Stupid Move BMW, REALLY Stupid !

[Cisitalia]

Originally Posted by NYCE90DRIVER

We should NOT have to do anything but turn a FUCKING key. Also, I'm NOT interested in your assessment of my posts... UNLESS you have something constructive to add. Many owners are STILL posting variations on this issue so obviously it's the "horse I'm beating" is very much alive. It's a PROBLEM.
Should they stop posting about HPFP issue as well... because YOU think it's been beat to death ?

Wow, what a sensitive guy you are.

This is not really that big of a deal to me. I came from a Porsche and the front trunk always needed a battery assist jump to open with a dead or disconnected battery (no key lock there). It’s the same situation in reverse. The Porsche has the battery in front and there is only an electrical way of opening it.

No amount of bitching will make this any better. This truly has been beat to death. I hope you feel better with your benign post.

[Cisitalia]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

It's a dumbass move for sure. If you pull the battery out and close the trunk, you're completely screwed. There's no way I'd hook jumper cables to the posts under the hood without being able to see that the (+) cable wasn't grounded out.

Guess what? Any one would be a dumb ass to remove a battery without assuring the positive terminal was isolated from any grounding. Use tape around the positive terminal or a rag with or without tape. Come on this is basic auto shop 101. If people can't do that, they should step a way from working on the car.

[MOCKBA]

You mean it is like when I asked a friend of mine to send me unzip program, he sent it zipped
?
Hopefully you can power it up from hood side.

It seems 1 got very nice fatures from year one, however lost trunk key access, cigarette adapter and...

[IDBMW]

Originally Posted by Mega Man

Whoa! Anyone else had this problem? I almost always have my iPod plugged in and don't want to add this to my list of things to worry about!

My i-pod is always plugged in. My car sat for six weeks without a start and no problems. I read in the manual that after 15 min of key removal all power shuts down. My wife forgot to close the trunk once and I found it about an hour after the key was removed and the trunk light was out.

[NYF32DRIVER]

Originally Posted by Cisitalia

Guess what? Any one would be a dumb ass to remove a battery without assuring the positive terminal was isolated from any grounding. Use tape around the positive terminal or a rag with or without tape. Come on this is basic auto shop 101. If people can't do that, they should step a way from working on the car.

Dear Know-It-All,
I took my then 2 month old 2003, 330ci on a trip to Florida from NY.
When I stopped at a Motel that night I could not get the trunk to open by using the button (which had already worked 2-3 times earlier that day)
If I had no key access, I would have been fucked. I brought the car to a BMW dealership in Florida an they replaced the switch. THIS is the kind of situation I am talking about.

[Thud]

Originally Posted by Brahmzy

I don't see the issue here. OP, do you understand how DC electricity works? Just jump it under the hood. I'm glad there's no key hole.

And if your jumper cables are in the trunk, then what? You're at the mercy of finding somebody else with jumper cables.

[Thud]

Originally Posted by oneintheory

B) since i've never once needed a jump, i don't carry cables.

Right. And by that logic, what's the point of wearing a seatbelt if you've never been in a crash?

The only way to assure you'll never need a jump is if you proactively replace the battery every 3-4 years, and disconnect the negative terminal whenever you will be leaving the car parked for a long time (>2 weeks). Your car is always going to be drawing a small amount of current when off.

[TMR013]

Changed for the 2010 MY, my 2009 still has a keyhole.

And my iPod is always plugged in, gone months without taking it out. No issue. If your battery is dying because of that, you have other problems.

[sdpauly]

I might be in the minority here, but in all my experiences with a dead battery, there was always enough juice left in the battery to open the locks with the remote or even the trunk release.

In my GTi, I had left the car sitting for a month in the dead of winter when I was out of town. Came back and drove it to the 7-11 but didnt give the car enough time to charge or warm up. When I came out, car wouldnt turn over, but I was still able to open the doors with the remote.

Same deal in my R32. Battery stopped holding a charge at one point about 4 years into ownership. There was still enough juice to do minor things like open close the locks, just not enough to start the engine.

I guess I just find it a very rare circumstance that the battery is so completely drained of power that you couldnt operate the trunk. Not saying it could never happen, but it's probably pretty rare.

Also, I have AAA, so they just show up with a portable jump kit and I dont need to worry...

[Xyloft]

so when they removed the keyhole on the 09+ did they add an internal seat release? i have an 08 or else i'd check.

easy fix until its out of warrnaty: put the card that the dealer gave you in yoru wallet that has roadside assistance on it.

My manually fits perfectly in my glove box, but i see your point about the jumper leads.

i have a couple dead car batteris before, but every time my remote entry worked still worked. it takes a lot less amps to unlock a door than start a motor.

[FJUNO78]

Maybe I am crazy, or just missing something...

Why wouldnt you take the metal key that is hidden in the FOB, unlock the door and pop the trunk?

i would guess that doing this would not use any battery power.

[Phased]

Originally Posted by FJUNO78

Maybe I am crazy, or just missing something...

Why wouldnt you take the metal key that is hidden in the FOB, unlock the door and pop the trunk?

i would guess that doing this would not use any battery power.

The trunk release button is electronic too, no?

I'd check by unplugging my battery, closing the trunk and trying the button but, well, nevermind :P

[Cisitalia]

Originally Posted by FJUNO78

Maybe I am crazy, or just missing something...

Why wouldnt you take the metal key that is hidden in the FOB, unlock the door and pop the trunk?

i would guess that doing this would not use any battery power.

You have not been paying attention at all. On more recent models BMW deleted the trunk key lock. If your battery is dead or disconnected with the trunk closed you can't easily open the trunk. It's completely electrically operated. No mechanical mechanisms to activate. So you have to hook up a battery to the +/- terminals under the hood then inside the drivers side door jam area push the electrically activated button to pop the trunk.

Originally Posted by NYCE90DRIVER

Dear Know-It-All,
I took my then 2 month old 2003, 330ci on a trip to Florida from NY.
When I stopped at a Motel that night I could not get the trunk to open by using the button (which had already worked 2-3 times earlier that day)
If I had no key access, I would have been fucked. I brought the car to a BMW dealership in Florida an they replaced the switch. THIS is the kind of situation I am talking about.

I have thought about it and yes you guys are correct. BMW should have not deleted the mechanical key lock for the trunk. It's not the same as the Porsche analogy I mentioned previously.

Put a petition together to send to BMW referencing our disgust and add the dipstick and RFT issues to it as well.

[FJUNO78]

Originally Posted by Cisitalia

You have not been paying attention at all. On more recent models BMW deleted the trunk key lock. If your battery is dead or disconnected with the trunk closed you can't easily open the trunk. It's completely electrically operated. No mechanical mechanisms to activate. So you have to hook up a battery to the +/- terminals under the hood then inside the drivers side door jam area push the electrically activated button to pop the trunk.

wow, you are quite an arrogant little turd.

I knew there was no keyhole on the trunk. there were a few posts about this months ago when i bought the 2010.

i didnt realize the trunk pull from inside the car was not electrically activated.

if my battery dies, i will call roadside assistance.

carry on.

[MOCKBA]

I do not need deep stick, key lock in trunk and other stuff. If something wrong with a car, then I just call a mechanic. I think people who like to work on car, shouldn't buy a new one. Old cars have all these stuff, dead batteries, oil problem and so on, Buy an old car and have fun with repairing.

[imported_mega]

this is our 7th bmw, and definitely our last because of stuff like this

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by Cisitalia

Guess what? Any one would be a dumb ass to remove a battery without assuring the positive terminal was isolated from any grounding. Use tape around the positive terminal or a rag with or without tape. Come on this is basic auto shop 101. If people can't do that, they should step a way from working on the car.

Shop 101? You're out of your damn mind. Once the battery is out of a typical car it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever where the positive terminal is.

Why would you insulate it when there's no power source?

[Cisitalia]

Well it's good practice I have always done. I always isolate the positive cable with or without the battery present. If one would have followed this practice you could hook up jumper cables without fear for wondering if the positive cable is grounded. That way you can assure your self the jumping won't short circuit when you need to open the trunk.

[voerman]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

Shop 101? You're out of your damn mind. Once the battery is out of a typical car it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever where the positive terminal is.

Why would you insulate it when there's no power source?

Electricity 101 and Basic Safety 101: You remove the battery and accidently leave the positive battery terminal shorted to the vehicle chassis. Now you close your trunk lid. Assuming you have a late 2009 or newer 1 Series (with no trunk key hole) and the seats are up and latched and you have no ski passthru, how are you going to get the trunk open?

Note - any attempt to jump the car via the front jumper terminals will result in failure at best and serious injury at worse.

Lou

[jeremyc74]

Originally Posted by Cisitalia

Well it's good practice I have always done.

Good practice how? It's completely pointless to do that on any other car.

Good practice would have been BMW leaving the key release on the trunk alone instead of trying to save a few bucks on something so stupid.

[egainer]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

Shop 101? You're out of your damn mind. Once the battery is out of a typical car it makes absolutely no difference whatsoever where the positive terminal is.

Why would you insulate it when there's no power source?

If the only time you ever unhook a battery is to take it out, then that works for you. I have NEVER changed a battery in my car, and yet I've unhooked them many times. And every time, I wrap the connection with something to keep isolated.

How many people is this really affecting? If this is such a big problem, don't close the trunk. I doubt I will ever run into this issue, or will it ever matter to me. Not sure why all the people freaking out over this. Porsche has done it for years, and hasn't changed yet... can't be that big of an issue.

[Cisitalia]

Originally Posted by jeremyc74

Good practice how? It's completely pointless to do that on any other car.

Good practice would have been BMW leaving the key release on the trunk alone instead of trying to save a few bucks on something so stupid.

It does not matter what car or what situation when working around a battery and battery cables. The first thing you should do when you dissconnect the positive cable is isolated it (rag and/or tape). That way you never worry about it possibly being jostled and make contact with the positive battery terminal while you are working on the car. That can be a safety issue as voerman indicated.