# accidently opening the trunk w/key remote



## hockeynut (Apr 14, 2002)

I can't count how many times I get into my car, turn it on and find that the trunk is ajar. I don't know if my key is extra sensitive or if I just hit it in my pocket or what, but it is kind of annoying. Am I the only one with this problen?


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## NickD (Jul 16, 2003)

I always confuse the buttons and open my trunk by mistake...


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## 325SMG (Jan 11, 2004)

I've had this problem a few times. I think I just hit it in my pocket. My car sits about 10 feet from my office, so I figure there's all kinds of unlocking/locking/trunk opening going on if my keys are in my pocket. I guess that's why they supply that leather pouch for the key. At least Global Imports in Atlanta did.


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## Desertnate (Mar 11, 2002)

:hi: 

Count me in. I think it is even worse for those of us with the "old" key. The buttons are side by side vs front and back. Often I grab the key by the end with the buttons and if I don't judge the placement of my thumb just right, the trunk comes open :tsk:


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## LouT (Jun 11, 2003)

hockeynut said:


> I can't count how many times I get into my car, turn it on and find that the trunk is ajar. I don't know if my key is extra sensitive or if I just hit it in my pocket or what, but it is kind of annoying. Am I the only one with this problen?


Mystery trunk opening is more common than most would realize. I had it happen a lot on my '02 325i. It annoyed me to the point that one day I drove home with the trunk ajar rather than stop and close it. A couple times I got it to close by hitting a bump, but that's not recommended... The ZHP isn't as bad but it happened recently. I usually double check the trunk after I park it at work and put the keys someplace else so they're not rattling around in my pants pocket.


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## dlloyd1975 (Sep 8, 2002)

If I'm wearing pants that don't exactly fit my now, er, slightly portly physique, I find that I can pop the trunk open by accident.


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## yamato (Feb 11, 2003)

it has never happened to me, yet.


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## mscoins (Oct 11, 2003)

Never happened to me either. When in my pocket, I keep the key in the black leatherette case that came with the car.


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## rotellae (Apr 13, 2004)

Happens all the time - it seems to be the key ring that the dealer gave me, hits the trunk button all the time. Anyway to disable or make it so you have to hit the button twice?


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## st_o_p (Sep 30, 2003)

Happened to me couple of times (and it's very annoying) but no more than that. The perfect solution would be automatic close/lock of the trunc when it's all the way down - that way you don't have to get out of the car to close it. I know I'm just dreaming...


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## glaws (Feb 21, 2002)

1. Get in car. 2. Crank engine. 3. Adjust seating. 4. Turn on Sport Button. 5. Put on sun shades. 6. Engage reverse. 7. Notice "trunk ajar" light. 8. Shut off engine.


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## 04ZHPGuy (May 8, 2004)

hockeynut said:


> I can't count how many times I get into my car, turn it on and find that the trunk is ajar. I don't know if my key is extra sensitive or if I just hit it in my pocket or what, but it is kind of annoying. Am I the only one with this problen?


And I thought it was just me!


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## Kaz (Dec 21, 2001)

I gotta press the buttons on my key pretty hard for the buttons to work. And the range is short enough that I'm never close enough to the car to somehow 'accidentally' unlock it.


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## MysticBlue (Jun 20, 2003)

FWIW, Almost a year old, 8000 miles, and it's never happened to me.


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## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

I've done it probably a dozen times. None from the key in my pocket but just being clumsy pushing the buttons without looking at the key.


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## Kanuck (Feb 18, 2003)

glaws said:


> 1. Get in car. 2. Crank engine. 3. Adjust seating. 4. Turn on Sport Button. 5. Put on sun shades. 6. Engage reverse. 7. Notice "trunk ajar" light. 8. Shut off engine.


You shut off the engine just to get out and close the trunk?


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## LarryN (Dec 24, 2001)

I went out to my car in the garage the other day, and it was unlocked and all the windows were down.. First time that happened to me. I must have had something pressing against the unlock button.

The trunk thing has only happened twice, that I recall.


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## nitram_luap (May 24, 2004)

Go to your dealer and get them to modifiy the key/car memory by plugging your car into their laptop with MODIC...

Among the MANY useful settings for car & key memory in the E46, there is a setting which alters the behaviour of the remote boot unlock button on the key...

You can have it to work whether the car is locked or unlocked (function:enabled) or when the car is unlocked only (function:disarmed). That way the only way the boot can open with the key remote is if you have already unlocked the doors with the remote.

There are other really cool features - check them out here - and get your dealer to set them up - should only take a minute or two...

www.bmwnation.com/tech/glossary/carkeyconfig_1999.pdf

Paul Martin


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## rpeeples (Apr 15, 2004)

hockeynut said:


> I can't count how many times I get into my car, turn it on and find that the trunk is ajar. I don't know if my key is extra sensitive or if I just hit it in my pocket or what, but it is kind of annoying. Am I the only one with this problen?


Yup, happens fairly often with me, usually when I'm doing something like opening a door with the keys in my hand, and it gets pressed accidentally.

At least the OBC display let's you know the trunk's open.


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## rpeeples (Apr 15, 2004)

nitram_luap said:


> Go to your dealer and get them to modifiy the key/car memory by plugging your car into their laptop with MODIC...
> 
> Among the MANY useful settings for car & key memory in the E46, there is a setting which alters the behaviour of the remote boot unlock button on the key...
> 
> ...


Neato. :thumbup:


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## binaryfarms (Feb 2, 2003)

Add another one to the clueless accidental trunk opener list.

Thanks for the key reprogram trick. I just had the car at the dealer because I thought the trunk was coming unlatched. They adjusted the rubber knobs in the trunk lid so that you really had to cram it shut, and it opened with a nasty clunk. I reaadjusted the knobs as they were before, and I'll have them set this up with the key, since apparently it was me opening it all along. :eeps:


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## MA330CIC (Mar 13, 2004)

Never happened (so far). But I have noticed that my remote doesn't work unless I am within 10 feet of car. By then I've got my finger on the right button.


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## glaws (Feb 21, 2002)

Kanuck said:


> You shut off the engine just to get out and close the trunk?


 I shut off the engine *whenever* I get out of the car.


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## BlackChrome (Nov 16, 2003)

yamato said:


> it has never happened to me, yet.


Same here.


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## MysticBlue (Jun 20, 2003)

glaws said:


> I shut off the engine *whenever* I get out of the car.


Why?


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## MysticBlue (Jun 20, 2003)

MA330CIC said:


> Never happened (so far). But I have noticed that my remote doesn't work unless I am within 10 feet of car. By then I've got my finger on the right button.


Touch the key (the metal part) under your chin while you push the button...This will increase your range considerably.


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## apar330i (Aug 19, 2002)

mscoins said:


> Never happened to me either. When in my pocket, I keep the key in the black leatherette case that came with the car.


:stupid: never happened to me either.


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## BlackChrome (Nov 16, 2003)

MysticBlue said:


> Why?


I'd say less chance to get the car hijacked?


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## MarcusSDCA (Jan 14, 2004)

I probably had the trunk "ajar" light come on 50 times in 3 years in my 330...very annoying.

Solution: it seemed to happen a lot at home before I would leave...so I just drove a few hundred feet up the street from my house and drove a little faster than usual over a drainage ditch. The trunk would fly up a little (not all the way) and then slam down and lock! Light ajar light out...no problem. :thumbup: 

I loved that trick.

marcus


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## OBS3SSION (Oct 1, 2002)

I tend to hit the trunk button by mistake instead of the lock or unlock button. A typical scenario for me:

Get out of car.
Start walking away.
Hit button on remote to lock car.
Doh!
Stop, turn around, go back and close trunk.
Start walking away.
Hit button on remote to lock car.
Doh!
Stop, turn around, go back and close trunk... again.
Start walking away.
Hit button on remote to lock car.
Doh!
Stop, turn around, go back and close trunk.
Doh! It was closed. I finally got it right, but habit reigns


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## cantona7 (Apr 8, 2004)

It hasn't happened to me yet. The buttons on my key are kinda hard and takes a little effort to press. And there's usually very little else in my pockets that could accidently press any of the buttons either. Then again, I've only had the car for 1 month/2300 miles.


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

Never happened to me either.


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## MA330CIC (Mar 13, 2004)

MysticBlue said:


> Touch the key (the metal part) under your chin while you push the button...This will increase your range considerably.


Thanks Mystic Blue, this does work. But I feel stupid putting my key to my chin. Then I realized "Why do I need to open my door when I am more than 10 feet from the car??" :fruit:


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## mjames (Sep 23, 2003)

Funny ... the day I saw this thread was the day it happened to me for the first time. I noticed my trunk was open as I was about half-way home, and decided to just keep going because I had nothing in my trunk and I doubt it would fly open. I was right.


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## rgzimmer (May 1, 2004)

BlackChrome said:


> I'd say less chance to get the car hijacked?


More likely because it's not a good idea to leave a car running with no one in the driver's seat because you never know what can happen. It's actually against the law to get out and leave the engine running in Texas. I think it's a good law myself.


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## yamato (Feb 11, 2003)

MA330CIC said:


> "Why do I need to open my door when I am more than 10 feet from the car??" :fruit:


because it is very nice to open the windows in advance with the remote before you get into the car in the summer.


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## Fzara2000 (Jan 22, 2004)

rgzimmer said:


> More likely because it's not a good idea to leave a car running with no one in the driver's seat because you never know what can happen. It's actually against the law to get out and leave the engine running in Texas. I think it's a good law myself.


You completely destroy the life of the car though by doing this. The more starts and shutdowns the car has, the more stress you put on the ignition, the starter, spark plugs, engine, etc etc etc.


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## MA330CIC (Mar 13, 2004)

yamato said:


> because it is very nice to open the windows in advance with the remote before you get into the car in the summer.


True!

But when its hot, I just put the key in and put the whole top down!


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## ff (Dec 19, 2001)

Happens to me constantly. Never used to on the 2002 330i I owned. Weird.


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## FenPhen (Jan 13, 2004)

rgzimmer said:


> More likely because it's not a good idea to leave a car running with no one in the driver's seat because you never know what can happen. It's actually against the law to get out and leave the engine running in Texas. I think it's a good law myself.


If you have a manual, nothing could really happen that couldn't happen if the car was off. It can't slip into gear without grinding, and if it did, it would stall. If the parking brake fails, it can fail when the car is off, and if the car is off, it's possible to slip out of gear too... :dunno:

If you have an automatic, modern cars have an interlock that requires the brake pedal to be depressed to get in/out of Park.

If you're referring to someone else getting in the car, then yeah.


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