Rear Exit Switch Mod
The 200 Series LC doesn’t have a way to exit out of the back hatch if you happen to be back there. The Lexus folks don’t have this issue as they have a power rear hatch that can be opened via the fob. After discussing with my buddies Dave and Kurt, I figured this was a real easy fix, and it is.
Disclaimer – First and foremost, this may not be for everyone so users beware; there is an inherent danger of having a power switch on the rear hatch that could potentially be opened by a child while the vehicle is motion, if of course your child is unrestrained. We don’t have kids and my dog isn’t that smart. Use at your own risk.
I bought the momentary switch on Amazon. I like the design because the actual button is flush with its surround, so it’s less likely to be accidentally bumped. It’s fairly small too. $7.25 each on Amazon.com
I also purchased this “flip up” safety cover as an extra measure…but once I got it I thought it looked a bit dorky and ended up not using it. $5.26 each on Amazon.com
Get started....
1. Remove the rear power handle on the exterior of your hatch with a T30 TorX.
2. Once removed, simply unplug the harness from its back.
3. If you look inside, you’ll see the harness is clipped in to the inside framework of the hatch. I stuck a long screw driver in there and released that white clip so that I had more slack in the harness with it being released. This is a little bit of a bugger to snap back in when you’re done, fyi.
4. Remove the small access panel from the inside of your hatch (I taped my mini-driver to prevent scratching)
5. If you released the harness from the white plug in step 3, then fish the harness down through this small hatch opening as it gives you more room to work with.
6. The exterior hatch switch has three wires. A blue, a white/black, and another blue. There are actually two buttons on that exterior switch. The two you want to play with are the white/black in the middle, and the blue on the right if you were looking at the switch from the back. When these two connect, it activates the opener.
7. I removed some of wire sheathing, marked these wires, and soldered in two leads. It is a little awkward soldering. I taped them all up and tested the switch for operation, it worked, so fished the plug back up to it's original location, reinstalled the exterior switch, and wired up the new leads to the new switch.
8. I used a 5/8 UniBit and drilled a hole in the center of the small access panel. I figured this was much easier to replace than the interior hatch surround if I ever needed to. You can obviously mount yours where ever you wish.
9. Done. Took about 40 mins.
Johnny
The 200 Series LC doesn’t have a way to exit out of the back hatch if you happen to be back there. The Lexus folks don’t have this issue as they have a power rear hatch that can be opened via the fob. After discussing with my buddies Dave and Kurt, I figured this was a real easy fix, and it is.
Disclaimer – First and foremost, this may not be for everyone so users beware; there is an inherent danger of having a power switch on the rear hatch that could potentially be opened by a child while the vehicle is motion, if of course your child is unrestrained. We don’t have kids and my dog isn’t that smart. Use at your own risk.
I bought the momentary switch on Amazon. I like the design because the actual button is flush with its surround, so it’s less likely to be accidentally bumped. It’s fairly small too. $7.25 each on Amazon.com
I also purchased this “flip up” safety cover as an extra measure…but once I got it I thought it looked a bit dorky and ended up not using it. $5.26 each on Amazon.com
Get started....
1. Remove the rear power handle on the exterior of your hatch with a T30 TorX.
2. Once removed, simply unplug the harness from its back.
3. If you look inside, you’ll see the harness is clipped in to the inside framework of the hatch. I stuck a long screw driver in there and released that white clip so that I had more slack in the harness with it being released. This is a little bit of a bugger to snap back in when you’re done, fyi.
4. Remove the small access panel from the inside of your hatch (I taped my mini-driver to prevent scratching)
5. If you released the harness from the white plug in step 3, then fish the harness down through this small hatch opening as it gives you more room to work with.
6. The exterior hatch switch has three wires. A blue, a white/black, and another blue. There are actually two buttons on that exterior switch. The two you want to play with are the white/black in the middle, and the blue on the right if you were looking at the switch from the back. When these two connect, it activates the opener.
7. I removed some of wire sheathing, marked these wires, and soldered in two leads. It is a little awkward soldering. I taped them all up and tested the switch for operation, it worked, so fished the plug back up to it's original location, reinstalled the exterior switch, and wired up the new leads to the new switch.
8. I used a 5/8 UniBit and drilled a hole in the center of the small access panel. I figured this was much easier to replace than the interior hatch surround if I ever needed to. You can obviously mount yours where ever you wish.
9. Done. Took about 40 mins.
Johnny
