Locked out

[briankerrys47]

Your assistance is required,Car stood 6 months (normal is 3) battery 3 years old inserted key into drivers door but although button pops up door will not open !! so how did I enter car to release bonnet catch to access charging points.Have left WD 40 soaking in lock barrel I accept both batt/key fob are flat just need to access somewhere to attach Cteck charger.

Bare in mind the long 6 moths were due to a fall in Spain in Dec followed by Heart attack 2 days later ending with Quad bypass/ hip replacement been home 3 weeks all is go at 82ano

[X5Sport]

Not for you to do, but if you can use the croc clip CTEK attachments then under the front of the car and get onto the starter motor or alternator feeds for +ve and a good contact on the engine or body for -ve should get power on. Not sure if you can get to anything via a wheel arch. That might give you enough juice to unlock the whole car. Have you got a local friend or relative to ask - social distancing permitting of course.

It sounds as if the door mechanism itself has seized rather than the barrel.

[briankerrys47]

Thank you Richard hope you are well, have seen that 'method' and read of 'other' ways just thought maybe some of our 'old' boys could tell us more lol, as of my present situation my crawling around on ground is on hold
Whilst I have a grandson now he is just turned 1 so he is OUT of it although am sure he would like crawling around engine bay small hands tho

[henrym3]

If you have a tow bar fitted I’m sure you can tap into the 12v supply with a charger and put enough oomph in to unlock

[mr angry]

If you have a tow bar fitted I’m sure you can tap into the 12v supply with a charger and put enough oomph in to unlock

Thats the way i got into mine as couldnt reach a live underneath

[briankerrys47]

Thank you for reply’s I may try via tail gate light ?? one I spotted on Outpost will confirm soon

[X5Sport]

Just don’t put a 300A jump pack on the wire, it’s only a little one

[briankerrys47]

Hi Richard. I have a 'old' 4amp charger or would my Ctek be ok ?? another thought do you know what colour my live wire would be ??

[X5Sport]

4A would be fine. All I can tell you the -ve should be brown. Brown is normally 12V ground on cars. Whether you’ll get 12V charging into the circuit I don’t know. The lights would be off and the lighting control module controls them being on so the +ve side may be disconnected from anything.

If you've got breakdown cover, I would call them out.

[briankerrys47]

Hi folks update on ‘locked out ’ with help of neighbour manage to open bonnet to access charge points.
One thing learned a CTEK charger is no good on a very flat battery! After 24hrs 0.67v had to resort to jumper leads from a Merc van 10min’s up and running have reconnected CTek set to Recirc! hopefully
end of problem

[X5Sport]

Glad you got there in the end.

Modern car batteries don’t like going flat, and if AGM are fitted they are very intolerant of it. . If the battery has been flat for that long then it may have been damaged, or at the very least it’s service life will have been shortened. If it still doesn’t show at least 12.6V after fully recharging then a cell has died. 0.67V indicates cell sulphating, and possibly an open-circuit condition.

See how it goes, and the best thing to try now the panic is over is to put the charger into its reconditioning mode ‘Cond’ and leave it. That mode gives the battery a high voltage ‘kick’ that is intended to get the sulphates off the battery plates and allow normal charging to start.

[briankerrys47]

Thank you Richard,have done that with Ctek followed instruction book ,batt only 3 years old will see how things go when able to get behind wheel again lol

[Leslie]

Brian looking at your list of ailments take a rest lad you have been in the wars! is there a hidden key in the back of the fob to allow manual unlocking in such emergencies.?

[briankerrys47]

Hi Leslie,all fine now Ctek on 7 should be 8 max soon ,one thing is although manually using key ! I think it did ‘open’ but maybe I was a little ‘weak’ to yank door open lol,as I am not putting it back on road till May happy it’s all ok

[Leslie]

You have to actually turn the lock solenoid against its own resistance when there is no power so maybe that was the issue. Nobody going very far to may for sure.