The boot has done this twice since delivery on the 14th. Well in the shop today having the Ipod adapter installed I mentioned it to the SA manager.
After some searching by the MT he located the problem, the manual release cable was damaged, whcih was casuing the boot to unlatch.
Was lucky and they had a cable in stock, the install of it took as long as the Ipod, since the cable is over 6 feet in length. The right side panel and left rear seat needed to be reomved in order to replace the cable. Kudos to theMini folks, they did a great job and was very careful about handling Skeeters parts as not to do any harm to him.

This was the first they had seen of this issue, just thought I would mention it in case it happens to someone else out there.



You can see the old cable on the floor by the MT's feet.

 

Tharkun,

Thanks for the information. Looks like they took good care of Skeeter.

By the way how do you like your Ipod adapter? I am considering having one installed when my Mini is delivered in about two weeks.

 

Tharkun, what was your MINI doing? Unlatching, or hard to unlatch?

 

I made a post last night with pics about the Ipod interface, the link is below. So far we are happy with it, yes there is room for some software improvments, but all in all I think it is worth the money.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=111483

If you have any specific questions just ask, if I find problems with it in a few weeks I will post them.

 

The first two instances was well backing out of the garage, the hatch light would become active in the tach, get out and close the hatch, problem solved.
The third time was on the way home from getting some groceries, stopped and tried three times before it would stay latched, Checked to make sure it was not either remote in a pocket keeping the open hatch button depressed.

The hatch would just unlock, not like it was flying open, and the warning light always came on, so was not really a safety concern, just a minor pain.

 

I've also had this happen twice since picking up my week 29 MCSa, but I thought maybe it was an extra sensitive/mis-adjusted tailgate switch. There's a manual cable? Or is it the cable to the solenoid? Thanks for posting this!

 

On page #23 of the MCS manual gives the details. You pull up on the rear seat cushion, in the center of that area there is a pull ring for the cable, which releases the latch manually. The damage to my cable was on the end near the latch and was the problem area. You can play with the manual release and see if it operates as it shoud, should be able to see if that is causing your problem. Good Luck and hope this helps.

 

Wait, there's a back seat!? The manual cable seems to be operating correctly and there's no good way to examine the latch end without pulling trim pieces etc.

I'll keep an eye on this and hopefully it was a non-repeating, intermittant phantasm - thanks again!

 

I seem to have the opposite situation. Sometimes I will push and push on the release and the hatch will not open. I have comfort access. Any ideas?

 

Standing by and taking pictures during the process was probably a good motivator too!

 

After playing with the boot release above the license plate a few times, I determined that one just needs to push it once. At least on Skeeter there is a one to two second delay between pushing the release and it unlatches. I "assume" this is the mormal delay between the signal being sent to the solenoid (or whatever they are using) and it releasing the latch.

 

Yeah, except sometimes that doesn't happen.

 

I learned that many years ago, an owners presence can dictate better performance in most cases.

 

I would try having the techs check it out, it may have a problem in the switch or solenoid, that was the first things they checked on Skeeter. That leads me to belive the unlatching issue is not all that uncommon. Not like it is a big safetly issue, but being **** about my cars, I expect them to work as designed.

 

+1. As some of the NAMmers know, one of my biggest complaints with the MINI experience is that MINI feels we should just accept faults for the honor of owning a MINI. Regrettably, many MINI owners concur with that view.

 

It is still to soon for me to feel 100% secure with the EBM service deapartment. But from my first dealings with the SA manager, he "seems" to belive that us Mini owners are entitled to the same service as if we had purchased a $80k BMW. He does not belive Mini owners should have to compromize, and he has learned that I am and will be **** about Skeeter.But I'm only expecting what I paid for, no more, no less.

When we took delivery it was late evening, I had found two small areas around the windshield washers on the bonnet. It looked like maybe it was excess adhisive from installing the sprayers. I compared it to about a dozen other Minis's on the lot. It could vary from none at all to a surplus amount like I had. The MA ran it over to the detail shop or whatever, and returned saying they did what they could do as evryone was leaving for the day, and they did more they could "make" it worse. I choose to not argue with him, knowing Skeeter was returning within days for the Ipod.

Now this "blem" is not easy to find, and I'm sure ny MA would clasify it as nitpicking. Especially since there was three of going over the exterior in direct sun light (not on the show room floor under fluoresent lighting) for about 45 minutes.

When I showed it to the SA manager and asked him to look at a few other Mini's on the lot, he stated he did not need to. He knew exactly what it was and how it happened. Seems when they wash the Mini's at the VDC in Oxnard they are parked out doors in the sun. If they are not completely dried the sun causes some water damaged marks.

I need to make an appointent to take it back to the BWM approved bosy shop that EBM uses and they will fix it and Skeeter will be like it should have been.

I was going to take some pics and make a post so that other new owners could look for this issue upon taking delivery, as I said you really have to look for it, but once you find it, it can bug you.

 

Hate to bump such an old thread, but this was the best that's come up in my search. I might start a new thread, as well, but for now:

My boot has started unlatching at random. This is on an 09 MCS, which, I believe, does not have the emergency release cable. Any other ideas as to what might be causing this?