I decided to finally do something about the torn trunk wiring grommet. I was afraid of water intrusion with rains, I notice a little bit when I was in the Pacific N.W. where it rained a lot.
Following the detailed DIY on e46f (link) made it simple. I was afraid of the de-pinning that was required to remove the plug ends, but a nice sharp pick tool and some patience made it go smoothly. Tip: take some photos of the wiring / pin-outs (or just write down the wire colors to the pin #s).
It was just under 2 hours working slowly. I didn't need a clothes hanger to fish the wires through the new grommet. I had taped the different branches to the main bundle and then just fed it through slowly.
I also sprayed down the new grommet with some 303, hopefully it'll keep the rubber elastic and last a bit longer.
Because everyone likes photos, here we go:
Stripped the trunk lid carpet:
The wiring harness fished out:
De-pinned:
Gently pulling the de-pinned wiring harness through the body and into the trunk:
Taping the leads onto the main trunkline in preparation of feeding through the new grommet:
Feeding the taped wiring harness through the new grommet. I shook out the remaining 303 protectant beforehand:
Feeding the harness from the body in preparation of inserting into the trunk again:
The new grommet slipped into place. The little triangle marker should point upwards on the body-side, and outwards on the trunk-side:
Since I had some fabric tape (this was purchased through the dealer, but I'm sure Amazon or local parts stores will carry it) I decided to add some protection against fraying from rubbing on the metal (it was probably unnecessary):
Just the wiring harness going back into the trunk:
Test your tail lights and the trunk release before closing the trunk to ensure wiring is ok.
The new grommet installed, in all of its glory:
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