Welcome to Just Commodores, a site specifically designed for all people who share the same passion as yourself.

New Posts Contact us

Just Commodores Forum Community

It takes just a moment to join our fantastic community

Register

Remote way to open the sportwagon hatch

Stingraynut

Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
45
Reaction score
10
Points
8
Location
Cairns
Members Ride
VF Calais Sportswagon
I wish there was a hatch release button handy from the driver area.
Many times I've had to get out of the car and go and open the hatch for someone.
Is there a mod for this?
Any suggestions appreciated
2014 VF Calais V Sportswagon
 

Forg

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2015
Messages
6,197
Reaction score
4,184
Points
113
Location
Sydney
Members Ride
Regal Peackock VF SS-V Redline Wagoon
I guess I can think of two possible things you could be after ...
(a) the first is a way to "release" the tailgate catch such that someone approaching the rear of the car doesn't need to press the release button
(b) the second is a way for the tailgate to open the whole way, automatically

Now (b) isn't going to be possible without installing a motor to lift the tailgate, and I'd be super surprised if there's any space in there to let you do that ... it'd be a major engineering task I reckon. :)

However what's the purpose of (a), do you have people approaching the tailgate who're unaware of where that button is? Or is it just to make it a little quicker when it's raining? I can't imagine it would be too difficult to hack into the wiring and introduce a remote-activated switch which does the same thing the existing tailgate button does. BUT if you can find info on whether the switch is connected via CANBUS (which seems a little overkilly to me but that doesn't mean it ain't) then your friendly local hacker might be able to give you a way to plug into the CANBUS up front & do it via software ...
 

gossie

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2011
Messages
2,570
Reaction score
953
Points
113
Location
Gold Coast.
Members Ride
VE International 3.6L
Personally I feel it’s just good manners to get out of the car to open the hatch and or even a door for a person.
 

Holden17

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2016
Messages
622
Reaction score
447
Points
63
Age
64
Location
NthBris
Members Ride
MY16 SV6 ute/MY17 LMF SS wagon
Personally I feel it’s just good manners to get out of the car to open the hatch and or even a door for a person.
I’m happy for people to think I’m being good mannered but in reality I’m not willing to risk someone scratching the top of the bumper/hatch ingress nor do I want them slamming the hatch shut :mad:
 

Skylarking

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2018
Messages
9,993
Reaction score
10,317
Points
113
Age
123
Location
Downunder
Members Ride
Commodore Motorsport Edition
Personally I feel it’s just good manners to get out of the car to open the hatch and or even a door for a person.
Just don’t open doors for females, in this LGBTQ politically correct world, your chivalry is likely to get abused by some offended ….. well I was going to say women but is that even the correct term these days :p It’s so confusing being normal :rolleyes:
 

Stingraynut

Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
45
Reaction score
10
Points
8
Location
Cairns
Members Ride
VF Calais Sportswagon
Thanks for the comments - the reasons for wanting to open the rear tailgate from the drivers position are 1. Four failed back operations making it difficult for me to get in and out of the car, 2 another way to open the back if the switch fails- and it has already failed once, in 2015 and there were no spares in Australia, 3 I'd like to live in a perfect world and 4, Yes, I'm plain lazy!
My 1988 Corvette has a switch in the center console to open the hatch, plus switches in both doors.
From talking to mates it seems many cars do have an internal switch, seems an obvious thing to have in the top model, Calais V.
Unfortunately I don't know a thing about CANBUS but I assume that would be a digital circuit communicating with the body control module or another computer.
It's a long shot to post here, just in case someone else has any knowledge.
If it's a matter of running a wire to a Momentary On switch, I think that would be doable.
 

dassaur

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2020
Messages
1,267
Reaction score
1,142
Points
113
Location
Sydney
Members Ride
VF Calais V V8 Wagon
Thanks for the comments - the reasons for wanting to open the rear tailgate from the drivers position are 1. Four failed back operations making it difficult for me to get in and out of the car, 2 another way to open the back if the switch fails- and it has already failed once, in 2015 and there were no spares in Australia, 3 I'd like to live in a perfect world and 4, Yes, I'm plain lazy!
My 1988 Corvette has a switch in the center console to open the hatch, plus switches in both doors.
From talking to mates it seems many cars do have an internal switch, seems an obvious thing to have in the top model, Calais V.
Unfortunately I don't know a thing about CANBUS but I assume that would be a digital circuit communicating with the body control module or another computer.
It's a long shot to post here, just in case someone else has any knowledge.
If it's a matter of running a wire to a Momentary On switch, I think that would be doable.
It's definitely not the momentary switch job. Latch locks on closing controlled by BCM.
 

stooge

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2014
Messages
3,099
Reaction score
2,980
Points
113
Location
wa
Members Ride
Turbo Alpaca
If it's a matter of running a wire to a Momentary On switch, I think that would be doable.

it could be possible...
you would need to pull out the actuator and see how it works and see if you can provide power to get it to actuate.

the latch at its core is just an electromagnet and if you can find a way to trigger it then it will actuate regardless of the bcm etc.

if you can trigger it then you could set a switch to provide that power which would cause it to actuate and open the hatch.
use a volt meter and test its normal operating voltage, it will more than likely be 12v but you should test to make sure you dont over volt it.
you would also want to add a diode to prevent backfeed into the original circuit if it does not have one but being a coil it should have one.
 

Forg

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2015
Messages
6,197
Reaction score
4,184
Points
113
Location
Sydney
Members Ride
Regal Peackock VF SS-V Redline Wagoon
it could be possible...
you would need to pull out the actuator and see how it works and see if you can provide power to get it to actuate.

the latch at its core is just an electromagnet and if you can find a way to trigger it then it will actuate regardless of the bcm etc.

if you can trigger it then you could set a switch to provide that power which would cause it to actuate and open the hatch.
use a volt meter and test its normal operating voltage, it will more than likely be 12v but you should test to make sure you dont over volt it.
you would also want to add a diode to prevent backfeed into the original circuit if it does not have one but being a coil it should have one.
The button in the underside of the handle is going to, at it's core, have a simple contact switch. I guess there's some form of CANBUS connector involved somewhere, but if it's possible to access the bit that's just an electrical contact, you can bridge that contact pretty easily ...

They've buried this photo a little deeper than I could be bothered digging to embed it, but it appears from the photo on this eBay listing that the plug attached directly to the switch is just a basic two-wire ... I reckon it's pretty likely you could tap into those two wires, and your remote button just needs to bridge them. If you were to remove the tailgate trim, and if that plug is easy to access, you could probably use a pair of voltmeter probes inserted in whatever that plug plugs-into & see whether touching the two probe wires together unlocks the hatch (might need to be closed to have an effect).
 
Top