How to fold down rear seats from inside the car

[Sylon]

Originally Posted by RobMason

This is a repeat of something another guy did. Read this thread

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...=trunk+release

After reading thru that thread, made me think of something else. If you battery is dead and the trunk is closed, then you would need a jump to get the car started, correct?


Well where do most people keep their jumper cables?

Fail BMW, just fail.



OP, did you get your trunk open yet?

[Phased]

Originally Posted by Sylon

After reading thru that thread, made me think of something else. If you battery is dead and the trunk is closed, then you would need a jump to get the car started, correct?


Well where do most people keep their jumper cables?

Fail BMW, just fail.



OP, did you get your trunk open yet?

There are battery terminals in the engine bay to jumpstart your car.

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by Phased

There are battery terminals in the engine bay to jumpstart your car.

Everyone keeps their jumper cables in the trunk though.

If the battery is too dead to open the trunk (such as if you've left your interior light on for a week while you were on a business trip) you're going to have to rely on someone else to have cables. If I had to guess, I'd say in most areas less than 1 in 10 people will have a set.

Removing the keyhole was an idiotic thing for BMW to do to save a couple of bucks.

If you take the battery completely out of the car and close the trunk, you're going to SCREWED if both terminals are contacting the metal chassis, because then you can't even hook jumper cables to the stupid thing to get it open.

BMW - proving that German bean counters are every bit as idiotic as American ones.

For all you guys with no key release on the trunk, I'd get in the habit of folding down the rear seats anytime I unhook the battery.

[Phased]

Oh sorry, I misread in the morning. Guess we'll have to wait to find someone else that has jumper cables, and not simply someone that has a car, when our batteries die. Though I think in *most* of those cases there is enough juice to unlock the car and press the trunk release. The only times I've had zero power is when I left my car sitting in the garage for a few weeks.

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by Phased

Oh sorry, I misread in the morning. Guess we'll have to wait to find someone else that has jumper cables, and not simply someone that has a car, when our batteries die. Though I think in *most* of those cases there is enough juice to unlock the car and press the trunk release. The only times I've had zero power is when I left my car sitting in the garage for a few weeks.

I may be wrong, but I think these cars have a low voltage disconnect to prevent them from killing the batteries if you do something stupid like leave the interior lights on, so that will help, but as they get older I'm betting we're going to see more and more cases where people are completely locked out of their trunks because of dead batteries.

If I were out in freezing weather and couldn't get my car started or get to my jumper cables I'd be one seriously pissed off individual.

[Ash83]

What will you do If the Battery is disconnected and the terminals are short circuited to each other by direct contact or by the chassis? how the hell are you suppose to open the trunk????

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by Ash83

What will you do If the Battery is disconnected and the terminals are short circuited to each other by direct contact or by the chassis? how the hell are you suppose to open the trunk????

Then you (I would guess) smash the left rear tail light to gain access to the emergency release handle. What is cheaper... repairing a tail light or metal/paint work?

[Sylon]

Originally Posted by Ash83

What will you do If the Battery is disconnected and the terminals are short circuited to each other by direct contact or by the chassis? how the hell are you suppose to open the trunk????

Why/How would the terminals become short circuited???

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by Sylon

Why/How would the terminals become short circuited???

It can happen very easily if you take the battery out. All it takes is for the (+) cable to be touching something metal.

[Jaguar66]

I wonder if someone can mod a car made after 03/09, by getting a replacement key mechanism made for a pre 03/09 car, and putting it on? Which begs the question, how does the key operate? It is purely mechanical, ie not requiring electricity?

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by RobMason

I wonder if someone can mod a car made after 03/09, by getting a replacement key mechanism made for a pre 03/09 car, and putting it on? Which begs the question, how does the key operate? It is purely mechanical, ie not requiring electricity?

The key is fully manual. I've tried mine out, and you can feel it actually pulling on the release mechanism.

I'm guessing it probably wouldn't be all that hard to retrofit, but I'd also bet it's not cheap, and getting it keyed properly might be a pain.

[sixsigma]

Originally Posted by RPM90

The trunk release button is on the lower left, on the lower dash panel where your left knee would be, on the vertical plastic piece facing towards you.
There is a button with a picture of the trunk opening.
Push it, you're good to go.

My 135i was built 6/09, and I don't have a keyhole for the trunk.
I don't mind though as they included the button instead.

This is a powered device, not a cable. The disconnection of the battery leaves this inoperable.

To all, yes, I did get into the trunk. I ended up pulling the ski bag out of the center and reaching my arm through to pull the fold down mechanism to release the rear seat. Once down I reached through to the trunk lid release (glow in the dark handle) and pulled it releasing the lid. Im a new BMW owner so Im still learning about the little quirks. I did confirm that my car does not have a key hold in the trunk lid. Not a huge deal, just a bit frustrating as I needed to put my windows up at the end of the day.

[Thud]

Originally Posted by RPM90

My car is locked and my keys are inside. I'm too lazy to go get them.

How did you manage that? I've tried to lock my keys in the trunk before but the car is not as stupid as I am... the trunk immediately unlatches again if it's closed with the keys inside. I'm sure the same is true of the doors.

Then again maybe that's just a Comfort Access thing.

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by Thud

How did you manage that? I've tried to lock my keys in the trunk before but the car is not as stupid as I am... the trunk immediately unlatches again if it's closed with the keys inside. I'm sure the same is true of the doors.

Then again maybe that's just a Comfort Access thing.

I meant my keys are inside the house, and I was outside on my laptop next to the garage. Sorry for the poor wording.

[MOCKBA]

Call AAA. They will arrive in 20 minutes with jump cable and all you need. I used to call them when left keys in car one time and other time I had dead battery. The call is free for AAA members, and you do not need to be member though, just ask for a membership card somebody with old car.