Flat Battery, can't open boot?

A

Alfie Noakes

Member
Hi All,
Some help would be appreciated.
My car is a 2004 A2 TDI Sport (90bhp), I am recuperating from an operation and so haven't been using it for a few weeks. Under regular driving conditions it is fine.
I went out to start it this morning to keep it topped up and the battery is dead, flat as a pancake. There is no glimmer in anything.
I am near the mains and have a charger but I can't get the boot open to connect the charger on account of it being electrically operated.
I seem to remember there is a way to open the boot but can't remember the exact operation. Any help appreciated.
Thank you.
Robert
 
This is the page from th handbook... looks like you access from inside the car?
EC3D559C-260A-4944-A0B0-B6DC96A5EC00.jpeg
 
Thank you very much, that is much appreciated. All I have to do now is work out how to open the rear door or climb over the seats with a new hip joint :)
 
davidallenxyz said:
Maybe less contortions required if you open the rear passenger door from the inside, drop the seat back, and access the battery terminals from inside the car?
Click to expand...
The rear doors will not open from the inside. I suspect this is due to the battery going flat while the central locking was "locked". In addition that would require significant contortions in emptying the boot, including the spacesaver spare and raising the boot floor and removing it and then negotiating the covers on the battery terminals.
What I really need is a way to open the rear door with a flat battery. However I have a fall back position in that exteeemly flexible step-son has agreed to help tomorrow if it has stopped raining.
 
Last edited:
One alternative: Connect the help start cable to the +terminal on the starter and the -cable to ground on engine.
You are now able to open the hatch.
(be careful and ensure you do not touch ground with the +cable. Good to be one person on each clamp to reduce risk)
 
I have a vague memory that Audi realised their design flaw in making the battery inaccessible in cases like this and on later models provided an alternative "positive battery terminal location" in the engine compartment. Presumably this is where the chunky battery lead comes into the engine compartment is clamped and covered with a rubber cover that you pull off to access. I remember in a fault thread this clamp trurned out to have come loose and was causing problems that a garage never tracked down simply because they had not pulled off the rubber cover! As this is useful I have always meant to find this but never got round to it, sorry, but somebody might chip in the location. Maybe I should read the handbook!

Andy
 
I had this happen before I changed the battery and I had to climb in through the drivers door into the back seat. Not the best, but as the rear doors wouldn't unlock for me either, the only expedient option.
 
PeterS said:
This is the page from th handbook... looks like you access from inside the car?
View attachment 36810
Click to expand...

Unfortunate, none of my four A2 s have this smart emergency release that PeterS shared with us....
Seriously... I drive a lot... alone... out in the wildness and is statistically exposed to one day be up-side down in a small river by the road invisible to all that might pass... If that day comes I hope I have performed the modification to the A2 I will be driving.... :) thanks for making me (us) aware PeterS
Sorry, I did not look good enough. Birchall made me aware (thanks) so I edited the text to not contribute to fool the Forum...
 
Last edited:
dieselfan said:
Unfortunate, none of my four A2 s have this smart emergency release that PeterS shared with us....

Seriously... I drive a lot... alone... out in the wildness and is statistically exposed to one day be up-side down in a small river by the road invisible to all that might pass...
If that day comes I hope I have performed the modification to the A2 I will be driving.... :) thanks for making me (us) aware PeterS
Click to expand...
They ALL have it.

It is very close to the glass and flush to the boot trim top and it is like an oblong plastic piece with a slot in it that you can get a key blade in to lift it up..

Steve B
 
Thank you all. There is a neat trick to getting to this from the front. Put both front seats forward as far as they will go. Then put the passengers backrest forwards as far as it will go and the drivers backrest back as far as it will go. You can then kneel on the drivers squab and move your right knee to the rear seat. From here you can get to the emergency catch and unlock the boot.

So my battery is now on charge but it's an old charger so it might take some time.

I also have another query:

I am at a friends house and dont have my owners manual. If I remember correctly in situations like this (completely flat battery) there is some reset procedure to go through to start the car. Something to do with the key maybe? If anyone knows this i would appreciate it. Thanks.
 
Everything will work fine.
But you may need to re-pair the remote locking.
Just put one of the keys in the ignition and turn it on. Press the unlock button on the key, then immediately remove it and try it.
That should work,

Just repeat for any other key you might have that was previously paired to this car.

Steve B
 
Last edited:
I called the AA out a couple of weeks ago as I had exactly the same problem. AA man somehow got a current to the car by looping in to in-car fuse box or obd2. I didn't really pay attention so can't say which. From there he just pressed the central locking button on the drivers door and it opened the boot.
 
A happy ending.....so far......
I connected the charger and all seemed fine and was going to leave it overnight. Then the Chinese Take Away delivery man said he could smell burning! The car is parked on the drive with the charger in the boot. Well he was correct and it smelled like an overhearing transformer in the charger. So I disconnected everything and said I would look at it in the morning. I never got a chance, when I got up it had been consigned to the dustbin (the charger). I then set about getting a lift to travel the 30 mins to collect my charger.
I then had the thought that it might have got enough charge the day before to start.......some hope!!!
Well I tried it and after three very very slow and reluctant cranks it fired and I am now in business, so all's well etc. The central locking needed to be paired as per Steve B's post above and now everything seems to be OK and the trip to collect my charger was cancelled.
Thank you everyone. It never ceases to amaze me the speed with which one gets accurate information and advice on the forum.
Best wishes
Robert
 
another method to open the boot is to use a emergency start battery booster or charger with cigarette lighter socket plug. Once plugged in and switched on the electrics should work enough to open the boot using the switch on the door to unlock the central locking and get in the boot.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top