Boot lock

I wonder if you could help me with my sister’s 57-plate MINI Cooper D, although I understand that the car has been re-registered, so I can’t confirm its actual age. The problem started when she found she was unable to shut the boot. When she asked me to look at it, I found the latch in the locked position, so I manually opened it with the emergency cable. This has left her with a boot that remains shut, but can’t be opened without lifting the rear seat. I have confirmed that the solenoid is working.

Do you know of any common faults with these cars? I guess a break in one of the cables from the opening and closing of the tailgate is the most likely cause, but I have been unable to track down a wiring diagram to identify each wire.

Chris

Although the vehicle has been re-registered, it is normal to put a registration number on the vehicle which reflects the year of manufacture. Working on this basis, I am assuming the MINI is a 2007 (R50-N12) model.

As you correctly say, the most likely source of the problem is a broken wire between the body and rear hatch. The wires to the solenoid should be green/ grey and green/brown; there are also two earth wires on the solenoid, both of which are brown. By pulling back the sheathing between the body and the rear hatch, it is very likely that any break in the wire will become visible.

Autodata also informs me that water ingress through the rear wiper spindle can also cause problems by entering the harness.