Trunk lid right side not locking

[mennie]

I noticed while closing the lid, only the left side really locks.
When you pull on the right side of the lid it will open up a little bit, from the inside you can see through a hole that the mechanism is not fully locked and still moving when you pull.

The part seems to be nr 4 below, 51 24 8 408 964.
[img width=480]http://ills.bmwfans.info/232f.png[/img]

Before I replace the whole unit, does anyone have any tips if this can be solved without replacing?
Is there a workshop manual how to replace this?
Thanks.

[Nat]

Hi,

The Trunk ( as you call it ), only locks in the middle. There is only 1 lock and how tight it is on the sides is determined by the tailgate stops that are located on either side by the trunk gas stryts and are adjustable. Easy enough, just slacken the bolt in the middle of it and turn the stop to adjust it ,screw in to lower or screw out to raise.  Beware if you screw it out too far your Trunk will register as open and the interior lights will stay on.

Regards,
Nat.

[X5Sport]

I think he's talking about the lower section which locks on each side, not the upper section?

OP no there isn't a UK workshop manual, but there is a Bentley Publishers manual for the US Petrol models.  Have you tried a bit of lubrication to see if it will free up the catch?  Or is it the cable/rod that's jammed or broken.

Richard

[mennie]

Thank you Richard, it's indeed about the lower section.
I have tried lubrication, if I press it really hard manually using a screwdriver it will click/lock (with the tailgate open), but not by the normal way of closing the tailgate. It will open just fine when I press the button so I think the cable is fine.
Thanks for the tip on the manual. Next step is probably to find out how difficult it is to open this up.

[4687ah]

Mine was exactly the same, i got into the habit of giving the right hand side an extra shove home after i had shut it.
When i sold it i explained to the new owner, who had had one before, and he said that his old one was also the same.
So going off this It may be a common issue.

[Nat]

Hi,

It must be adjustable. If it locks with a " shove " as you put it, then its not lock failure I wouldn't think.

Part number 9 , loosen and adjust fwd a bit.

Ive never done one but wouldn't think its that hard to do ..............I hope.

Regards,

Nat.

[storminmike]

[quote="4687ah"]
Mine was exactly the same, i got into the habit of giving the right hand side an extra shove home after i had shut it.
When i sold it i explained to the new owner, who had had one before, and he said that his old one was also the same.
So going off this It may be a common issue.
[/quote]

mine occasionally does that, I close it by pushing on the affected side so that it possibly twists awee wee bit and catches. probably needs a few mm tweak

[mennie]

I ended up replacing the mechanism first with a used one that closed easier, but still didn't close when shutting the tailgate. So I put some washers behind it and now it's closing as it should.

Although I could probably have adjusted the number 9 part, this would only be a temporary solution because of the way it is attached to the side.

How to get to the trunk lid lock:
Remove the 4 screws behind the reflector on top of the tailgate.
Remove the 2 hidden screws on top of the tailgate.
Remove the top trim of the tailgate, that you just unscrewed.
Pop out the center plastic part on the tailgate inside cover.
Unscrew the the whole plastic cover, including screws underneath the plastic attached to the car.
Removing all the plastic and insulation you can get to the torx screws of the locking mechanism.