'08 Hatch Striker Plate Loose (Easy Fix!)

[TommyWasabi]

Hey all, a little background I own an '07 3dr Hatch (AT) and just picked up an '08 3dr Hatch (MT).

On the '08 I noticed the hatch striker plate was loose. I took the interior plastic trim off and looked behind the bumper and there are no good access points to this (big enough to fit my hand in), the only access points are two oblong shapes (best described as elongated circles, but not quite). Anyway, I read a few posts regarding this subject and found everything from cutting holes in the trunk to people making special tools for the job to tac welding the striker in place.

I did not include how to take off the plastic trim because it was merely removing two (2) plastic fasteners and pulling it off.

Well I found an easy fix and I hope this helps someone in a similar situation.

Striker Plate:



Holes to Access the striker plate nuts:



Right Access Hole w/flashlight for visibility:



Left side access hole:



View through right access hole:



Offset box end wrench 14mm (Duralast brand I got from WalMart):



Offset box end wrench in right access hole over loose nut:



Woohoo! This took me about 5 minutes to complete.