E90 - manual boot release...

[expatscot]

Have a 2011 318d M Sport - been a great, fun little car... not my main vehicle any more but I dont want to scrap it.

Anyway - have a few issues with the car that need sorted maybe some that make it non-viable (financially) to repair... but I wont know as I cant get it round to my mechanic. As it has sat, not being used, with - it seems - a weak battery anyway the battery wouldn't start it....

So after a veritable battle to remove the bugger from the boot, I had it on trickle-charge in my hall (live in an upstairs maisonette with limited parking - charging it in situ outside wasn't an option).

Now I didn't think this would be an issue - but some others that have done this may already know what is coming next....

I cant get back into the boot to replace the battery - there doesnt seem to be any readily apparent manual means of opening the boot.

Or have i missed something obvious and I need to go and sit on the dumbass step... ?

[Greydog]

Morning Rob 

We have all sat on that step ?? Couple of questions, 1. can you open the drivers door with the key? 2. Open the bonnet? If you can then in the engine bay are the jump start/charge points, jump leads from your charged battery to those points will let you operate the boot release internally or from your key. Be ready with your key as the alarm may trigger. Once the boot is open replace the battery as normal

Dave

[expatscot]

1 hour ago, Greydog said:

Morning Rob 

We have all sat on that step ?? Couple of questions, 1. can you open the drivers door with the key? 2. Open the bonnet? If you can then in the engine bay are the jump start/charge points, jump leads from your charged battery to those points will let you operate the boot release internally or from your key. Be ready with your key as the alarm may trigger. Once the boot is open replace the battery as normal

Dave

Hi

yeah I have access to the main cabin (saloon) - and this idea was one of the first I tried, using the jump points under bonnet....

Sadly no joy. I can only assume that is because there is such a big gap in the car circuitry as a whole.... there is no battery at all in the boot cavity, just leads dangling loose.  If there had been a low, or dead even, battery in situ that may well have worked.

When I tried this no power at all showed in the car....

[Greydog]

Hi Rob

Here are the solutions that I found from searching. Someone else has suffered what you are suffering

1) 2008 models and before actually have key lock on the trunk - it's hidden above the license plate frame. 

2) Some models have a trunk pass through which would allow access through which you could pull the manual release within the trunk using a coat hangar or something. 

3) You can apply power to the car from the engine area -there's a big red + and a ground point nearby. Once power is on the car just push the trunk release in the driver's footwell. This is almost certain to work for most everyone. I'm not sure why it didn't work for me, but I'm guessing it has something to do with the fact that the battery was completely removed and the cable were lying loose. That was strike three - I felt like I was out.

4) The only solution that worked for me was to run down the wiring diagrams and locate the "central locking drive, trunk lid" that's the solonoid that actually releases the trunk. Most of the effort was getting the information - the job itself was actually pretty easy. Here it is:

a) Take out the two torx screws just below the glovebox on the left and right to remove the panel below the glovebox. Disconnect the power socket and the light which are attached to the panel.

b) Below the fusebox there is a big flat horizontal junction box (Junction Box A4010). You can spot it easily because there are two big connectors going into it facing you. There is a flat wide connector plugging into the BACKSIDE of this same junction box. There are about a dozen small wires going into it and one big brown ground. This is the one you need to get to. (Connector X14270) Ideally, you'd want to disconnect this, but I could not manage to get it out from that position.

c) Identify the small wire which is gray with a stripe of green (it looks mostly gray). If you get the connector out, this is pin 12. It's the only grey/green wire in the bunch though.

d) You need to very briefly apply 12 volts to this lead to pop the trunk. I did it the ugly way - I very carefully razored off some of the insulation to expose it. Then I just attached some leads to my new battery. I stuck the ground lead into brown wire connector for the power socket I had disconnected when I removed the glove box panel. Then I just brushed the positive lead against the exposed pin 12 wire. The trunk popped instantly.
 

Hope this helps

Dave

[expatscot]

Thanks for all the points/assistance/ideas....

After a few days away from messing with, thinking about it.... have secured the nose on parking spot from the car in question and will try using the jump/boost posts under the bonnet but this time using my main car as the charge supplier instead of a booster/jump pack.

Point remains though - how can they have this vehicle like this, without an easy, manual back-up mechanism. Mind boggling....

EDIT:  have had my Audi hooked up to it to supply power and still no joy.  So either break in jumper cables (unlikely, they were new and unused) - the fact the BMW battery is completely missing makes this method void.  Surely there is a manual mechanism - something that doesn't involve breaking into boot via seats, or splicing into wiring loom 

[expatscot]

On 5/1/2020 at 4:46 PM, Greydog said:

Hi Rob

Here are the solutions that I found from searching. Someone else has suffered what you are suffering

1) 2008 models and before actually have key lock on the trunk - it's hidden above the license plate frame. 

2) Some models have a trunk pass through which would allow access through which you could pull the manual release within the trunk using a coat hangar or something. 

3) You can apply power to the car from the engine area -there's a big red + and a ground point nearby. Once power is on the car just push the trunk release in the driver's footwell. This is almost certain to work for most everyone. I'm not sure why it didn't work for me, but I'm guessing it has something to do with the fact that the battery was completely removed and the cable were lying loose. That was strike three - I felt like I was out.

4) The only solution that worked for me was to run down the wiring diagrams and locate the "central locking drive, trunk lid" that's the solonoid that actually releases the trunk. Most of the effort was getting the information - the job itself was actually pretty easy. Here it is:

a) Take out the two torx screws just below the glovebox on the left and right to remove the panel below the glovebox. Disconnect the power socket and the light which are attached to the panel.

b) Below the fusebox there is a big flat horizontal junction box (Junction Box A4010). You can spot it easily because there are two big connectors going into it facing you. There is a flat wide connector plugging into the BACKSIDE of this same junction box. There are about a dozen small wires going into it and one big brown ground. This is the one you need to get to. (Connector X14270) Ideally, you'd want to disconnect this, but I could not manage to get it out from that position.

c) Identify the small wire which is gray with a stripe of green (it looks mostly gray). If you get the connector out, this is pin 12. It's the only grey/green wire in the bunch though.

d) You need to very briefly apply 12 volts to this lead to pop the trunk. I did it the ugly way - I very carefully razored off some of the insulation to expose it. Then I just attached some leads to my new battery. I stuck the ground lead into brown wire connector for the power socket I had disconnected when I removed the glove box panel. Then I just brushed the positive lead against the exposed pin 12 wire. The trunk popped instantly.
 

Hope this helps

Dave

Thanks for all the points/assistance/ideas....  ^^ I am aware of that solution, it has been supplied by a few car forums, and it is my last resort...   i cant believe there isnt a less invasive option.

After a few days away from messing with, thinking about it.... have secured the nose on parking spot from the car in question and will try using the jump/boost posts under the bonnet but this time using my main car as the charge supplier instead of a booster/jump pack.

Point remains though - how can they have this vehicle like this, without an easy, manual back-up mechanism. Mind boggling....

EDIT:  have had my Audi hooked up to it to supply power and still no joy.  So either break in jumper cables (unlikely, they were new and unused) - the fact the BMW battery is completely missing makes this method void.  Surely there is a manual mechanism - something that doesn't involve breaking into boot via seats, or splicing into wiring loom 

{Apologies for the partial post duplication - I was planning on deleting the superfluous one, but seems I cant}

[Greydog]

Morning Rob

How frustrating is that !! 

So no physical key location above the number plate? Jump points under the bonnet don't supply power or enough power to use the Key Fob with the battery missing ?

I am at a loss apart from finding a way off access to the boot from inside the car as there is a manual release in the boot lid.

Dave

[expatscot]

10 hours ago, Greydog said:

Morning Rob

How frustrating is that !! 

So no physical key location above the number plate? Jump points under the bonnet don't supply power or enough power to use the Key Fob with the battery missing ?

I am at a loss apart from finding a way off access to the boot from inside the car as there is a manual release in the boot lid.

Dave

Yeah it is quite a pain in the backside..

Granted I was dumb for shutting the boot without thinking about the fact, but I think in my head I thought there must be a manual release. 

But to then find that there was a back-up, hidden keyhole in cars up til 2008/2009 - but not in models thereafter, and that there doesn't seem to be any other method built in absolutely baffles me.   

Trying to get power in the system via the jumpstart points was also a sound idea - but that seems to be scuppered by the fact the battery is totally absent.

I have seen the link to the E90 forums with a reference to getting into the wiring behind the glovebox and shorting across two particular wires - but am loathe to do that until reach desperation point.   I am going to email my local BMW dealer - I rarely use them, but have been in to get a few parts etc....

simply cant believe there isn't a manual release/entry method - albeit one they keep under wraps for some reaon... 

[Greydog]

If they tell you how you will probably have to sign an NDA so it stays secret !!! You know the sort of thing "we could tell you but then we have too **** You

[expatscot]

On 5/9/2020 at 7:47 AM, Greydog said:

If they tell you how you will probably have to sign an NDA so it stays secret !!! You know the sort of thing "we could tell you but then we have too **** You

If I do hear anything, NDA aside, I will try to pass it on....