After much travail, have taken all the trim off the liftgate, or hatch, and unbolted the strikeplate and any other T40 torx head bolt. But now that I can open the hatch, I don't know how to unlock the lock to free the strike plate. The interior and exterior opening handles and associated mechanism move perfectly and the power lock pulls/pushes the door lock up and down as expected.
Will unscrewing those two phillips head screws allow me to pull the lock out, and if so, will I then be able to open the lock?
And how do I prevent this from happening again? I think that failing struts/pistons inadvertently slammed to hatch shut, so I anticipate replacing them. What else....
As with nearly everyone else on here, I really really don't want to go to the dealer $$$ or even my usual indepentent garage $$, but will gladly pay for quality parts. I have to replace those T40 bolts for a start.