The rear hatch on our 2002 MCS won't open. The battery is fine, the car runs, but depressing the handle on the hatch won't open the hatch. There is no emergency cable on this first-year 2002. Any tricks to get the door open?

 

Look under your rear seat. There should be a manual cable pull that will open the hatch.

 

Unfortunately, there is no manual cable on some 2002 MCS, including our car.

 

I also have an early '02 car.
This may not help much, but.....
I think I've seen a reference somewhere that you can crawl into the trunk & with some difficulty dismantle or release the catch.
I've also seen/heard how to retro-fit a release cord. (There may be a dealer kit?).
Keep in mind that the hatch only unlocks after the 2nd push on the remote.
Corrosion in the hatch switch area is a very common problem, there might be a way in if you can cut the rubber gasket away to get to the switch.
I'll keep searching - the answer is out there somewhere!

 

My May 2002 build R53 has a retro-fitted boot release ...

https://www.mini2.com/forum/usa/9283...ml#post1780230

 

Thanks for the link. Our 2002 MCS is an August build date, so no cable. But it might make sense to retro-fit as described in the link.

If I could just get it open to do the retrofit...

 

I removed the rear handle and tested the microswitch that is pushed when you press the release mechanism. The switch doesn't work, so I guess I found the point of failure. I couldn't see how to replace the switch, is it possible individually or do I need to order the entire handle assembly, which looks like #51137075582 in realoem?

 

Yes, that's the part. It's not the-end-of-the-world expensive, either! I think I'd call OEM to confirm, though.
If you stick a paper clip in the plug, it will prove that the catch is OK & the hatch will open.
There is a YT video on replacing just the switch - search for <cooper hatch> - but it's beyond my soldering skills!