Boot Won't Open

A few owners have posted about problems when their boot will not open. This has now happened twice to me – once in Dec 2017 and again now. I know that the roof is properly shut and the handbrake is fully on (which have been suggested as possible causes in other posts). Last time the lock and solenoid were replaced (at huge expense – I am guessing because it took them a long time to access the inside of the boot). In case it is relevant, the week before I discovered the boot wouldn't open, I had to have the battery replaced.
 
My current garage (not a Renault one) have just returned my Wind to me having failed to find a way to open the boot. They are going to have another go when more fully staffed (covid-19).  I will pass on to them the suggestion from on here of taking the top off the rubber switch and cleaning it. 
 
But if this fails – do any members have suggestions of any way to gain access to the boot from outside or inside the car (from inside being made more difficult this time I suspect as my boot is filled with a folding electric bike) so that a new switch or lock can be fitted? Any further suggestions/experiences that I can pass on to my garage would be appreciated.
 
Thanks
 
Ian in Hove

Does the roof still open.?  I know you said there is no message on the screen but I know the boot can't be opened  if the car thinks the roof is open.

• Worth another try. handbrake on and off a few times
  

is the car parked on a flat surface.

Thanks for your reply. The roof opens and closes just fine. Car is on a flat surface. I'll fiddle a bit more with the handbrake see if that makes a difference

I had some weird unlocking problems with my boot as well....sometimes it refused to open and then eventually the hazard light wouldn't stop flashing whenever this happened.
I noticed that, when locking the car...the second press of the locking button on the key...which deadlocks the vehicle...sounded very muted, not the normal healthy clunk. I found that wgphenever this happened the boot wouldn't open...both doors weren't affected. I discovered that if I repeatedly locked and unlocked the vehicle whilst sat in it, using the central locking button on the central console to the front of the gear stick...then the boot would then unlock and could be open.
My solution was to WD40 and silicone grease all the door locks and boot lock...also down where the boot latch engages above the rear bumper....also cleaned what look like 2 sensors in there with alcohol wipes.
To date...after 6 months the fault has not re-occured. I reckon it's worth a try to check all of these items, I reckon that the deadlock was sticking on the boot lock.

Thanks - I did wonder about the central locking - and have flicked that off and on a couple of times. I will go fiddle around some more tomorrow. 

If I could only get the boot to open - then I could try some checking of the actual lock...fingers crossed

Looking through various forums, there's quite a few Renaults with dodgy boot switches.  Some seem to work for a while with the engine running, but it's not a long term fix.
As it's all controlled by the body control module, a low battery could also cause problems, so disconnecting the battery for 10 minutes to reset the system could be tried.


A suggestion from our friendly car guru Araf

Thanks for suggestions. I suspect the AA replacing the battery may have caused the problem - as the next time I tried the boot it was locked shut. I will pass on all suggestions to the guy at my garage when I can get in to see him. Fingers crossed!

Finally, I have my Wind back with a working boot lock. The bill…(deep breath)…£540 (£470 was labour). 2.5 years ago – the last time this happened it was £420. The difference this time – I had the boot filled with a folding bike that made accessing the lock from behind the seats a nightmare. Motto - do not have your boot full with anything when this happens! Lock has been replaced. A lot of wiring was corroded or broken which had led to no power to the lock – so this has been fixed as well.
 
Thanks again for all the advice that has been offered.

£420 & £540 each time.

To get caught once is bad enough but twice. I feel for you.

Hope you can look forward to some post lockdown topless miles to compensate.

I'll second that ....and no more expense for the foreseeable