Perhaps you've seen the ECS Tuning hatch pop kit. (Product Link)
The premise is simple, you press your hatch release and it automagically opens your hatch for you! (Video). Great for groceries, pets, hit men.
Installation:
Installation is straightforward. Well, except for the design flaw.
The design of the mechanism causes a moment which causes the supplied metal lever to pop out.
It's pretty well outlined here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chNzkVSqc4c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ0raA2qoUs
And I found my fix after digging through the hardware store:
After my suggested fix, it works great: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KolnhJNnHCY
I made a comment on the forums, got a ping from the vendor account here to send an e-mail to them, I did. And heard nothing. So I sent it again, CC'd the account here and finally got a ping back from marketing saying I'd get a fixed version (Still waiting).
The official reply was much shorter., but whatever my trunk worked.
Then it started not opening all the way. First it was about 1/3 the way. Then it'd just occasionally pop open a crack. But as long as I lifted it to at least half way with my foot it'd open which was sufficient for my use.
I blamed it on the polar vortex. I mean, it gets cold. You can't blame things for not always working when they're cold.
Then the real fun began. The ball and socket joints decided to stop working. First it was one side. Then it was the other. It first started when I was opening. I noticed the lift strut was jammed up against the bump stop and that's why it stopped lifting.
Then it started happening when I closed it, like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFFTJ2897fI
Then they just started falling off completely: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P81vHOkxv5Q
And every single time I'd cause another scratch, dent, or other damage to my vehicle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41IfFV_5JuI
So now I have a very low tech but reliable solution. A 1x4" of poplar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38T-D0Dy7W0
So if anyone from ECS is watching, here is my suggestion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Edgyqnns5ZE
You're probably thinking "This is so exciting. I would love the opportunity to spend $200 to have a non-working hatch and potentially break my tail lights".
But wait... there's more!
I was going through the car wash and just happened to notice a large amount of water entering. Now I've never had good luck with water in VWs. I'm cursed. Every single one has had a water leak somewhere or other.
And now so does my 'new' to me Mk4 Golf. I got out and looked. Sure enough there's a massive dent about where you would expect one if a foreign body just happened to find its way into the hatch. Anyone want to guess what foreign bodies have recently started jumping into my hatch closing?
That's right. The first car I've sunk considerable money into (Just spent $2k more at ID Parts for a SB clutch, flywheel, diff and 5th gear) has a massive dent in the hatch and is taking on water...
And that's in addition to the broken bumper stops and scratch tail lights.
Random scratches inside of the hatch.
And the necessity to use precicely calibrated piece of American made hardware to hold the hatch up.
But don't fret, this product could still be for you:
The premise is simple, you press your hatch release and it automagically opens your hatch for you! (Video). Great for groceries, pets, hit men.
Installation:
Installation is straightforward. Well, except for the design flaw.
The design of the mechanism causes a moment which causes the supplied metal lever to pop out.
It's pretty well outlined here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chNzkVSqc4c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ0raA2qoUs
And I found my fix after digging through the hardware store:
After my suggested fix, it works great: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KolnhJNnHCY
I made a comment on the forums, got a ping from the vendor account here to send an e-mail to them, I did. And heard nothing. So I sent it again, CC'd the account here and finally got a ping back from marketing saying I'd get a fixed version (Still waiting).
The official reply was much shorter., but whatever my trunk worked.
Then it started not opening all the way. First it was about 1/3 the way. Then it'd just occasionally pop open a crack. But as long as I lifted it to at least half way with my foot it'd open which was sufficient for my use.
I blamed it on the polar vortex. I mean, it gets cold. You can't blame things for not always working when they're cold.
Then the real fun began. The ball and socket joints decided to stop working. First it was one side. Then it was the other. It first started when I was opening. I noticed the lift strut was jammed up against the bump stop and that's why it stopped lifting.
Then it started happening when I closed it, like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFFTJ2897fI
Then they just started falling off completely: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P81vHOkxv5Q
And every single time I'd cause another scratch, dent, or other damage to my vehicle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41IfFV_5JuI
So now I have a very low tech but reliable solution. A 1x4" of poplar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38T-D0Dy7W0
So if anyone from ECS is watching, here is my suggestion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Edgyqnns5ZE
You're probably thinking "This is so exciting. I would love the opportunity to spend $200 to have a non-working hatch and potentially break my tail lights".
But wait... there's more!
I was going through the car wash and just happened to notice a large amount of water entering. Now I've never had good luck with water in VWs. I'm cursed. Every single one has had a water leak somewhere or other.
And now so does my 'new' to me Mk4 Golf. I got out and looked. Sure enough there's a massive dent about where you would expect one if a foreign body just happened to find its way into the hatch. Anyone want to guess what foreign bodies have recently started jumping into my hatch closing?
That's right. The first car I've sunk considerable money into (Just spent $2k more at ID Parts for a SB clutch, flywheel, diff and 5th gear) has a massive dent in the hatch and is taking on water...
And that's in addition to the broken bumper stops and scratch tail lights.
Random scratches inside of the hatch.
And the necessity to use precicely calibrated piece of American made hardware to hold the hatch up.
But don't fret, this product could still be for you:
- Getting a divorce and your spouse is getting the Mk4 Golf? Install this time bomb. Before long their hatch is useless.
- Sending your kid off to college and don't want them smuggling beer back to the dorms in the trunk? No problem. 4-5 months after installing they won't even be able to hold a case of beer and open the trunk at the same time.
- Repo men coming for your prized Golf because you're late on payments? Just take out a payday loan for $200 and send those bastards away with a soon to be useless trunk.
- You actually enjoy a wet musty smell in the back of your car or the water logged tail light look.