How to open trunk with disconnected battery?

[///Makis]

Hello everyone (first post here)

So my car (2013 e82) had been In storage in Piraeus, Greece and I recently had it shipped back to the US.

Because it was in storage for over a year the battery was basically done. It has power to turn on the lights but I think it has permanently kicked the bucket in terms of amps. So I had it shipped to my office where it has been sitting and because I heard there were a lot of cars being stolen recently I decided to disconnect the battery (mistake, I know), but I wasn't going to make it easy for any would be thieves.

I had seen a video saying you could jump start the car with the disconnected battery by this D-bag

Let me just tell everyone from now what they probably already know, you need the batter connected to complete a circuit in order for the car to start, full stop. If the cables going to the battery are not connected the car will not start. I've read some posts where people said they had done it. My car would not. I also left the cables connected for over half an hour while I searched the internet for why it wasn't working and/or how to open the trunk.

So if anyone knows how to open the trunk without calling roadside, the firefighters to open the trunk with their hydraulic pliers, or an angle grinder to the rear seating area. That would be greatly appreciated.


I do not have any sort of way of dropping the back seats and I can't see into the trunk to use a coat hanger to pull the emergency open handle.


Has anyone had this problem and opened the trunk successfully?


Pleased to hear,

M

[mkoesel]

One possible solution:

https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1410407

If that does not work, these other posts are probably worth reading:

https://www.google.com/search?q=site...ead+open+trunk

[dtla1]

Not sure why the guy in the video is a D-bag, didn't watch/listen to video, but the steps he shows is what generally works, unless your disconnect the positive terminal I believe (this might have been what you did).

After reading your post again though, I should note, when you connect the emergency jumpers under the hood, don't try to start the car. Try to Open the trunk first, since that sound's like your main goal. You can properly charge or replace your battery after you get in there.

Here are a few more threads talking about using the same procedures:

https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=488205
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=1353064
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=582171
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=991860

If you get desperate and it's still not working, there's this endoscope and steel rod method: https://www.1addicts.com/forums/show...3#post22006473

Or maybe this through the speaker grill method: https://www.1addicts.com/forums/show...50&postcount=2

Goodluck!

[ShocknAwe]

Connect a power source to the leads at the front of the car and hit the trunk release button. Then remove the leads and go open the trunk and reattach your battery.

Then... Make sure you keep your seats down when the battery is disconnected.

Easy and you'll be done in a few minutes.

[gjm120]

It seems from the linked posts that if the positive battery lead is disconnected the front charging post method won't work. If negative battery lead is the one that is off, that does work.

Is this correct?

[dtla1]

Originally Posted by gjm120

It seems from the linked posts that if the positive battery lead is disconnected the front charging post method won't work. If negative battery lead is the one that is off, that does work.

Is this correct?

That seems to be the case, although I've never tried it myself. I always only disconnect the negative battery terminal anyways when I'm doing anything that requires power to be cut. Except for a battery replacement, you obviously need to disconnect both in that case.

[Edrift]

Does the e82 not have a key hole in the trunk?
My e88 does, though I've never used it

[iminhell1]

Originally Posted by Edrift

Does the e82 not have a key hole in the trunk?
My e88 does, though I've never used it

2008 and 2009 do.
2010+ do not.

[///Makis]

Originally Posted by dtla1

Not sure why the guy in the video is a D-bag, didn't watch/listen to video, but the steps he shows is what generally works, unless your disconnect the positive terminal I believe (this might have been what you did).

After reading your post again though, I should note, when you connect the emergency jumpers under the hood, don't try to start the car. Try to Open the trunk first, since that sound's like your main goal. You can properly charge or replace your battery after you get in there.

Here are a few more threads talking about using the same procedures:

https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=488205
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/show....php?t=1353064
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=582171
https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=991860

If you get desperate and it's still not working, there's this endoscope and steel rod method: https://www.1addicts.com/forums/show...3#post22006473

Or maybe this through the speaker grill method: https://www.1addicts.com/forums/show...38;postcount=2

Goodluck!

You are correct, I disconnected the entire battery and it did work at all.

But I found that post yesterday morning at like 630 in the morning and then unscrewed the speaker and found the cable.

It wasn't as simple as just pulling the cable though, believe me I did.

What I ended up doing was stripping the cables outer plastic sheath and pulling on the inner metal one with pliers.

It's basically like a bikes brake cable or gear shifting cable.

So once I pulled on that in popped open nice and smoothly.

I changed the battery just now and put all the speakers back in.


If anyone is interested I can take pics and show you how I did it. But just a side note, the insulation around the speakers I assume has fiberglass in it because my hands have been in a bit of pain since. Definitely not pleasant.

[///Makis]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Connect a power source to the leads at the front of the car and hit the trunk release button. Then remove the leads and go open the trunk and reattach your battery.

Then... Make sure you keep your seats down when the battery is disconnected.

Easy and you'll be done in a few minutes.

Thanks for your reply but like others said.

I removed disconnected the entire battery so it would not work.

From what I gathered if the battery is disconnected entirely it no longer has a complete circuit so it won't work.

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by ///Makis

Thanks for your reply but like others said.

I removed disconnected the entire battery so it would not work.

From what I gathered if the battery is disconnected entirely it no longer has a complete circuit so it won't work.

I'd recommend removing one if the speakers on the rear shelf then. Should be able to just reach the emergency trunk release from there.

[mr.fabulous]

I've always thought this was a chicken-shit design by BMW. Leave the damn key hole or at least let the owner drop the rear seat backs from inside the car. Yikes, Fritz, what were you thinking.

[///Makis]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

I'd recommend removing one if the speakers on the rear shelf then. Should be able to just reach the emergency trunk release from there.

That's what I ended up doing, but what a PITA.

If I hadn't found that one thread where someone mentioned that, I would have literally been screwed.

You think there's a way to retrofit a key hole easily?

Maybe you can take the trunk off a crashed older model and carry around two keys?



Makis

[///Makis]

Originally Posted by mr.fabulous

I've always thought this was a chicken-shit design by BMW. Leave the damn key hole or at least let the owner drop the rear seat backs from inside the car. Yikes, Fritz, what were you thinking.

I think in the convertible you can drop the seats from the inside, but I could be wrong.

Otherwise this is the dumbest flaw of all time. I'd expect to see something like this in the Albanian car that was in the last vacation movie, not from reputable German engineers.


Makis

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by ///Makis

I think in the convertible you can drop the seats from the inside, but I could be wrong.

Otherwise this is the dumbest flaw of all time. I'd expect to see something like this in the Albanian car that was in the last vacation movie, not from reputable German engineers.


Makis

Infallibility fallacy

Glad you got into your trunk!

[JimD]

My e88 seats do not drop. Mine is a 2009 and has no trunk key lock. Maybe those from earlier in 2009 had it.

I am not a fan of this change or the removal of the dipstick.

My trunk locks and unlocks with the key fob. If the car is unlocked, the trunk is unlocked. When I push the key fob unlock it unlocks both doors and the trunk. When I push lock, it locks all three. It seems your cars are set up differently. They programmed it this way for me at the Performance Center when I took delivery. They set it up with the turn stalk buttons.

I am struggling to understand how a connection under the hood would not work if the positive battery terminal is disconnected in the trunk. Maybe there is some kind of logic circuit in the car's computer that is involved? If so, more bad design thinking.

[///Makis]

Originally Posted by JimD

My e88 seats do not drop. Mine is a 2009 and has no trunk key lock. Maybe those from earlier in 2009 had it.

I am not a fan of this change or the removal of the dipstick.

My trunk locks and unlocks with the key fob. If the car is unlocked, the trunk is unlocked. When I push the key fob unlock it unlocks both doors and the trunk. When I push lock, it locks all three. It seems your cars are set up differently. They programmed it this way for me at the Performance Center when I took delivery. They set it up with the turn stalk buttons.

I am struggling to understand how a connection under the hood would not work if the positive battery terminal is disconnected in the trunk. Maybe there is some kind of logic circuit in the car's computer that is involved? If so, more bad design thinking.

Hey Jim, thanks for your reply.

Yeah I don't understand either, because one of the videos I had seen, it was clearly working. But I had the battery completely disconnected which is maybe why. I think in the video I posted the guy removed the negative terminal only. I didn't get a good look and don't remember.

But irrelevant. It's a design flaw full stop and almost shocking that no one thought that it would be a problem. I mean why not have at the very least the middle section that opens to the trunk, I think it's for skis or something.

But I did not know that regarding your seats, I had seen a video of a convertible that had the buttons on the inside of the car to let the seats down.


Makis

[tracer bullet]

Just in case anyone searches and finds this thread, I was half way through swapping a battery tonight. No, of course I didn't push down the back seats "just in case", my method was supposedly my brain remembering to not close the trunk lid. Oops - out of habit I did just that and knew the moment it closed I had made a mistake.

So, since I had just pulled the old battery out, it was nearby in my other car to take in for a core exchange when I picked up the new one, to save a trip. The battery still worked*, this was a proactive repair.

To open the trunk, I set the battery on the floor at the front bumper of the car. Then grabbed jumper cables and hooked it up (positive battery terminal to red-capped post under the hood, negative battery terminal to a suspension bolt). I could hear the car come to life, and all I had to do was walk back and hit the trunk release.

A battery charger wasn't enough but the battery itself was. Not sure about starting the car, didn't try it, didn't need to. But with no battery in the back AT ALL, attaching one to the front posts got me back in the car. It now sits with the rear seats down and the trunk open again - and staying that way. I feel sure that a jump from another car would work as well.

* It was the original battery, 2011 car built at the end of 2010. It was 9 years old and still going! But with winter coming up I decided I was done taking chances.

[bobdavisnpf]

This video was most helpful to me; it shows the ground post in the 135i, which I had missed and failed to try on my first attempt.

https://www.carcarekiosk.com/video/2...ery/jump_start

It's good to know that, with a bigger battery, this method can work even with both posts disconnected. (Not that I'm about to try that out ha ha)

[tracer bullet]

Hah, interesting, I always have just used one of the 3 strut mount bolts. it works but it's good to see the "correct" point. Thanks -

[WDE82]

Originally Posted by tracer bullet

Just in case anyone searches and finds this thread, I was half way through swapping a battery tonight. No, of course I didn't push down the back seats "just in case", my method was supposedly my brain remembering to not close the trunk lid. Oops - out of habit I did just that and knew the moment it closed I had made a mistake.

So, since I had just pulled the old battery out, it was nearby in my other car to take in for a core exchange when I picked up the new one, to save a trip. The battery still worked*, this was a proactive repair.

To open the trunk, I set the battery on the floor at the front bumper of the car. Then grabbed jumper cables and hooked it up (positive battery terminal to red-capped post under the hood, negative battery terminal to a suspension bolt). I could hear the car come to life, and all I had to do was walk back and hit the trunk release.

A battery charger wasn't enough but the battery itself was. Not sure about starting the car, didn't try it, didn't need to. But with no battery in the back AT ALL, attaching one to the front posts got me back in the car. It now sits with the rear seats down and the trunk open again - and staying that way. I feel sure that a jump from another car would work as well.

* It was the original battery, 2011 car built at the end of 2010. It was 9 years old and still going! But with winter coming up I decided I was done taking chances.

No shit this works because it's a parallel circuit. There's no reason it wouldn't work unless BMW made an effort to have some sort of relay to shut off those leads without power in the trunk, but they didn't. Op probably had bad connections at the front. Alligator clips are finicky.

[tracer bullet]

Originally Posted by WDE82

No shit this works because it's a parallel circuit. There's no reason it wouldn't work unless BMW made an effort to have some sort of relay to shut off those leads without power in the trunk, but they didn't. Op probably had bad connections at the front. Alligator clips are finicky.

Agreed, agreed, agreed, and agreed. Just wanted to counter the notion that it doesn't work which some seem to hold.