[Mininewbiegirl]

I’ve been having this issue for a while now, and wondered if anyone here could shed any insight.
I had a problem where sometimes my boot wouldn’t open. By this I mean I pressed the button underneath the catch and .. nothing happened. I pressed the button on the keys to open the boot and.. nothing happened. I tried to find a manual release inside the car but no luck. I’d either leave it for a while and go back later to find it would open, or manage to pull the rear seats down and get my things from the boot that way.It was very unpredictable but it only happened a couple times over a 6 month period so I didn’t want to have to pay to take it to the garage if it was a glitch. Anyway.. now the only way to open the boot at all is by using the button on the keys, which works every time, but now it also opens whenever it feels like it. When I unlock the car, the boot opens. When I turn off the ignition and pop the key out, the boot opens. Sometimes, I just shut the door and i hear the boot open before I have a chance to lock the car. If the key is in the ignition, or the car is locked, or the engine is running, it doesn’t pop open.
Does anyone know why this is happening? It’s getting really frustrating getting into my car only to have to get back out again because the boot is open. (Sometimes it does it 3 or 4 times in a row so I just stand there having to battle with it to stay shut) This happens pretty much every time I use the car.
Sorry for the long ramble! I wanted to add as much detail as possible haha

 

[spangelaregreat]

Hi,

Had the same issue with my Mini Cooper 2006. It was the micro switch on the boot that was faulty.

You can open the boot manually by lifting the rear seat and there should be a handle you pull. While I was waiting for a replacement boot switch I tied a bit of rope to the handle so I could pull it with the back seat still down.

If you have a similar model to mine you will need a new boot switch. You need to replace the whole handle as it is a full unit and not replaceable directly unless you are very adept with solder irons etc.

You can get a boot handle for about £30 on eBay for a second hand one or about £100 for a new one.

To replace it you need to:-

- undo the four torx screws on the handle on the boot. They are external so are easy to access.

- disconnect the wire that connects the boot handle to the boot lid (it has a small retaining clip, you just slide a small flat head screwdriver into the clip to release it). I had to do this from inside the boot as the cable was quite short. I had to remove the trim in side the boot to do this. It is about 8 screws (Phillips type) and then you need to pull at the edges of the trim as it is also held on with about 8 clips. They pop out with a bit of pressure.

- connect the new boot handle and check it works before reassembling the bits.

- re attach the boot trim (if you need to remove it), make sure you press the clips back into place before putting the screws back in.

- screw the handle back onto the boot lid.

Takes about 20 minutes to do.

Regards