Hi all
Facing this same recurring problem, this time I've bought some flexible cable from ebay - silicon shielded, 18awg gauge, and using connectors and a crimper, replaced each of the four wires in each side.
The wire I used was thicker, and more flexible than a normal harness. What makes it flexible is that it uses lots of very thin wires, as opposed to fewer thicker ones. Added to this is the silicon shielding which is more softer than the standard plasticy shielding.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...d=862766194023
Installing them was easy - passing the groups of four wires down the sides of the tailgate - using the old wiring to see which wire went where, and crimp in the relevant connector (you need a crimping tool and range of connectors). The only drawback is that all my wire was black - it was cheaper than buying lengths of different coloured stuff. I think 10 metres did the whole job, both sides. (each length is roughly a bit over 1 metre and you need 8 so 10 metres suffices.)
So far (a few months) it's been working very well.
One area of weakness with the 240 tailgate design is that the wiring is exposed to the elements just at the vulnerable pivot point. This means that the wiring insulation gets exposed to UV light and deteriorates. Just on this point I wrapped the wiring in some tape which I believe is UV resistant - we'll see.
When you've got 4 individual wires going through the hinge, as opposed to a 4-core, you need to make sure that - once the hinge is bolted down either side - each wire is not pinched or trapped more than it needs to be, allowing as much movement as possible, so it can slide back and forth somewhat around the pivot point - this will increase its longevity as much as possible.
Anyone else done something similar?
John