I remember awhile back a situation where a member here was stranded on the side of the road with some sort of electrical malfunction, and then found out that he didn't have the ripcord to maunally open the hatch.
Well, I just came back this weekend from getting my coolant tank replaced, and inquired about the ripcord deal. After hearing that story, I was one of the ones who went out and checked my car for one, as well as others. No cord. It appears from what I heard, cars after the November build were corded. And on top of it, my dealer wants me to pay for it if I want it in there. It was going to be something like $50(CDN) to have it done.
Has anyone had any luck with their dealer installing this cord for free, like under warranty? In my opinion, it should be put in at the dealer's expense or that of MINI. I found that to be rather odd. Am I alone in thinking this? This is a total safety issue. In the manual, it even states, "In the event of an electrical malfunction,...........". So bascially what it says, that if the car dies, this cord is there to aid you.
Cheers,

 

Does the fact he was willing to do it, even with a charge, mean there is actually a retro-fit kit for this?

I thought that MINI decided there would be no retrofit kit for cars like yours and mine that lack the safety cord for manual boot release.

 

>>I remember awhile back a situation where a member here was stranded on the side of the road with some sort of electrical malfunction, and then found out that he didn't have the ripcord to maunally open the hatch.

Yup, that was me, stranded on a highway in the Mexican desert because of a loose battery cable.
As of yet, I have only recieved puzzled looks from dealers when I mention a missing release cable that they didn't even know should be there in the first place.
I've pretty much given up on trying to get it retrofitted.
I agree with you. it should be MINI USA's responsibility to install a safety component that should be there in the first place, and we shouldn't have to pay a penny for their screw-up.
:evil:

 

>>Does the fact he was willing to do it, even with a charge, mean there is actually a retro-fit kit for this?
>>
>>I thought that MINI decided there would be no retrofit kit for cars like yours and mine that lack the safety cord for manual boot release.


Well, after mentioning the issue at hand, he said that he could get what's needed, but I'd have to pay for it to be done. Apparently, there were several other MINI owners coming in with the same inquiry to him, so he checked up on it.
Not really sure how much into production of the MINI that this idea was even thought of. But if it was right from the beginning, it should be there. If they added it in for a different model year, then that's a different story.
We have roadside assistance if there's a situation where we need to get back there manually, but it would be nice not to have to call out for someone if there's a way to fix the issue ourselves.
I might just pay the $50(CDN) to have him do it, just for peace of mind knowing it's there just in case.
Cheers,

 

I got got back from my dealer for the SAME thing! I was at a car show that requires all cars to disconnect your battery. I did so thinking I could just pull that trusty cord, THAT I DON'T HAVE!

So Yes they have it at the dealer and it will cost $120 for parts and installation. I will schedule it to get done next time it's in. I have to disconnect the battery to often not to have it.

 

$50 Canadian is for parts, labor, or both? That seems way different from the $120 (US, I presume) that bbymkal was quoted for parts and installation.

It's hard to imagine that the part should cost more than $30 (US...close to $50 Canadian). Installation looks pretty easy for a DIY project.

 

Ok, I checked again with my service guy and he states that it's going to be $47.96(CDN, eh) for the parts, and is going to take approx. 1/2hour to install, which should be $47.25(full hour rate is like $98). Grand total in that happy-happy-joy-joy Canadian funds, is $95.21 +tax.
He also states this about the warranty issue: "Regarding the warranty issue, it cannot be catagorized as such due to it being a new feature that was previously unavailable."
I think I'll let it go. But I swear if I ever need that cord and it's not there, I'm going to be pissed at myself for not going ahead with it. A hundred bucks for a freaking cord seems a bit much to deal out, plus the cost of a 4hr drive each way, plus tolls, food etc. Bahhh.
Oh well.
Cheers,

 

Remind me never to break down in a mexican desert.
Someone might steal my badges...

 

>>Remind me never to break down in a mexican desert.
>>Someone might steal my badges...

So, MINI-MadMan can get the part for about $35 (US), and his dealer says it takes about a 1/2 hour to install. I believe that install time, having looked at the latch from the inside and seeing that there's really nothing to do than to hook up the "cord" and route it under the seat.

It stinks that MINI won't do this for free, but for peace of mind $35 and a half-an-hour seems well worth it. Further, if our US dealers can't get the part, or want to gouge us on price, maybe we can order it from MINI-MadMan's Canadian dealer.

I have to go to my dealer tomorrow (to fix the airbags for the 3rd time), and will ask for their price on the part...and will report back here.

 

Round up a bunch of MCO members and caravan up here for the cord-fix. We'll make a day of it.
Cheers,

 

The cord is just a little bicycle brake cable. It should only be $20 or so at Classic MINI. Installation looks to be trivial.

 

In case anyone's interested, here are the part numbers for the emergency boot release cable assembly for my 2002 MCS:

51-24-0-144-423 ("towbar lug&quot
34-52-0-141-429 ("cable clip&quot
61-13-0-141-700 ("cable clamp&quot
51-24-7-119-986 ("bowden cable&quot

Altogether, the total at my dealer's parts dept (MINI of Peabody) is $32.78 (plus tax). My dealer doesn't keep the part in stock but was happy to order it. As has been said, install should be easy.

I'm sure that you could get the same thing at Classic MINI or wherever BMW/MINI parts are sold.

 

jsun, many thanks for the info.

Now, since I'm such a lazy bastard, someone needs to do this, take pics, and post a "How to".

 

Here are the prices from Classic MINI:

51-24-0-144-423 ("towbar lug&quot $0.34
34-52-0-141-429 ("cable clip&quot $0.07
61-13-0-141-700 ("cable clamp&quot $0.26
51-24-7-119-986 ("bowden cable&quot 17.60

Classic says the cable is not stocked in the US and will take a week or two.

Hey, my guess of $20 was pretty close huh?

 

Vespa and/or jsun:
Do you happen to know if the quoted part numbers work for the 2002 Cooper as well as the pre-November '02 MCS?

 

I know that the service guy asked if I had a Cooper or an S...but I don't know if the answer made a difference other than which parts database he accessed.

Actually though, do Coopers have the cable? Do you need it, since your battery isn't in the trunk?

 

As far as I know, all US 2002 Coopers don't have the manual trunk release, only the manual "has" it.

And yes, Coopers need the feature for the same reasons that Cooper Ss do. If there's a power failure and you can't get tools, flares, etc. out of the boot, the driver could be in real trouble until help arrived. Can't change the tire on a Cooper without runflats if there's some malfunction or power loss that makes the electric release fail.