Boot release problem

[rpettigrew]

Hi folks, got an intermittent issue here with the boot release. I press the keyfob boot opener and sometimes it doesnt work. I am sure its not the key but the boot gadgetry. Usually I can here some sort of motorised noise inside the boot.

Just recently when it does decide to work, it sounds really laboured and not its usual self. Can anybody advise what it is, where it is and what i need to do to sort it.

Cheers in advance!

 

[Dal]

Does it always open if you press the button in the o/s/r light assembly? If so, then it's probably not the mechanism. You do know you have to press the button twice in quick succession to get it to open anyway? (Stops accidental openings) Might be the batteries in your fob?

Has the boot post on the hatch moved at all ?

 

[rpettigrew]

nothing changed on the hatch. just sometimes you get the whirring noise and it opens, sometimes no whirring and nothing at all. Have tried my spare keyfob with the new battery and its the same. The button on the assembly is fine, no probs there. I just suspected its the thing that does or doesnt go whirrrr.

gimme a clue whats the whiiirrrrry thing called (lol)

 

[red]

Mine does the same, something I mean to look at eventually.

 

[Dal]

There is a little bell ringing in the back of my head telling me what it is.... but it's not coming forward.

I 'think' it may be the little white plastic bit in the lock mechanism.

Or: The mechanism in the boot has worn sufficiently that the post is that hard up against it that it's not letting it release? Maybe take the interior trim out the back of the boot and move the mechanism ever so slightly to allow the spring to actually pull the latch back without the hatch pulling at it all the time. Maybe a test would be to push down hard on the boot and then try it. If that helps then it may well be the boot mechanism needs adjusting.

 

[DradusContact]

Mine does this all the time, its a common fault. There are two main problems you get with the boot realease. The first is the 4 contacts get covered with dirt and dont give a good connection, i had this meaning my rear demister didnt work well for a while. Even cleaning it didnt help but in the end pulling it our revealed a bad connection, and repairing this has solved it for now, though it will need replacing at some point.

The mechanical noise but no opening is a general wear and tear thing on the car, on mine it can take 2 or 3 times before it opens. Its the mechanical solonoid thing going, i think they just wear out and need replacing. If you can live with having to push it a few times you'll be ok for a good while, mine has been like that for 2 years and works about as well as ever, normally works on the first go now and sometimes the second. The weather can also affect it i think, the hotter it is the better they work, this is more true of the hydraulic rams that lift the boot, in the summer my boot opens on its own when you pop it but in the winter it just opens an inch.