Dead battery: Can't get in via boot even

[Grahamll]

1999 V40.
Battery had been playing up, now utterly dead.
Central locking not working so tried to get in via boot turning anticlockwise and leaving key in as per user manual to circumvent central locking.

Nothing! Boot remains locked solid.

Any suggestions ?

[gatos]

Really silly question, but have you tried opening the drivers door with the key?

if you cant access any of the doors or boot on the car at all, then the only thing I can think off, is to remove the bumper and open the bonnet catch with your hand, so you can gain access to the engine bay and the battery. Some people also break the grille to access the bonnet catch and open the bonnet.

If you choose to do either, you will need to put your hand behind the middle left(left side as you are facing the engine) of the bonnet catch and feel for a small lever to pull towards the left. That will release the bonnet and you can then open it as normal and change the battery

[bobthecabbage]

Originally Posted by Grahamll

1999 V40.
Battery had been playing up, now utterly dead.
Central locking not working so tried to get in via boot turning anticlockwise and leaving key in as per user manual to circumvent central locking.

Nothing! Boot remains locked solid.

Any suggestions ?

Is the car somewhere you could jack it up?

I was thinking if you could get the car on axle stands and remove the undertray then you could access the alternator lead (the big fat one that goes straight to the battery) and use that and an earth point to connect up a good 12v battery and provide enough power to unlock it.
Either that or if you are near a 240v supply you could do the same thing with a smart charger to charge the cars battery enough to open the doors. I say smart charger because a 'dumb' charger may damage the ecu.
In order to prevent a recurrence or at least deal with it, you could fit a CTEK style 'comfort connector' somewhere hidden but accessible (inside the bumper for example) so that you can connect up either a charger or a lead to a good 12 battery.

As for the boot lock, have you tried spraying it with WD40 and bashing it?

[Grahamll]

Originally Posted by gatos

Some people also break the grille to access the bonnet catch and open the bonnet.

Wonder if one can get a screwdriver through the grille ?
Annoyingly I have a spare 🐈 in the boot, which would be helpful to examine before proceeding.

[Paul Wildsmith]

a recovery man once tried to power via the washer motor on my C70 (didn't work, but worth a try). I think the key suggestion is the best though ..