Vince,
They talk to you????

 

I think that letters to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with copies to MINIUSA would also go a long way to "encourage" BMW to own up to correcting this defect.

The fact that the battery (electrical system) cannot be accessed in the event of an emergency without an external power source strikes me as decidely unsafe. If I am a rescue worker (as I was in a past career), the last thing that I'd want to do in an exploding battery, or any scenario involving a possible fire in the boot that may have already disabled the battery is add electricity. But then, I always was a wimp.

I guess BMW feels that it would be safer to wait until the fire burns through the back seat so that area can be accessed.

 

>>I think that letters to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) with copies to MINIUSA would also go a long way to "encourage" BMW to own up to correcting this defect.
>>
>>The fact that the battery (electrical system) cannot be accessed in the event of an emergency without an external power source strikes me as decidely unsafe. If I am a rescue worker (as I was in a past career), the last thing that I'd want to do in an exploding battery, or any scenario involving a possible fire in the boot that may have already disabled the battery is add electricity. But then, I always was a wimp.
>>
>>I guess BMW feels that it would be safer to wait until the fire burns through the back seat so that area can be accessed.

But Gus... Don't firefighters carry axes and other implements of destruction for just these situations. I have a hard time seeing a rescue worker fumbling around under the back seat looking for a release cable to open the "trunk" to access the battery that odds are s/he wouldn't even guess was back there.

 

Actually, I was just looking at their web site, the NHTSA even has an on-line form for filing complaints.

NHTSA On-Line Complaint Form

 

... the Parts List shows a picture of it, but there appears to be no part number available for any market that goes with the picture ... stranger and stranger ...

 

>>
>>But Gus... Don't firefighters carry axes and other implements of destruction for just these situations. I have a hard time seeing a rescue worker fumbling around under the back seat looking for a release cable to open the "trunk" to access the battery that odds are s/he wouldn't even guess was back there.
>>
Admitedly, I once hacked through the door of a VW parked too close to a hydrant , but property destruction really is a last resort. I'd assume that most fires would occur while the operator is with the car, and therefore on-hand to advise (warn) the firefighter of the presence of the battery in the boot. Much less fuss if the operator has the ability to pop the boot before the fire department ever arrives.

 

>> ... the Parts List shows a picture of it, but there appears to be no part number available for any market that goes with the picture ... stranger and stranger ...

Hey 8ball, where do you access a parts list? That could be interesting for any number of reasons!

 

Without the release...you need something like this...
Window Breaker......
I have seen similaear things at Target, etc...

 

>>>> ... the Parts List shows a picture of it, but there appears to be no part number available for any market that goes with the picture ... stranger and stranger ...
>>
>>Hey 8ball, where do you access a parts list? That could be interesting for any number of reasons!


I got a ETK disc copy off of Ebay ... very interesting and fun ...

 

>>I got a ETK disc copy off of Ebay ... very interesting and fun ...
>>

Oh. Shhhhhhhh.

 

I have an early Oct build Cooper without the cable release. I took a look at the hatch latch and it does have the manual release mechanism, so I assume it IS feasible to retrofit the cable. In the mean time, I have rigged a simple temporary solution: I looped a shoelace around the seat release handle and ran the ends up under the headrestraint. I tied the end around one of the posts, lowered the pad, and tucked the excess lace under it. From inside the car, you can't see it. I am still wondering about a total power failure while the car is locked, however. I know that the last BMW 3 series had the same 'window dropping doors' and haven't heard any problems. Is it possible that windows would flex enough without shattering if you had to manually unlock and open the doors?

 

Babs! I LOVE your solution! Have you tested pulling the string to see if it works? I particularly love -- on several dimensions -- how this problem can be solved by some thinking and a couple of cents of string.

As for your windows question, I think the answer is yes. Opening/closing the doors when the window doesn't drop is possible but certainly not desirable. There have been several threads/posts from folks whose windows didn't drop for some mechanical reason, and they were still able to open and close the doors (some for quite a while before they realized that they had a problem ). So, clearly in an emergency, this would be possible.

 

>>Babs! I LOVE your solution! Have you tested pulling the string to see if it works? I particularly love -- on several dimensions -- how this problem can be solved by some thinking and a couple of cents of string.

If I read this correctly, Babs isn't opening the rear hatch..... the shoestring allows release of the rear seat latch so you can fold the seat down and access the cargo area from inside the car.

The easier method is to simply remove the rear shelf......

 

>>If I read this correctly, Babs isn't opening the rear hatch..... <<

Correct. I am talking about gettinging into the "trunk" by lowering the seat from inside. It is probably also possible to use a lace on the hatch latch, but after going to the trouble of taking the trim piece off, etc, I would probably opt to install the factory pull cable if it were reasonably priced. I haven't explored the cost yet because:

a. I have a Cooper, not an S, so I'm not worried about getting to my battery

b. Maybe Mini will do it for free eventually

c. I'm cheap at heart!

Sorry for the confusion.