2011 F11 - boot won't open

[pincher]

The boot release on my 2011 5-Series Touring has stopped working - is there any way other way in?

I can use the remote control to open the glass section and the same goes for the button by the bonnet release - but I can't find any sort of manual release for the bootlid itself?

Seems a bit stupid, if that's the case

[pincher]

Bump

[pincher]

I don't appear to have that release ring

I could feel a cable that I pulled hard on but it's just come adrift so it's all even more broken now

[pincher]

Any ideas on likely cost to repair?

And what is likely to need replacing?

[pincher]

Nope

[pincher]

I'm booked in at my local Dealer but not until Sept 11th which was the first time they could get me in. Think I'll ring PMW in Chelmsford to take a look - they can service it at the same time.

[pincher]

Well, top marks to PMW - they serviced the car on Friday and also looked at the boot. Told me that it was a brittle plastic part that wasn't connecting with the soft-touch microswitch and had plastic-welded it and would be better than new.

Drove home and went to open the boot - at which point the whole thing sounded like it had exploded inside To say I wasn't impressed would be an understatement!

A phone call to PMW to tell them what had happened and was told that they would order and fit a whole new soft-touch release mechanism, free of charge.

Got a call this morning to say the part was in, so drove up at lunchtime and was home with a fully-working boot by 2:30pm

First-class CS from PMW - they could easily have charged me for the part, despite their assurances that their original fix would work.

[pincher]

Not too sure - as far as I can work out, the rubber handle you grab under the numberplate is attached to a plastic 'thing' that activates a microswitch and that 'thing' wasn't working properly - they said it wasn't a great design in the first place.

Have replaced the whole bit that you grab from the outside and the internal gubbins as well - no idea how much the part costs but I can't imagine it was massively cheap.

A good piece of Customer Service IMO, as I'm now very likely to go back there to get the rear pads & disks done as a result, rather than someone a bit more local. So they lose a bit on the boot mechanism but get another £500-worth of business to compensate.

Edited by pincher on Monday 24th August 15:49

[pincher]

It's part No.8 on here - http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=MX52-...

[pincher]

Jobbo said:

Also wondering whether it'll happen to mine in the future, since I always use the remote button or footwell button to open the boot, never the handle itself.

My remote only opens the glass, as does the footwell release.

Edited by pincher on Monday 24th August 18:12

[pincher]

Jobbo said:

Interesting - I don't have comfort access but my remote has two boot buttons, one for the glass and one for the main boot. The footwell button opens the main boot, not the glass. Wonder if it can be coded on yours?

I haven't got comfort access either - the button with the diamond on it doesn't seem to do anythign and the fotwell button definitely only opens the glass. Strange.

[pincher]

I shall go and try now, then report back!

Edit - diamond button does nothing at all But I read the manual - have you got a button to close the boot? I have to do it the old fashioned way. That could be the difference?

Edited by pincher on Tuesday 25th August 17:20

[pincher]

I think I must be one of the very few that doesn't - but it had loads of other extras that were too good to turn down, so I decided that I could easily live without it.

I guess that's that mystery solved!