Subaru Repair: wagon hatch lock, pliers, hatch

Question
The lock/catch on the hatch door of our Legacy 2004 wagon has already been replaced once and is now frozen again. The dealer says, "It's a Subaru." Any recommendations on how to avoid this expensive repair?

Answer
The mechanism behind the hatch panel has a swivel piece where it connects to the handle. Thats where they usually rust. You can take the panel off, carefully pop the piece out of the handle, lubricate the swivel and work it back and forth with a pair of pliers. You will want to lubricate this often.