Hi All,


I spent quite a while looking up how to fix the 3rd door on the wife's 2008 clubman when it stopped opening. It would have been great if tugging on or spraying the plastic chicken nugget looking thing sticking out of the bottom of the door with WD-40 would have solved it for me (seems like that's everyone's advice on most of these posts)... But it didn't.


If you have this problem consider the possibility that your upper latch may be broken (specifically that the rear inner door handle release cable is stretched out), images attached/ SKU available from Outmotoring.com for about $80.


https://www.outmotoring.com/lock-upper.html


I pulled the upper door panel off, loosened the 3 bolts holding the upper door latch in place, opened the latch with a flat screwdriver to get the rest of the door open, and then removed the lower door panel. The cable and latch are very easy to get to and the only tools needed were a torx bit set, flat screwdriver and a 10MM socket. See the attached image of the old part and the newly installed one, long story short you can fix this without paying BMW.


Oh and FYI while I had the panel & old latch off waiting for parts, the dash light for 'open door' was on pretty much the entire time so either line the parts up before the job or live with another dash light for a few days while the latch ships in (seems to be an accepted part of life with these cars that some light will be on for something at any given time). It's also worth pointing out that the cable didn't really seem all that stretched out, but trying the door release with the panels off a few times told me something was wrong.


Good luck, hope this helps.

 

What's weird about my 2011 ClubmanS stuck door is that the latch works when I am applying pressure from the outside. So all I do is lean on the door while pulling the latch release. It bothered me at first, but now I'm starting to see it as an additional level of security. Oh, but I also seldom haul people in the back seat. When I do, it is a problem... So I am looking for a fix.
Since my latch works otherwise, I wonder if it's a cable routing issue....
Guess I'll have to get hold of Torx 20 to find out.
Thanks

 

Thanks for the tip! It was crucial during the replacement of my club door. After the door was opened, I replaced the upper door latch within 20-30min. Did you replace the suspect latch?

Cheers,
George

 

My 2012 is doing this now. Black button is fully extended. How do you remove the inner door panel if the door is closed?

Thanks,

Jim

EDIT: Got the door open using the "push in on the top edge" trick. Now the question is...Is this an upper or lower latch issue? Are these mechanical or electrical latches?

 

Jim,

Do you know if the upper or lower lock mechanism is affected? I had to apply pressure on door over the affected lock in order to open my door then remove the inner door panel. Use a constant pressure against the door. This applied pressure should relieve tension that binds the catch and door mechanism.

As a side note, I spend about 2hrs messing around with the door cover and rear interior panels with no luck in opening the door. I was shocked when a little body weight against the door was enough to open it within seconds!

Give the above method a shot then report back to us, please. Tell us about the rest of your experience with the repair.

 

Will do. I have the new upper latch mechanism inbound ( shot in the dark......it always seems to be the upper latch).

 

Jim,

If you pushed on the upper side of the door then the upper latch is the culprit. The door latches are mechanical. I replaced both the upper and lower latches. However, the lower latch was replaced first and it was done by MINI. Then the upper latch went roughly 1yr later. Please let us know how the repair goes and any lessons that you'd like to share.

 

Thanks for all the info! It was the upper latch. Geos72 comment directly above is a good diagnostic clue, and correct. I noticed that the original latch had a "Made in Portugal" label, where the replacement says "Made in Germany"....Gut, Ja?

Pretty straightforward job, I used these links:

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/r...s-rear/OD6ljXD

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/r...s-rear/OKmy3RN

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/r...s-rear/HmmupSM

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/r...s-rear/OLdJAos

Separating the electrical connector was the slowest part of the job. (RANT: Dozens and dozens of electrical connectors on modern vehicles, no two alike, all have unique locking methods,.)

 

Jim,

Ja, das ist gut...the upper latch was the problem. The quality of parts between countries of origin would be mere speculation. Good to hear that you fixed it with the advise from this thread.

As a side note about latch mechanisms and cables, be sure to keep your hood release cable lubed. Mine just s#!t the bed! Luckily, there is a repair thread here: Hood Release Not Working. Time to roll up my sleeves, get to work, and sweat under the hot sun and humid day today. On the bright side, it's not snowing and 20*F!

 

Talked about the same latch here. My guess is they updated the part by changing suppliers and the tolerance and part must be better. Once replaced people said it was fine.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...es-normal.html


BTW its hot here also and going to be in the mid to upper 90s this week, dang hot.

 

Registered just to post this here. Maybe it will help someone else.All,

Wanted to share this with the community because I was not able to find a fix online. When you look up the issue online, you will find issues where the lower button between the club and passenger door is stuck and needs to be worked out. This is not that issue. Most of the time the resolution is to buy a new latch which is currently running $135 and up.

ISSUE:

The 3rd clubdoor would not open when the handle is activated. Door was stuck and could not be pulled open. This is an issue with the latches not releasing from the latch bar completely as you can hear a mechanism actuating. If pressed on the upper right corner (this is a US passenger side 3rd door) while pulling the handle you could hear a feint release and the door would then open.

RESOLUTION

Remove the Seat Belt trim by removing the 2 hex screws at the top of the trim. This will expose the upper latch assembly. Loosen but do not remove the 3 bolts on the mechanism. Insert a washer above the top 2 bolts to give the latch a slightly downward angled tilt. Tighten bolts.



UNPROFESSIONAL ANALYSIS

Because the door could be opened with pressure to the top right of the door, it seems the issue is with that latch and not the bottom latch. Since it did not require a lot of pressure it seemed as though the issue could be resolved by relieving some of that pressure. I attempted to adjust the latch up, down, sideways, etc in various combinations as loosening the latch bolts and retightening allows you to play with its positioning to change how the latch and the connect bar engage each other. All variations were un satisfactory where a "perfect" set caused the original issue and a high set which allowed the latch to release fully would cause the door to become physically stuck as the latch would sit low on the connect bar creating heavy friction so you would have to yank the door open even though the latch was released. Based on the idea that a slight push in could release the latch the original idea was to insert a set of washers to artificially set the latch inwards a bit to always be pushed in a bit for a smooth release. I tested with a 2 washer tilt first because trial and error showed that the best position was where the latch was low to the bar and this could create an artificial low via tilt. In the end, this worked. Everything is smooth and working and it is possible that placing 3 washers behind each latch bolt could also work. I didn't care to test farther because I was happy that it worked and did not want to mess with it.

DISCLAIMER

I don't know how long this fix will last. If the latch really is failing it is possible it will fail all the way. I don't know if the issue is electrical or mechanical but paying the latch replacement cost is something I will try and avoid if I can.

 

DatterBoy,

Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting your fix!

Please be advised of the conversation that I had with geargazer. Speaking from my experience with a stuck club door, the upper cable & latch assembly stretched to a point that prevented the upper latch from releasing. I had to push in on the upper portion of the door to release tension from the upper latch. The latch released then the door opened by operating the door handle.

It appears that your washer trick may only alleviate the symptoms of a stretched cable. It could be compensating for the stretched cable by taking up cable slack, altering the engagement zone of the latch, or a combination of both.

IMHO, a more permanent solution would be to replace the upper cable & latch assembly. If you haven't replaced the lower cable & latch assembly then you could possibly replace both of them to be absolutely sure the door will properly function.

As I previously stated in this thread, my club door was repaired at a MINI dealer because it was stuck. They replaced the lower latch assembly. Then roughly 1 yr later, the club door was stuck again. I found the upper latch assembly was the faulty component after reading this thread. Once it was replaced the problem has not returned. I have a fully functional club door for the past 3 yrs, and counting *knocking on wood*!

Please update this thread with any other developments on your club door latch!

P.S. The same technique of pushing on the club door also works for releasing a stuck latch on the bonnet release mechanisms. See my cross-referenced link in one of the above posts.

 

I agree. I suspect that this will likely fail again long term. I found that the mechanism works fine when there is no latch bar engaged and the release felt.. weak? I don't know how strong a new latch is supposed to feel. The washers were definitely there to create slack. However, the minimal amount of movement in the upper door pressure made me believe it needed very little to account for the pressure.

Will definitely let everyone know how long this lasts. If it fails again, or when it fails again, I will very likely buy a new part. I'm really just being cheap. here. When these threads were started in other places the price for a replacement latch at about 2016 or so was $80. Today it is +$135. If there was a way to service the stretched cord I would definitely explore that as an option as well.