Original problem post:

Well, the Dealer replaced the hatch lock/switches/etc. under warranty.
I thought it was fixed but I washed the car agian... BOONK!

Followed by boonk..... boonk..... boonk as the hatch lock cycled.

Thanks to the dealer for the detective work, I pulled the license plate surround and found wet wiring and a wet plug - not helped by the felt anti-rattle tape - which retained moisture!


I think moisture gets in there, then gets into the connector - and is especially bad when the hatch is opened as water runs back up the wiring into the plug.

Long story short, I unplugged, dried, and moisture-proofed the asssembly. First with liquid electrical tape on the connectors (including a little creative painting on the microswitch):



THEN, I sealed the microswitch with some of that polyethylene that's used for wrapping drinks at Sam's slub - if I can't break it, perhaps it'll last a while! (you may have to look closely to see it)

(sorry blurry pic - basically I put a small square of polyethylene over the microswitch where the handle actuates it, then used a 3/16" strip of electrical tape ("precisely measured" and cut using a pizza cutter) to secure this moisture barrier). If I were to do it again, I'd use the layer of polyethylene over the switch, secure it with a wrap of electrical tape, then "paint" the seam(s) with Liquid Electrial Tape ("LET").

After the LET dried (smelly stuff, that), I lubed the connector with electrical grease (further keeps moisture out), plugged it in, and wrapped the assembly in Scotch 33+ electrical tape - using the now-semi-solid LET as a gasket around the wires so the Scotch didn't leave any gaps. I put a small Ziptie around the end of the electrical tape to prevent future unraveling (I don't want to do this again 5 years on...)

Tested, works. Auto-BOONK feature disabled.

Now I have some driving to do, and some weather later this week - I'll pull the thing in a few months and check it.

UPDATE: many months and 10kmiles later, no further issues! (12/07)
UPDATE AGAIN: No further issues (11/08)
UPDATE AGAIN: I still love this car. Still tight as a drum. No issues (8/2010)
UPDATE AGAIN: STILL have the car, still love it, still no "auto Boonk"

(MODS: Didn't know if this went in the "problems" section or the "electrical" section, but since it's applicable to the coupe I posted in the Couple section. Move at will.)

Keywords: hatch automatically opens, boot latch opens automatically by itself, moisture, hatch problem, spastic hatch)

 

Great write up. I have not heard of this happening before but I am sure it will come up again. Nice job!

 

Great info, thanks!

 

up - just saw a few other posts on this issue

 

Update: Much moist driving, no additional problems...

 

Did you wind up with water dripping out when you opened the hatch, before the fix?

 

I love "boonk"! IMO, it is a perfect onomatopeia.

 

Still get water dripping out when I open the hatch though... I make sure to open it after washing and after a rain, just to drain whatever pond is forming there!

and I wisk I could put an accent on the "CK" part of Boonk, it'd be really perfect then!

 

Hey, thanks for tagging this thread with the keywords, found it with my first search!

I washed my car last night and it kept opening just like yours when it was parked. Now it won't open :(

Guess I am gonna have to call the dealership in the morning.

 

PMd ya back, LMK if you need any more info. Unlatch your hatch using the under-rear-seatcushion handle (pull up on front PS corner of seatcushion to find it). If you have the right Torx screwdriver the repair is pretty straightforward, but that liquid electrical tape smells until it dries, do this in a well ventilated area...

Oh and no problem with the keywords, I couldn't find anything on this when I first had the problem.

 

unfortunatly this isnt quite my problem. my problem is that no matter how the latch or rubber side "bumper things" are adjusted, the hatch doesnt close all the way. there is still a gap grrrr

 

Thank you for the info, I didnt have the tape thingy. But when I pulled this off there was water and grit everywhere! I brought it inside and dried it next to a heater, cleaned it, then loaded the foam backing with dieletric silicone grease and also put some inside the connector on the wiring harness. Had to remove the inside trim panel to reconnect the connector, but all is working now. In fact now that its resecured, I dont have any give in the body panel when pressing the release. This may even solve my other problem of water building up inside the hatch when it rains! Again thanks for the pictures and write up.

 

Just a heads up: check the third light. It's notorious for leaking problems, allowing water to get into the hatch innards.

 

I did that not too long ago, but I didnt find any evidence of water coming in this way, and the water issue continued. This is the first time I found water making its way in, not to mention stopping my hatch from opening this time.

 

Thanks Dixon for posting this repair. It fail while I was washing the car.
I came in, did a search, and had the whole thing fixed in a pleasant hour and a half. ..............I love it when that happens.

Bob

 

Glad I could help! I'm on Year Two+ without another issue.

 

Excellent info, I hope this will fix the issue I'm having.

 

Saw in your other thread that you seem to have it whipped - glad I could help!

 

I put this problem some were on this website. And I got a few joke answers back. I have a R57 and this is exactly what has been occuring this our Mini. Thanks for posting this.. Tim

 

No problem, Tim, glad to help! Years later and I have not revisited either the hatch seal or the switch, so it seems to have worked.

 

I actually ran into this problem after washing my car a few days ago...no super pressure wash or anything either. It took a day or so for things to finally dry out and was able to motor down the road without worry...

However, I am worried about washing it again...I think I will follow these steps to prevent it from happening again...

Thanks for the write up!

 

had the same problem on "09 R57. problem solved by dealer---crimped seal on hatch lid. If water gets in the hatch will continue to pop open. dealer replaced the hatch lid but first took off the lid and let it air dry all weekend. made sure the rubber seal was put on correctly and 8 months later no problem, rain or shine.

 

My '05 R53 started acting up yesterday. Whenever I would turn off the running lights (or headlights, which include the running lights) the hatch would open. Damn British wiring .

I traced it back to being in the license plate light/hatch switch in the handle above the license plate area. Everything that I can see is fine with no frayed or exposed wires. I even opened up the microswitch and it all appears to be fine.

I tried the suggestion of putting it in a warm area for a while to let it dry out thoroughly and it now works fine. Thus, I used butyl tape to seal everything up thoroughly and re-installed it. Seems to be sealed up nicely now.

 

Another big for using keywords.

Schultze has been experiencing the same "boonk" issue and my plan is to fix this issue myself while he's in the shop in the next week or so.

Who knows what I will find when I remove the boot latch...wouldn't be at all surprised to find lots of sparklies! It's been how many years since my sparkly Dragon Draggin' entry and I'm still finding sparklies in the oddest places!

 

Glad to help. Sneeezy, save me a few sparkles and bring 'em to MOTD! See you for Dragon Draggin'?