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I joined this forum so I could post this for any one who didn't magically fix this problem by spraying WD40 on the plastic chicken nugget looking thing that sticks out of the club door. I'm glad that works for so many people but definitely don't take the car to the dealer if it doesn't work for you.
My wife's 08 Clubman's club door stopped opening recently and no amount of spray lube was helping. Turns out the latch on the top of the door either failed to respond to electrical signals or the cable fatigued. Either way no-clicky-no-openy anymore. I took it apart in a matter of minutes with one small torx driver and a flat scredriver and pulled the upper lock assembly out. You will have to remove the club door upper panel and main door panel. Also there's a crimped cable stop tucked into the back of the door handle and it's easy to get out once you take off the handle bracket. Look up part number 51227167491 on outmotoring.com or even ebay, I found a brand new one for $76 and $10 more to ship it. I'll turn this into a real post when it comes in if it fixes the problem. Fingers crossed.
10-2-17 / FIXED. My top latch was stuck. Ordered the part mentioned above and replaced it in 30 minutes or so. Good luck with yours.
Last edited by scott19_72; 10-02-2017 at 11:28 AM.
Reason: Updated
OK. So my son just closed the clubdoor on the seatbelt. So now I can't open the club door. Tried pulling on the safety catch. Tried pushing in on the top outside of the door. There are some limited instructions on pulling the panel off, but it appears that you have to have to club door open to do that. Which I can't do. Anybody have a suggestion on how to get the door open. Not looking forward to taking to dealership.
First, I've been a member on this forum for quite some time but barely used it. In fact, my last login was waaaay back in 4/11/2009! Second, this thread was pivotal in the repair of my club door which was replaced several months ago. I tip my hat to Scott19_72, et al for the write ups and parts list.
My upper latch was stuck and prevented me from opening the door. The lower latch was replaced by the MINI dealer a few years ago. I suppose the upper latch was waiting for its time in the spotlight? Long story short, I ordered the replacement latch from ECS Tuning and installed it without much trouble. There was one exception... so, Mini1380, this may help your situation. The exception was that I couldn't open the club door. Ultimately, I applied pressure (pushed in) on the door near the upper lock then operated the door handle. It was like magic! The door opened and I was able to access the cover screws to remove the club door panel. Afterwards, the replacement part took 20min to install and verify its operation. Another helpful hint would be to listen for each latch to "click" onto the striker. This will indicate which latch is locking into place and which one requires an outside force.
For Mini1380, may I suggest that you apply pressure on the bottom latch area of the club door? That pressure may allow enough space to wiggle the seat belt around to free the latch mechanism. Maybe this would be a good time to have your son lend a helping hand?
Would anyone else care to comment on their way to open a stuck club door?
This Service Information bulletin supersedes SI M51 11 08 dated October 2008.
designates changes to this revision
[font=arial,helvetica,geneva][size=2]SUBJECT[/size][/font] Club Door Opening Problems
[font=arial,helvetica,geneva][size=2]MODEL[/size][/font]
R55 (Cooper Clubman, Cooper S Clubman) produced up to 8/2008
[font=arial,helvetica,geneva][size=2]SITUATION[/size][/font]
Intermittently, when the passenger door is opened, the release lever on the club door does not release. As a result, the club door can not be opened via the pull handle on the inside of the door.
Manually pulling the release lever on the leading edge of the club door will allow it to be opened.
[font=arial,helvetica,geneva][size=2]CAUSE[/size][/font]
The release lever on the club door is spring loaded so that it will release when the front door is opened. Incorrect Bowden cable routing leads to higher than expected static friction in the release lever mechanism which causes the release lever to stick in the depressed position.
[font=arial,helvetica,geneva][size=2]CORRECTION[/size][/font]
Reroute and lubricate the Bowden cable for the release lever.
If the club door will not open, open the front door and pull the sticking release lever (1) away from the door. This will allow the door to be opened using the interior release handle.
If the club door will not open, open the front door and pull the sticking release lever away from the door. This will allow the door to be opened using the interior release handle.
Remove the club door trim panel per repair instruction RA 51 42 021.
On the inside of the club door, inspect where the Bowden cable from the release lever (1) is routed through the door to the release handle. If the cable is routed through the outermost passage in the door (2), it must be removed and routed through the round inner passage (3) along with the 2 other cables.
Spray a liberal amount of silicone spray into both ends of the Bowden cable.
Only if the release lever is still stiff to move after performing steps 1-5, replace the release lever with an updated part. The updated release lever Bowden cable has a slightly more flexible sheathing, which allows the cable to move with less resistance. Steps 4 and 5 should be applied to the replacement release lever as well.
[font=arial,helvetica,geneva][size=2]PARTS INFORMATION[/size][/font] Part Number Description Quantity
Locally sourced
Silicone lubricant spray
1 51 21 2 754 307
Release lever
1 – if needed
[font=arial,helvetica,geneva][size=2]WARRANTY INFORMATION[/size][/font]
Covered under the terms of the MINI New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
So I just went thru the replacement of the safety switch (mine was broken so the spring no longer worked). I found no good reference on the web about:
Removing the Club Door on the R55
So here goes a quick ref with pictures
Remove the upper B post trim by removing the two Torx screws on the top of the trim
Remove the now revealed Torx screw on the top of the door panel
Remove the hidden Torx screw under the door handle (access from below)
Using a far amount of force, unclip the door plan starting at the bottom - it will come off but with more effort than you might expect
Unclip the wire to the speaker so that the panel can be swung out of the way
Replacing the Safety Switch
Remove the four Torx screws holding the door release handle to the door body
Remove the upper part of the safety switch cable from door handle body
Remove the four Torx screws from the safety switch
Remove the large Torx screws from the seatbelt reel holder
Remove the safety switch
Install new switch per the details above - the cable routing is a bit challenging
02-28-2017, 08:42 AM
designates changes to this revision
