2013 rear hatch oddities

Blivit · 06-24-2019, 06:35 PM

2013 3.5i
50k miles
Original battery (I know...)

No issues elsewhere.

Last year, I had a rattling issue at the rear hatch. No lights or errors, just the rattle. Traced it to a loose latch. Tightened the two bolts up, been fine since. Everything functions on the hatch. All buttons etc work as they should. Everything closes completely and opens fine. My wife tells me today though that she is getting a trunk open error. I looked at everything. All tight, all closed. No rattles. It seems to only come on while driving after taking off from a stop. Come to a stop and it turns off. Take off again and it comes on. Turn the car off and back on and it's gone until you move and stop again.

I know these cars are sensitive to voltage. Think the battery is finally giving up? The only things I noticed is the right lower side of the upper hatch sticks out a little further than the left when closed. It may have always been like that though. The latch that I tightened last year, the bolts are tight but the u part of the latch had some play. I assume that is normal?

Blivit · 06-24-2019, 08:51 PM

Update: as it was dark, tonight I noticed the interior hatch lights were on. The hatch was closed but the lights were on like it was open. The hatch would only open half way with any of the buttons. It would always "close" fully but the lights still would not turn off. Checked the battery voltage and it was at 12.5 with the car off and 14.4 with it running. Didn't see much of a drop when trying to open or close the hatch. The battery may actually be fine for a little while longer.

Looked at the lower latch again. It was still tight but I decided to loosen it and move it maybe 1/16" up.... Hatch opens and closes normally and lights are now off...wtf? I moved it last year when it loosened on its own and it had been fine since and was still tight. This thing is so sensitive that 1/16" throws it off? Seems like a poor design anyway

Nyc Dito · 06-25-2019, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blivit

Update: as it was dark, tonight I noticed the interior hatch lights were on. The hatch was closed but the lights were on like it was open. The hatch would only open half way with any of the buttons. It would always "close" fully but the lights still would not turn off. Checked the battery voltage and it was at 12.5 with the car off and 14.4 with it running. Didn't see much of a drop when trying to open or close the hatch. The battery may actually be fine for a little while longer.

Looked at the lower latch again. It was still tight but I decided to loosen it and move it maybe 1/16" up.... Hatch opens and closes normally and lights are now off...wtf? I moved it last year when it loosened on its own and it had been fine since and was still tight. This thing is so sensitive that 1/16" throws it off? Seems like a poor design anyway

I recently adjusted that same latch and all was fine...for about half an hour. Then I got the same warning and since I was on the road now, I had to wait to get home another hour to adjust it again. I adjusted it by a hair, and the warning went away. Weird. Im sure there must be some technical procedure or specific adjustment, but I could not find any on TIS.

Blivit · 06-25-2019, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nyc Dito

I recently adjusted that same latch and all was fine...for about half an hour. Then I got the same warning and since I was on the road now, I had to wait to get home another hour to adjust it again. I adjusted it by a hair, and the warning went away. Weird. Im sure there must be some technical procedure or specific adjustment, but I could not find any on TIS.

Thanks, it is kind of ridiculous. When it was loose last year, I adjusted it so that when the hatch closed, it was flush with the rest of the body panels. This adjustment, that turned the lights off, has the hatch not lined up with the body panels. Yet, the lights are off and the warning is gone... My latch only has 2 bolts, is that normal? Seems 4 would help it not move and allow for a much more precise placement. There are 2 open holes but I can't tell if they are threaded or not.

Nyc Dito · 06-25-2019, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blivit

My latch only has 2 bolts, is that normal?

2 bolts is all we got. I also slightly adjusted the latches on the side panels before the one on the tail gate. But I adjusted those thinking it would help, it didn't by much but I noticed my hatch was aligned better to the body after all was said and done and the lower gate was nice and tight. Meaning I was able to slightly push it back and forth and now it remains in place.

Here's a link to what I found to help. (although this link shows the fix with tape,I used it for the images of what needed adjustment.)
https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...tle-knock.html

Later this week im going to adjust the rubber/plastic "bump" stops.
https://xoutpost.com/attachments/x5-...attachment.pdf

heatmizr · 06-25-2019, 11:53 AM

There are several adjustments all working together there, between the lower and upper gates, latches, and the bump stops. I think you just have to get them all mostly in the right range of adjustment; no surprise that the sensor keeping the lights on (and giving the warning) is sometimes not getting the right signal.
Just be thankful you can play with it on your own for free and don't have to take it to the dealer, or get the car re-programmed!

Blivit · 02-17-2021, 10:33 AM

Wanted to bring this one back up because it is happening again.

Basically, I have had issues off and on with the rear hatch latch system. It could be any combination of the following:
1. hatch not closing completely from either the button or fob
2. #1 causing the interior light and or dash warning light to be on
3. #1 causing the hatch to not open completely because it was not closed completely

One or all of the above have popped up randomly over the past few year, I adjust the latch and/or rubber stops and things go away for a while. But something always seems to come back.

Unfortunately this time, I have noticed that one of the 2 bolts holding the latch in is now stripped out (guess all of my fiddling did it in) allowing the latch to move even more on its own. Such a poor design...

I have priced out replacing the latch but new you can only buy the entire motor assembly at over $350. I have found some used but even then it's $150. Anyone had to either re-tap this thread or brute forced a slightly larger bolt in there lol? The metal seems pretty weak whatever it is. When I pulled the stripped bolt out there were shavings on it. It will currently still "thread" in but doesn't really catch and hold.

06-24-2019, 06:35 PM	#1
Blivit Private 14 Rep 66 Posts Drives: 2013 X5 Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: FL iTrader: (0)	2013 rear hatch oddities 2013 3.5i 50k miles Original battery (I know...) No issues elsewhere. Last year, I had a rattling issue at the rear hatch. No lights or errors, just the rattle. Traced it to a loose latch. Tightened the two bolts up, been fine since. Everything functions on the hatch. All buttons etc work as they should. Everything closes completely and opens fine. My wife tells me today though that she is getting a trunk open error. I looked at everything. All tight, all closed. No rattles. It seems to only come on while driving after taking off from a stop. Come to a stop and it turns off. Take off again and it comes on. Turn the car off and back on and it's gone until you move and stop again. I know these cars are sensitive to voltage. Think the battery is finally giving up? The only things I noticed is the right lower side of the upper hatch sticks out a little further than the left when closed. It may have always been like that though. The latch that I tightened last year, the bolts are tight but the u part of the latch had some play. I assume that is normal?
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06-24-2019, 08:51 PM	#2
Blivit Private 14 Rep 66 Posts Drives: 2013 X5 Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: FL iTrader: (0)	Update: as it was dark, tonight I noticed the interior hatch lights were on. The hatch was closed but the lights were on like it was open. The hatch would only open half way with any of the buttons. It would always "close" fully but the lights still would not turn off. Checked the battery voltage and it was at 12.5 with the car off and 14.4 with it running. Didn't see much of a drop when trying to open or close the hatch. The battery may actually be fine for a little while longer. Looked at the lower latch again. It was still tight but I decided to loosen it and move it maybe 1/16" up.... Hatch opens and closes normally and lights are now off...wtf? I moved it last year when it loosened on its own and it had been fine since and was still tight. This thing is so sensitive that 1/16" throws it off? Seems like a poor design anyway
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06-25-2019, 11:53 AM	#6
heatmizr Captain 153 Rep 709 Posts Drives: E70 X5 50i M-Sport Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Charlotte, NC iTrader: (0)	There are several adjustments all working together there, between the lower and upper gates, latches, and the bump stops. I think you just have to get them all mostly in the right range of adjustment; no surprise that the sensor keeping the lights on (and giving the warning) is sometimes not getting the right signal. Just be thankful you can play with it on your own for free and don't have to take it to the dealer, or get the car re-programmed! __________________ heatmizr [Todd] g26 i4 e40 - Clean Machine e70 X5 50i M-Sport "The Boss" Loaded e90 328i - sold e36 M3 - Gone to become a track star
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02-17-2021, 10:33 AM	#7
Blivit Private 14 Rep 66 Posts Drives: 2013 X5 Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: FL iTrader: (0)	Wanted to bring this one back up because it is happening again. Basically, I have had issues off and on with the rear hatch latch system. It could be any combination of the following: 1. hatch not closing completely from either the button or fob 2. #1 causing the interior light and or dash warning light to be on 3. #1 causing the hatch to not open completely because it was not closed completely One or all of the above have popped up randomly over the past few year, I adjust the latch and/or rubber stops and things go away for a while. But something always seems to come back. Unfortunately this time, I have noticed that one of the 2 bolts holding the latch in is now stripped out (guess all of my fiddling did it in) allowing the latch to move even more on its own. Such a poor design... I have priced out replacing the latch but new you can only buy the entire motor assembly at over $350. I have found some used but even then it's $150. Anyone had to either re-tap this thread or brute forced a slightly larger bolt in there lol? The metal seems pretty weak whatever it is. When I pulled the stripped bolt out there were shavings on it. It will currently still "thread" in but doesn't really catch and hold.
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