Syclone tailgate fixings

Quickstop [UK]

Combating adversyty.
Another dumb question from me... please help? :D

My Syclone had a really badly rusted tailgate handle so I have a new one. It looks like the left hand/ driver side rod in the latch mechanism has a groove in it. Is this for a circlip or something else? The original mechanism was pretty badly rusted so I didn't notice it. The passenger side rod stays in but the other one falls out without something to hold it in.

When you open the tailgate, do they all scratch the paint off the surround of the handle?
 
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