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Unlocking 2009 convertible boot problems

13K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  BN2 
#1 ·
Hi all; I was wondering if anyone could help me? My 2009 Cooper convertible used to unlock all the doors and boot when I pressed the unlock button on my fob. Recently, however, it will only open the doors when I press the button on the fob - I now have to use the boot unlock button on the fob to unlock it and the boot lid actually opens ajar rather than simply unlocking and requiring me to press the button under the chrome bar like I used to. I could cope with this but thought the sudden change was weird. My main gripe though is that when I unlock the boot this way and get into my car the actual boot opens ajar if I don't drive off pretty much straight away. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
my 08 convertable boot has this problem,i have found that the handle which houses the no plate light has filled with water and then also put a couple of pints of water into boot which has a blocked drain grommit at this stage all the electrics in the boot are becoming corroded and will degrade until it becomes impossible to open boot as thier is no manual release as on first generatian cars, i have also found the recoil strap springs corroded and broken my car has only covered 20000 miles and is garaged, shame on bmw !when all is replaced the handle needs sealing properly to bootlid. i am now looking for replacement parts .
 
#5 ·
Yes, all convertible owners need to listen periodically for water sloshing inside the boot lid when it's opened or closed. My 2009 had the same fault and I took off the boot handle and dried it out thoroughly (50C setting in a fan oven), after which it started working again.

Removing the square grommet around the wiring cable entry at the bottom of the boot lid let the water drain out when the lid was shut and I never put the grommet back in, so that the water could always get out when the boot lid was shut.
Thanks for your replies guys. Since posting this I left the problem as was to broke to pay the £80 that BMW will inevitably bill me to get it taken apart & looked at. However, had a nasty shock then when I lifted the carpet to find the boot full of water.

The boot is still opening on me when I am IN the car & only opening when I use the fob & sometimes it make a dual opening noise.

The water trickling noise comes and goes.

I was wondering if you could send me a detailed instruction on how to do the things you've suggested? It it easy? Unfortunately I'm not a very practical girl!

Thanks in advance!
 
#3 ·
Yes, all convertible owners need to listen periodically for water sloshing inside the boot lid when it's opened or closed. My 2009 had the same fault and I took off the boot handle and dried it out thoroughly (50C setting in a fan oven), after which it started working again.

Removing the square grommet around the wiring cable entry at the bottom of the boot lid let the water drain out when the lid was shut and I never put the grommet back in, so that the water could always get out when the boot lid was shut.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for your replies guys. Since posting this I left the problem as was to broke to pay the £80 that BMW will inevitably bill me to get it taken apart & looked at. However, had a nasty shock then when I lifted the carpet to find the boot full of water.

The boot is still opening on me when I am IN the car & only opening when I use the fob & sometimes it make a dual opening noise.

The water trickling noise comes and goes.

I was wondering if you could send me a detailed instruction on how to do the things you've suggested? It it easy? Unfortunately I'm not a very practical girl!

Thanks in advance!
 
#6 ·
If you are getting water sloshing noises, then the first simple thing to do is drain out the water from the bootlid and see if the problem goes away. It might take a week or so for the inside of the bootlid to dry out and all the electrics to start working normally. But it has to be worth a try before doing anything more.

Open the bootlid and look for the little rubber plug through which the cable runs at the red arrow. Pull that rubber plug out, leaving the cable just as it is. I kept my rubber plug in the glove box for a year or more before deciding to throw it out!

When you shut the bootlid, you should get water draining out (it goes outside the car, not inside) which is a good sign as that may cure the problem.



PS I stole the photo from an American forum and they get an emergency bootlid release handle which is the white bit in the background - you will just have a plastic blanking piece there.
 

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#7 ·
Thanks very much for the photo - it was useful!

I found the rubber grommit underneath the rubber boot cable, rather than in the hole that the rubber cable goes through.

it did quite have quite a bit of sediment in it! (Our rain is pretty dirty huh?) Only a BIT of water drained away.

I may still have to take it in to have the boot opened to look inside as it's likely to be full of sediment & the wiring may be corroded as only a little water drained away when I removed the grommet - it seems that some of the water had eventually drained away. I shall definitely keep that grommet out though!

Weirdly the BMW garage said they'd take a"look at it free of charge" but if it needed dismantling there would be a charge - now i don't think anything can be diagnosed by LOOKING do you??? I forsee a big charge! eek!
 
#8 ·
If any repair costs money, you should ask the dealer to put in a 'goodwill' claim to Mini. Water ingress does seem to be a known fault for 2nd Gen bootlids, judging by the number of others who have had the problem, so even if the car is out of warranty, it is worth a polite ask for Mini to cough up, or at least contribute.
 
#9 ·
do you know your fob can lower the roof?

I too have had problems with the boot but worst of all the roof came down in the rain and snow overnight possibly from an activation from the fob. I was never shown this mechanism and I wondered if you were all aware of it. Did your dealership show you.
So angry at the moment. BMW will not accept any liability.
Can anyone help with my with problem.
 
#10 ·
Replace the grip strip (the bit that houses the button). They aren't cheap to buy but they are easy to fit. Also remove that grommet because yes they do suffer water ingress. It is a known fault but MINI are unlikely to pay for older cars, though always worth an ask!
Pop the plastic panel off the inside of the boot lid and unscrew the grip strip with a T20 screwdriver. Install the new one and your problem will be fixed ;)
 
#11 ·
My 07 (us) boot lock stopped functioning all together and the only way to open it is by attaching a length of wire to the inside release and running it through the rear seat and pulling it. This is a common problem with the conv. here in the states but of course I was just our of warrenty when in happened. Thank god it does not rain here in California but the fix is going to run $500+.
 
#12 ·
Chrome Boot catch full of water.

When the boot lock become erratic and would only open with the remote and not the catch on the boot lid i read this thread and took out the rubber bung - sure enough water poured out - cup full.
Looking further I could see water behind the number plate light lens. I removed the boot lid catch by undoing the 4 off T20 screws. This whole assembly was full of water which I drained out and used the hairdryer to dry out.
The boot lock sill only works using the remote - may be the ctch will dry out and we will get full functioning.
Is there a gasket available to sop this filling with water - or do you have use some bathroom mastic?
 
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