A while ago my hatch handle was starting to bind up for the 5th time or so, the handle bracket would rust a bit, 'swell' (rust takes up more space), grab the plastic handle.

I took the handle off and cleaned the crap out of the bracket, then lubed the heck out of it with silicone dielectric grease.

Nothing has come close to working this well for this long!

 

The latch itself I cleaned and lubed with a mix of ATF and wheel bearing grease, that's doing better than usual too.

Amsoil heavy duty metal protector. You just spray it in there. It's a dry wax lubricant and body undercoat.

 

GD

sounds similar to motorcycle chain wax.  maybe can get that cheaper than amsoil?

Amsoil heavy duty metal protector. You just spray it in there. It's a dry wax lubricant and body undercoat.

 

GD

 

I think the fact it's dry means it would be scraped off areas with movement, allowing the rust to take hold again.

 

The silicone does a lot of it's magic based on the way it will creep back into an area where it gets scraped off, and it's almost impossible to scrape it all off.

I had the same problem on my 99 OBW several years back. I lubed and lubed several times, but rust would always return to cause trouble. Finally, I bought a new replacement hatch handle from Subaru. Once I installed, it cured the problem.

Here in the not rust belt, I have had much more issues with the pivot mechanism that the handle connects to. It control's the cable that goes down to the latch itself.  Seems to have zero rust resistance , so much so that I pull the rear panel every time I get a subi in with latch issues. Can't tell you how many have come here with the rear hatch inoperable ! Remove the panel , get the pivot mechanism removed if necessary or just lube it up with a dry graphite spray used to lube the booms on cranes. If I remove it, then wire wheel it back to clean metal ,spray a light coat of rustoleum paint (any color) let dry.  lube it up and reinstall. The handle mechanism I generally just spray with kroil till it moves freely then a shot of the graphite. 

In the rust belt that could be a yearly thing ... in the inland north west, its a good fix for many years to come.   

Edited May 4, 20187 yr by montana tom

I think the fact it's dry means it would be scraped off areas with movement, allowing the rust to take hold again.

 

The silicone does a lot of it's magic based on the way it will creep back into an area where it gets scraped off, and it's almost impossible to scrape it all off.

 

 

Perhaps. We don't really experience this problem much. I've seen it a couple times but it's rare here. 

 

GD

Perhaps. We don't really experience this problem much. I've seen it a couple times but it's rare here. 

 

GD

 

The south has kudzu, we have rust that grows almost as fast!

I can't imagine. I literally couldn't live in an environment like that. 

 

GD

The upside is every winter with good snows you have a superpower!

it also makes us really appreciate south and western used cars...