Passat boot issue - locked out help!

[KingConker]

OK - I am truly stuck I have a 2002 (52) saloon. The actuator has broken in the boot - no power to actuator - it's failed.

I cannot unlock the boot via key fob or key manually.

I cannot get through from the luggage hatch as the metal plate between the arm rest is shut from inside the boot.

How the hell do I get in to pull the cable to release the lock?

Is there another way?

[Sam]

OK - I am truly stuck I have a 2002 (52) saloon. The actuator has broken in the boot - no power to actuator - it's failed.

I cannot unlock the boot via key fob or key manually.

I cannot get through from the luggage hatch as the metal plate between the arm rest is shut from inside the boot.

How the hell do I get in to pull the cable to release the lock?

Is there another way? Unless you have a 4motion, the rear seats should fold down. Look on the top of the rear bench, close to the point into which the seat belts retract and you'll see a recessed plastic handle. You may need to use your key to unlock it, but it pulls up and your seat should then flop down. HTH Sam

[KingConker]

Yes - you guessed it - it's a 4Motion - any other ideas?

Can the parcel shelf come off easily from with the cabin?

[Sam]

Yes - you guessed it - it's a 4Motion - any other ideas?<br />
<br />
Can the parcel shelf come off easily from with the cabin?

D'oh!

The only way I took mine off was by pushing from underneath (ie within the boot). Perhaps you can remove the rear headrests and get your fingers in enough to pull the shelf up. I know that it slides towards you and up and is held in place by metal tabs. A small price to pay to get a working boot IMHO.

From what you describe, it sounds as though your microswitch has blown - very common failure and quite easy to replace once you have the boot open! There are a number of things to check before pulling out your handy crowbar though.

Firstly, have you tried the manual realse on the driver's door console?

Secondly, I found this on another site

From looking at the bentley wiring diagrams for a 2001.5...

You may want to check the CCM (under the driver's floorboard) for loose wiring or water damage, especially at pins 7 and 10 on the the 23-pin connector.

<<<WARNING - the following advice *could* damage the CCM or other electronics>>>

Also, you may be able to pop the trunk using a 12v "lantern" (low-amp) battery by connecting the (-) terminal to chassis ground and:
(1) connecting the (+) 12v signal to the brown/black wire on the light inside the trunk (you'd have to crawl in there from the rear seat), or by
(2) connecting the (+) 12v signal to the wire at pin 7 or pin 10 of the 23-pin wire harness on the convenience control module (CCM).

Does the trunk light turn on when you apply (+) 12v to the red/black wire side?

If none of these work, IMO the most-likely culprit is damage to the rear wiring harness, where the trunk lock & trunk light connect to ground. Another possibility is a loose connection at the ground post in the lower left B-pillar

Good luck!

[KingConker]

Yes - the history is that the boot's actuator had failed and the boot would not lock or engage at all. So a VW engineer (working out of hours) flicked the lock of the boot (locked shut now) - thinking he could just access the boot from inside the car to open and then replace the actuator when it arrived - but of course the plate behind the rear arm rest in shut and can only be opened from inside the boot.

Doh - indeed.

He proposes drilling the plate to gain access - I would prefer something less destructive....

[Sam]

I'm not familiar with the lock on the rear seat plate, but compared to drilling the boot it would seem the less severe method. You could then send a small child with a torch through to push up on the parcel shelf! The problem you'll then have is that once you have the shelf off, there's not much chance of getting through the metal underneath it. I don't envy you at all (or the mechanic, poor bloke!) and am sorry I don't seem to be helping much. And as an aside, I wasn't being smart above when I suggested the internal release, I just wanted to make sure you'd tried everything before moving on to the more hardcore stuff. it would appear the formatting of my post is off - anyone have any ideas as to why - should I be using html?

[KingConker]

No - I'm throuroughly grateful for the help.

When I say drill, I mean drill or break through the metal centre plate in the rear seat to gain access to the boot - we can open the boot relatively easily then - I would just not want to damafe the plate if I could avoid it.

When you say metal underneath the parcel shelf - it's not a solid plate - is it?
Is it just a lattice with holes big enough to put an arm in?

[Sam]

No - I'm throuroughly grateful for the help.

When I say drill, I mean drill or break through the metal centre plate in the rear seat to gain access to the boot - we can open the boot relatively easily then - I would just not want to damafe the plate if I could avoid it.

When you say metal underneath the parcel shelf - it's not a solid plate - is it?
Is it just a lattice with holes big enough to put an arm in? Aaaah!

The penny drops, sorry for my misunderstanding.

Yes, there is a lattice type structure under the shelf, and yes you could easily fit an arm through, I see what your are hinting towards - give it a go, it should come off with a bit of effort - be careful of the third brake light connections though, I'm not sure if they extend too far

Good luck

[Sam]

Any luck?