how to remove / clean melted rubber part?
 

Fooking Toyota. This is a soft rubber protective cover that covers the rear lift gate latch. Somehow my cover just melted like leaving a rubber piece in the oven. How the hell does this happen? I found Toyota's rubber parts have deteriorates much faster then their older products. The one on my wife's 06 Sienna still feels like brand new. I have replaced all my window sill rubber parts last year. what a mess. Its a btich to get at from that angle with a screw driver. Looks like I have to get in there and spend 6 hours scraping all the old stuff out before I can fit the new over it. Sticky as hell. I hope I don't have to remove the emblem cover just to clean it. Any thoughts?
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1571610847.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1571610847.jpg

Milt, its not double side tape. Its a rubber/ plastic cover just like the new one shown. It there to keep water away from the electronic switch that release the lift gate. That rubber just melted into the switch. Strange. Will try goo gone

Maybe you should check the switch out. It could be the source of the heat that melted the rubber cove.

Yep, this is a very common issue. If you want to replace the switch, the interior trim panel and emblem panel have to be removed.

You can also just replace the switch cover, which can be done without removing the back panels, but it's a sticky/messy/tedious PITA.

Personally, I'd just replace the entire switch. Doesn't take that long to pop the back panel and emblem cover.

YMMV...

I think it's just a poor choice of materials with the original part. It only takes moderately high ambient temps for the switch to start breaking down / melting.

No heat there, just a lever hooked up to some electronic sensor.

Oh, this happened to you too? scraping all that out is going to be a mess. Worst then watching paint dry. How did yo pop that panel out? From the inside?

Helped a neighbor change one out years ago. Yeah, don't mess with scraping all that goo off just to replace the cover. Pop the hatch and tether it with rope so it stays open at a workable height. Then just pop the trim panel off (a plastic panel puller tool makes life easier here). There are a couple (?) little inset covers that you will need to pop that are hiding screws that will need to come out as well. After you get the panel off, just peel back the vapor barrier and remove the emblem panel. Should be 3-4 10mm nuts. Then it's just a matter of plug-n-play with the new switch and putting everything back together. Easier said than done (and there may be a step or two I am forgetting), but a pretty straight-forward job. ;)

Thanks Eric. I search up and down the utube and couldn't find anything on how to get at that cover. I owe you one. I hate working on newer cars everything is so tight and nothing is straight forward. I gotta to dig into it tomorrow. You aint kidding about the rope. Almost broke my back bending over looking under there trying to get that screw out.

Cover it with black duct tape. Thats what my mom did on her 4Runner. Ghetto, but not visible and keeps the black sticky mess off your hands.

Goof off as mentioned or acetone.