As with most of you, I've been trying out every little feature on Ringo since the day I took delivery. Yesterday, I was attempting to locate and try the alternate trunk release by finding and pulling the ring under the left back seat cushion. Well, I could never find it. Later in the day, I was at the dealer and the rep. told me that there is no ring, just another deviation between the Owners Manual and reality.

Has anybody found a ring? If it truly does not exist, is there a real alternative opening mechanism for the hatch?

 

I have the same exact question. This has been also discussed at the MINI2.COM forums. It appears to be that at some point during production it was decided to remove the manual hatch release override from under the back seat on newly built MINIs. However, the Owner's Manual was never edited to reflect this change.

It is possible early build MINIs have it installed. Our 8/2002 build date Cooper does not have it either.

I wonder how can the boot be opened in case of electrical or power failure?

 

You will not find it. The manual is incorrect and there is no MINI 2002 MINI that has it. I myself spent 1 hour one day looking for it when the MINI first came out.

 

Anyone look at the latch closely? Is there a means of rigging an emergency pull cord? I mean... if one was boored enough?

 

I don't foresee problems with the trunk release and I understand how things in the manual may not always reflect what actually was built. However, I'd think that there would be some accomodation for the potential failure of the electrical system or the trunk release. There will be an issue about it at some point and MINI will have a retrofit.

 

I spoke with a rep. at MINI's customer relationsions office in NJ and mentioned the missing hatch release. He told me that there is no other way to open the hatch except for the electric outside switch and the remote. (We know this)

I asked about what a poor driver would do if he or she had a dead battery situation and the jumper cables were in the hatch. He said he'd add the manual hatch release to the list of features to be (re-)introduced on future MINIs.

 

>>I spoke with a rep. at MINI's customer relationsions office in NJ and mentioned the missing hatch release. He told me that there is no other way to open the hatch except for the electric outside switch and the remote. (We know this)
>>
>>I asked about what a poor driver would do if he or she had a dead battery situation and the jumper cables were in the hatch. He said he'd add the manual hatch release to the list of features to be (re-)introduced on future MINIs.

The poor driver would have to put the back seats down and reach through to get the jumper cables.

 

The seat latches are .inside the trunk, not reachable when the hatch is closed

 

I took off the plastic trim covering the latch
in the 'boot'. Found what looks like a point of
atatchmentfor a cable. It would have to be
sleeved, somthing like a break cable on a
bicycle .

 

OK, so here's the scenario. You're outside of your car with the doors locked. You try the remote to unlock the doors and nothing happens. You try to re-lock the doors and the lights do not flash indecating a dead battery. You're the type that is prepared for everything so you have jumper cables in the trunk of you months old MINI. You realize that you can not open the trunk without the remote so you use the key to unlock the door. You open the door :evil: What do you think will happen to the window and or the frame when you pry your door open? Even if someone else had jumper cables in their car to jumpstart yours you couldn't get into yours to use the bonnet release without the possibility of damaging your window. It appears to me that the big problem is not the deletion of the alternative boot release. Instead BMW should have some plan for getting you into your car in the event of a loss of electrical power.

 

Liquid:
BINGO! Not something that keeps me awake at night but I'm the kind of guy who plans ahead for life's little adeventures. There should be some provision for a lock-out. I'm waiting to hear back from MINIUSA on this one.