I have found alot of people that had trouble with the boot latch not CLOSING, but has anyone gone to open the boot, only to have it stubbornly refuse to budge? I think I can hear the solenoid activating when I pull the latch, but no movement. Ihave been unable to get through to MINI service (yet), and I'd like some input before I climb back there and take it apart to try and release it.

I have no pull cable (but saw the post about rigging a temporary), so I'm thinking of taking the opportunity to rig a pull from the glove box.

Lucky for me, I had one of the seats folded down, or I'd not be able to get tot he latch!

Any advice welcome.

 

Well, it makes sense that if the latch breaks in such a way so as to prevent closing, it'll sometimes break so as to prevent opening. Especially if the problem is with the solenoid not actually activating the latch.

I've heard a rumor that MINI has finally given up and released a new latch mechanism. This after letting the dealers mess around with ineffective solutions like grease and sliding the latch around on its mounting. If you end up getting a new part, could you let us know? Mine used to rattle and is now very hard to close latched. I'd like to get a new latch (if there is one) before it fails altogether.

 

I'm hoping that they will have to replace it, actually, even though I'll probably have to wait for the part. It'll be worth it, if it has a manual release. If they don't, I've already started figguring out a manual release to be mounted in the glove box.

I am slated to have it looked at on Thursday, so I'll know more then.

 

I don't think that the MINI has very many serious design flaws, but this non-mechanical boot latch is absolutely one of them. I haven't had any problems with mine, but I don't like knowing that rather than pushing a mechanical latch release, I'm basically just pushing a button which has as much chance of working as any given button on my computer keyboard.

Electronics definitely have their place in making cars better, but this is a great instance of them actually shifting things backwards.

And I don't even have the S, where you can only access the battery from the boot (!).

 

Well the dealer called me today, and despite my boot not opening or even budging for three days and despite me trying ONE LAST TIME before I left to drop it at the dealer, the techs had no problem and couldn't find anything wrong. Hmm.. So I'll be working on that cable release.


BTW, the new manual rear hatch release cable can NOT be ordered separately, and only comes WITH the latch. So a retrofit would necessitate buying the whole mechanism, which is "not cheap" according to the Service department.

At least they washed it for me in preparation for this SNOW! Argh.

 

Verrukt,

This may not be your problem, but I've found that if I haven't opened it in a week or so, the seals on my boot will actually stick, and it takes a surprisingly strong tug to get it open. (The first time it happened, the solenoid just clicked away and no movement. It's only because I'm stubborn & kept trying that I got it open.)

I haven't tried, but I'm betting some armor-all or wax or something on the rubber seals will help.

Jeff

 

Jeff - Good idea; especially in cold climates where you can get ice forming in the seal areas. But wax the metal that the seal comes in contact with, not the seal itself. Most people forget to do the door, bonnet, and boot openings when they're waxing a car, but it's as important as the rest of the paint. Wax directly on the rubber will dry it out, limiting its life. Armor-All shouldn't be used anywhere on an automobile (my opinion). There is a rubber dressing product (the name escapes me now) that you put directly on the seals which lubricates and preserves. The dealer should be quite familiar with it as BMW had a persistant problem with squeeking rear door seals on early 90's five-series cars.

Cheers,

James