Soft Close - Upper Trunk lid not working

[jbny]

Hi All,

The upper trunk Lid of my 05 X5 4.8IS is not working and it is currently in an open state, As my car was at the dealership for suspension callibration i was able to run diagnostics and rule out any issues with Fuses or Relays...I have been quoted 380+tax for the part (Dont have the part number)
Can someone please help me figure out what i need to do to check the lock mechanism, i dont really want to spend the $$ before checking the mechanism itself...maybe it's something i can fix...i hope..

Thanks for your help

[TerminatorX5]

so, it is safe to say, that when you press the "open" button on the trunk lid and on the front console, there is no sound, no attempt by the lock to "move", right? and you have checked the fuses with an OhmMeter, or, at least visually, right?

[jbny]

Hi TerminatorX5 - THanks for the quick response.

I did check the fuse (Took it out and then no sound...and then put it back and i do hear a sound as if it's trying to lock but does not catch ontu anything...not sure)
Since my car was to go in at the dealership for suspension issues, they checked for the trunk lid as well ..they said it's the lock on the upper lid that needs to be replaced so wanted to know what i can do to check before i buy the part.

[TerminatorX5]

according to a dealer, everything needs to be replaced!!!! lol... so, there is some sound when you put the fuse back in, so that means that there is an electrical circuit that works... kind of...

if you have the ability, check the lock for any mechanical obstruction in the path of the locking parts, it could be that something is out of alignment, something stuck inside.. in the worst case scenario, something may have broken inside the mechanism and thus does not allow the solenoid to move. after you finish with the inspection of the lock, and if there is no obvious obstacles on the path of the moving parts, chances are, someting may be broken inside... while it might be repairable, without knowing your technical abilities, I would be leary suggesting a repair - then a replace might be in order...

also, the lock might be stuck in "open" position... try a screwdriver to move the "tongue" in the catcher...

[Hal72]

I did replaced mine. The soft close was not working, but if did use the remote it would open. One of the light was also not working. So I just bought the whole "Trunk Lid Grip" from esc, about 100$ and a 2 min job.

[jbny]

Thanks TerminatorX5 and Hal72 - Any pointers on how to go about checking the lock, whats needs to be opend and how.

[Hal72]

if I understand you are not able to lock you trunk lid. If the trunk lid is down and you close you car with the key, is it still open!? do you hear the lock or no sound at all..

[jbny]

Hi Hal72 - Yes i cannot unlock the trunk with key from outside, i do hear a sound but it does not catch, i checked to make sure it's not stuck open but it is'nt i can move it, so looks like something mechanical broke inside the lock, now my question is how do i go about opening the lock and set of instructions on how to open the panel....

[TerminatorX5]

the panel is secured by the philips screws, hidden in the handles (visible) and once you take off the light covers, you will see more screws under the light covers. I just recently took it off but don't remember if there were 4 or 6 screws... also, in addition to the screws there are plastic clips that are guaranteed to bend or break when you will try to reinstall the cover back up... I would suggest get a dozen or so of those clips from the local dealer (they are like $0.20 a piece), and have spare ones around your garage - same clips are used on the door panels, should you need to fix your glass regulator.

replacing the lock actuator is easy - remove the plastic trim, remove the lock, install the new one, reinstall the trim...

how handy are you with the tools?

[SlickGT1]

Pull the soft close relay in the trunk. Put it back in. That was my fix.