pradden

Yes you can definitely open the trunk with the key, even with no battery in the car or with the car locked. Doesn't matter because it's a manual lock. JUST DO NOT LAY DOWN YOUR KEY IN THE TRUNK THEN SHUT IT. <<I read of someone doing that one time....

HamannE60

Okay thanks for the confirmation, Do I just put the key in the slot and then push the handle or it opens some other way? Anyways if my car isn't powering on by tomorrow I will have no choice but to rip of my m5 trunk finisher and open the trunk to get to the battery

HamannE60

Just an update, so I decided to try and jump start my car today, and when I plugged the jumper cables into the terminals in the engine, power immediately came back on, but the car refused to start! I left the car hooked up to another running car for 30 minutes and when I tried to start the engine the lights would flicker and the starter would tick, I noticed when the car was hooked up to the other running car the battery volts would stay at a constant 11.6-11.8 volts, then I disconnected the jumper cable from the cars and the power went completely off, no lights or dials, idrive working. I then took the battery out and will take it to get it tested tomorrow to see if I can get it recharged or if it needs replacing. The battery is the white OEM BMW one manufactured by Exide, 110Ah/850cc almost three years old. Anyone know of any alternative more powerful longer lasting alternatives? Or should I just go with the same one or the AGM one that BMW sells. Thanks for all your help!

Stephen Max

Geez, it's not rocket science. You put the key in the keyhole and then turn the key, just like every other car ever made. It's a mechanical lock and doesn't require any electrical power.

SilberGrauE60

Sorry for your troubles, but it looks like you finally have access to the trunk and you are getting the battery checked out to see if it can be recharged. Hopefully it can and you will be back in business.

My question is now about whether this was your original battery, or if it had been replaced by you? And if it was a replacement, did you do the "registration" or not? You said, I believe, that the current "dead" battery is an OEM white BMW battery, but didn't talk about the other circumstances.

Your situation could be a good data point in the raging debate about registering a replacement battery or not. Some have said not registering might shorten the life of a replacement battery, and your situation might provide good data. I believe a new OEM battery should definitely last longer than 3 years.