it. My soft close only works sporadically and usually just thuds down which I suspect worsens alignment over time.

If you look at the workshop manual it states to disconnect the struts and align it with the boot closed, which I suspect would be a much better method than the powerful one, it is definitely a two person job though