Battery removed & trunk closed

Bam002 · 02-16-2020, 04:18 PM

was hoping to drive it today but the gremlins had other plans.

I've done this before and was able hook it up to another car to pop trunk with the key but with the battery completely out, no such luck.

is there a way to complete a circuit with no battery intalled, can I get enough power through the car for a second just to open the trunk?

any ideas?

tock172 · 02-16-2020, 09:19 PM

Can you open the hood? How about connecting power via the positive post in the engine bay?

fast1eddy · 02-17-2020, 12:33 AM

Have you tried the actual key ? Not talking the fob but the removable key. My battery is disconnected and I can open the trunk with the removable key in the fob.

Lester · 02-17-2020, 05:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fast1eddy

Have you tried the actual key ? Not talking the fob but the removable key. My battery is disconnected and I can open the trunk with the removable key in the fob.

Model years after 2009 no longer have the manual key for the trunk.
That is the problem. If you search on YouTube, there are a lot of videos showing how you can unlock the trunk by using a portable jump start device on the jump start terminals under the hood. The post didn't say why he decided to take the battery out, but connecting to battery to the jump posts under the hood with jumper cables should do the same trick.

tracer bullet · 02-17-2020, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lester

...connecting to battery to the jump posts under the hood with jumper cables should do the same trick.

It does, I did it myself this past summer. Battery out to take to the parts store for core charge, knew to not close the trunk but out of habit did it anyhow. Connected the battery directly under the hood w/ cables and was able to open the trunk easily.

If it didn't work this time as mentioned, I can only think it wasn't done correctly.

dtla1 · 02-18-2020, 10:13 AM

The other alternative is to remove one of the rear speaker grills and mcgyver a way to pull the emergency trunk release from inside the trunk with a long rod or something.

Plenty of posts on this type of stuff, and I think there's a youtube video with pretty much step by step instructions on how to do this method.

Tommm · 02-23-2020, 07:46 PM

So is the moral of this story that one should fold a rear seat down if they are going to remove the battery?

Lester · 02-23-2020, 08:18 PM

Or place duct tape over the trunk latch so it won't lock.

lab_rat · 02-24-2020, 06:59 AM

Here's what I do when I take the battery out or disconnect the negative terminal:

While the trunk is open, place a screwdriver sideways in the trunk latch and "close" the latch. This way, if the trunk falls towards closed position, it will not shut.

When battery is reconnected/reinstalled, press the trunk button (either in car or on key fob) to release latch.

dtla1 · 02-24-2020, 01:22 PM

I always stuff a rag in the loop for the latch whenever I plan to disconnect the battery.

Kheadley · 02-25-2020, 08:09 AM

Open the door, lower the seats and hit the emergency trunk release

Lester · 02-25-2020, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kheadley

Open the door, lower the seats and hit the emergency trunk release

Except the rear seat release levers are only accessible via the trunk, which is locked. Some people have suggested you can access the release cables by removing the speakers on the rear window shelf.

Tommm · 02-27-2020, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lester

Except the rear seat release levers are only accessible via the trunk, which is locked. Some people have suggested you can access the release cables by removing the speakers on the rear window shelf.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tommm

So is the moral of this story that one should fold a rear seat down if they are going to remove the battery?

Lester · 02-28-2020, 05:36 PM

Agreed, prevention therapy missed in this case.

Bam002 · 03-12-2020, 02:18 AM

hey all. totally forgot I posted on here but I ended up getting help from u/importcarguy13 on reddit. He showed me the electrical circuitry from behind the glove box, accessed from the footwell. I hooked up a running car to the 135 and ran a hot wire to the specific pin connector and the trunk popped. For anyone who has absolutely zero power to the car and needs the trunk open, its Pin 12

Lester · 03-12-2020, 07:49 PM

Well done, Scotty!

tracer bullet · 03-12-2020, 08:26 PM

A question was posted, got a lot of answers, but for nothing because it was forgotten about. A solution came from elsewhere, but required much more work than needed.

Meh.

Bam002 · 03-12-2020, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tracer bullet

A question was posted, got a lot of answers, but for nothing because it was forgotten about. A solution came from elsewhere, but required much more work than needed.

Meh.

it may have worked in your case with the battery completely out but it didnt for me and I can't say why either, it just didn't. Even tried 2 different sources. In the end it opened so all good

tracer bullet · 03-13-2020, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bam002

it may have worked in your case with the battery completely out but it didnt for me and I can't say why either, it just didn't. Even tried 2 different sources. In the end it opened so all good

Fair.

dtla1 · 03-13-2020, 10:57 AM

It's honestly probably more work to get to the fuses than to pull the emergency trunk release through the speaker opening.

02-16-2020, 04:18 PM	#1
Bam002 Enlisted Member 46 Rep 44 Posts Drives: '14 Dinan M5, Stage 2 135i Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: San Francisco iTrader: (0)	was hoping to drive it today but the gremlins had other plans. I've done this before and was able hook it up to another car to pop trunk with the key but with the battery completely out, no such luck. is there a way to complete a circuit with no battery intalled, can I get enough power through the car for a second just to open the trunk? any ideas?
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02-16-2020, 09:19 PM	#2
tock172 Beachtown Bill Collector 582 Rep 1,062 Posts Drives: 2012 135i Join Date: May 2011 Location: San Diego iTrader: (1) Garage List 2012 BMW 135i [0.00] 1999 Lexus LS400 [0.00] 1985 BMW 325e [0.00]	Can you open the hood? How about connecting power via the positive post in the engine bay? __________________ 2012 BMW 135i Space Grey Metallic M-Sport DCT Dinan S2
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02-17-2020, 12:33 AM	#3
fast1eddy First Lieutenant 270 Rep 367 Posts Drives: 2008 135i Lemans Blue Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Edmonton iTrader: (1) Garage List 2008 135i [0.00] [0.00]	Have you tried the actual key ? Not talking the fob but the removable key. My battery is disconnected and I can open the trunk with the removable key in the fob.
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02-18-2020, 10:13 AM	#6
dtla1 Colonel 828 Rep 2,232 Posts Drives: 2011 135i, Space Grey Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Silicon Valley iTrader: (2)	The other alternative is to remove one of the rear speaker grills and mcgyver a way to pull the emergency trunk release from inside the trunk with a long rod or something. Plenty of posts on this type of stuff, and I think there's a youtube video with pretty much step by step instructions on how to do this method.
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02-23-2020, 07:46 PM	#7
Tommm Driven Crazy 190 Rep 505 Posts Drives: his wife nuts 128i 6m Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: The Mile High iTrader: (1)	So is the moral of this story that one should fold a rear seat down if they are going to remove the battery? __________________ '08 128i 6M
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02-23-2020, 08:18 PM	#8
Lester Brigadier General 295 Rep 3,350 Posts Drives: Join Date: Oct 2007 iTrader: (0)	Or place duct tape over the trunk latch so it won't lock.
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02-24-2020, 01:22 PM	#10
dtla1 Colonel 828 Rep 2,232 Posts Drives: 2011 135i, Space Grey Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Silicon Valley iTrader: (2)	I always stuff a rag in the loop for the latch whenever I plan to disconnect the battery.
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02-25-2020, 08:09 AM	#11
Kheadley Private 16 Rep 87 Posts Drives: 135i Msport 2013 Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Canada, Saskatchewan iTrader: (0)	Open the door, lower the seats and hit the emergency trunk release
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02-28-2020, 05:36 PM	#14
Lester Brigadier General 295 Rep 3,350 Posts Drives: Join Date: Oct 2007 iTrader: (0)	Agreed, prevention therapy missed in this case.
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03-12-2020, 02:18 AM	#15
Bam002 Enlisted Member 46 Rep 44 Posts Drives: '14 Dinan M5, Stage 2 135i Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: San Francisco iTrader: (0)	hey all. totally forgot I posted on here but I ended up getting help from u/importcarguy13 on reddit. He showed me the electrical circuitry from behind the glove box, accessed from the footwell. I hooked up a running car to the 135 and ran a hot wire to the specific pin connector and the trunk popped. For anyone who has absolutely zero power to the car and needs the trunk open, its Pin 12 Attached Images
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03-12-2020, 07:49 PM	#16
Lester Brigadier General 295 Rep 3,350 Posts Drives: Join Date: Oct 2007 iTrader: (0)	Well done, Scotty!
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03-12-2020, 08:26 PM	#17
tracer bullet Brigadier General 2406 Rep 3,536 Posts Drives: '11 135i , '15 X3 35i Join Date: May 2011 Location: Saint Paul, MN iTrader: (1)	A question was posted, got a lot of answers, but for nothing because it was forgotten about. A solution came from elsewhere, but required much more work than needed. Meh.
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03-13-2020, 10:57 AM	#20
dtla1 Colonel 828 Rep 2,232 Posts Drives: 2011 135i, Space Grey Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Silicon Valley iTrader: (2)	It's honestly probably more work to get to the fuses than to pull the emergency trunk release through the speaker opening.
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