2003 Mini Cooper S - Dead Battery Manual Hatchback Open?
 

I drove my Mini last night... have not had any problems since buying it last December. This morning I went to unlock it to empty it out and the battery is dead. I threw a charger onto it and now trying to jump start. I have followed the owner manual directions.

Since the battery is under the floor of the hatchback, I figured I would try to jump it directly to the battery (rather than the cable up in the engine compartment). BUT I cannot unlock the hatchback. There is no keyhole for it.

I am also noticing wen I put the key in the ignition (without turning the key), there is a clicking sound, like the locks are trying to engage and disengage. But they are not.

Anyway, how can I open/unlock the hatch?

So I have been doing research and got excited that I found there is a cable release under the back seat. So I took out the back seat and NO CABLE!

I do know the battery problem. I transported some raw milk for my pigs a few days ago and one of the lids wasn't tight, so some liquid got into the battery compartment. I may have to climb through the car with a wet vac and work that way. UGH!

We also have an '03 MCS so I went out and looked around for you. What you will need to do is connect a jumper to where the arrows are shown in this image. The black one to where the black arrow is and the red one to where the red arrow is. Once you do this you will need to unlock the car and then you should be able to go the the rear and manually open the rear hatch door. Let me know if you still have issues.

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I have already done all that... jump starting.. I vacuumed the battery area out. There were a couple of inches of milk in there. There is an electrical box of some sort in the battery compartment, so I wonder if that is shorted out or can be cleaned or just needs to dry. The battery is out and is fully charged (put it on a charger and it shows a full charge). I will make sure the clamps are cleaned with a little sandpaper.

Doing all this from INSIDE the car.

UPDATE: I researched and that little box is a fuse of some sort. I took it apart and it was caked in dried milk. Even though I cleaned it thoroughly, I still need to replace it, so ordered one and HOPE I will be back in business soon...

UPDATE: Replaced the fuse box and started right up. I guess I shouldn't wait to see if there is a way to unlock the hatchback door if there is no power...