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jbg0000 · 06-02-2016, 08:58 PM

My wife locked the key in the trunk of our 1999 986 Boxster while on a trip and texted me from 300 miles away to say she had just done this.

This was a real problem, because:

a) She was far from home;
b) Even if she were close to home, or in our garage, we presently have no way to open the trunk except by using the trunk release button on the key fob. That's because:
c) The trunk release button on the second key fob (which she did not have with her) does not work -- never did -- when I bought the car a year ago the owner disclosed that;
d) the manual trunk release cable on the driver's side recently went slack (a couple of months ago) and I was waiting until I had another fix-it issue or two before bringing the car to my Porsche guy with this seemingly minor glitch.

My story is long. If you are not up for the entertainment go to the section near the end of the post titled:

************************************************** ***
Here's how the trunk got opened without an emergency release cable:

************************************************** ***

On with my story.

Fortunately the passenger compartment was still unlocked. Unfortunately the wife could not lock it, or drive the car, having no secondary key.

After getting her distress text, I did some Web searches and found this thread as well as other Boxster-specific threads that start out something like "Help, my wife locked the key in the trunk..."

I learned about the possibility of an emergency release cable hidden under the bumper cover, and looked at several posts describing how to get at it. I called my wife and instructed her to walk across the street to Home Depot and get a couple of tools, including a set of Allen wrenches. My goal was to talk her through the process of loosening the bumper cover, feeling for the release cable, tugging on it and solving the problem.

Problem was, she could not figure out from my verbal description where the various screws were located. No joy.

While I did further online research, she had checked with a local locksmith who confirmed that this trunk is not something they can open. She was referred to a body shop to remove the bumper cover, etc. While she was busy having AAA tow the car over to the body shop...

I called the town's only foreign auto repair place and asked for their advice. They asked me if I had a local Porsche guy. I said yes. They said it would be best to bring it there.

I ended up having to drive 300 miles each way to rescue the car (left the wife there) using the spare key.

Oh, I left her there because she was visiting her mother. Forgot to mention that.

By the way, she also locked her suitcase in the trunk with the key, including her various medications.

I drove the car back home the next morning, grabbed some tools, and poked around underneath. Got the drivers side of the bumper cover loose enough that I could (without the help of a third hand) slip my hand inside and feel around for the hoped-for release cable. I saw the picture of one during my online research, but could not feel one. Further online research indicated that not all models have this feature.

This morning I drove the car to my Porsche guy (at Bauer Porsche Repair in Oakland, CA). He listened to my tale, smiled wryly and racked the car. An hour later he had it. Trunk was open, key was in fact inside, and he confirmed that my car has NO emergency trunk release cable. (He proved that by completely removing the bumper cover and checking both sides.) And my regular trunk release cable had snapped at the trunk latch end.

************************************************** ***
Here's how the trunk got opened without an emergency release cable:

************************************************** ***

It turns out that on each side of the trunk there are small holes. For the purpose of this emergency situation, think of them as "access ports" and they are covered with small panels. The mechanic was not previously aware of these holes as he never had any reason to be poking around this area of the car. One of the covers had fallen away (not sure whether into the trunk or outside). Discovering this hole, he came out and asked me on which side of the trunk the car keys might be. I said I didn't know. So he explored one side of the trunk by inserting his hand in the hole and feeling around, but he did not find the keys. I got the impression that he could actually see a bit into the trunk but not entirely, so he had to feel around. Giving up on one side, he opened the second hole by removing the cover and discovered the keys. He had to reach for them with a tool (a coat hanger) and was able to pull them within reach with some effort. This was fortunate because the trunk was filled by a suitcase and other items, so the keys could have been hiding anywhere between those items or behind them. An empty trunk (except for keys) would have been less of a risk for this procedure.

After arriving home I opened the trunk, removed the suitcase, and looked for the holes. The are located in the rear corners, left and right sides. You might need to pull back some carpeting to see them. You must remove the bumper cover entirely to access them from the outside. From the exterior, with bumper cover removed, they are found just below the bottom front edges of the tail lights. The holes are approximately rectangular and are large enough to insert a hand and part of an arm (maybe up to the elbow, depending on one's size). They turn out to be pretty useful for retrieving a key locked in the trunk. All you need to do is remove the bumper cover and fish around. Instructions for removing the bumper cover are outside the scope of this post but easily found elsewhere.

Needless to say:

1. I am very happy with my Porsche guy.
2. I am very happy to have the trunk back.
3. I will probably be getting the manual trunk release fixed very soon.
4. I will definitely be getting a replacement key fob for the spare key so that I'll have one that actually opens the trunk.
5. When the wife arrives at the local Greyhound station (or however she figures out how to get home) I figure I will have earned about 5,000,000 points for keeping my mouth shut about her locking the keys in the trunk 300 miles from home with no other means to get it open other than buying a new key fob (which could take days) or having a really clever mechanic.

Anyone heard of this solution before?

06-02-2016, 08:58 PM	#29
jbg0000 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2016 Location: San Francisco Posts: 1	My wife locked the key in the trunk of our 1999 986 Boxster while on a trip and texted me from 300 miles away to say she had just done this. This was a real problem, because: a) She was far from home; b) Even if she were close to home, or in our garage, we presently have no way to open the trunk except by using the trunk release button on the key fob. That's because: c) The trunk release button on the second key fob (which she did not have with her) does not work -- never did -- when I bought the car a year ago the owner disclosed that; d) the manual trunk release cable on the driver's side recently went slack (a couple of months ago) and I was waiting until I had another fix-it issue or two before bringing the car to my Porsche guy with this seemingly minor glitch. My story is long. If you are not up for the entertainment go to the section near the end of the post titled: ************************************************ * Here's how the trunk got opened without an emergency release cable: ************************************************ * On with my story. Fortunately the passenger compartment was still unlocked. Unfortunately the wife could not lock it, or drive the car, having no secondary key. After getting her distress text, I did some Web searches and found this thread as well as other Boxster-specific threads that start out something like "Help, my wife locked the key in the trunk..." I learned about the possibility of an emergency release cable hidden under the bumper cover, and looked at several posts describing how to get at it. I called my wife and instructed her to walk across the street to Home Depot and get a couple of tools, including a set of Allen wrenches. My goal was to talk her through the process of loosening the bumper cover, feeling for the release cable, tugging on it and solving the problem. Problem was, she could not figure out from my verbal description where the various screws were located. No joy. While I did further online research, she had checked with a local locksmith who confirmed that this trunk is not something they can open. She was referred to a body shop to remove the bumper cover, etc. While she was busy having AAA tow the car over to the body shop... I called the town's only foreign auto repair place and asked for their advice. They asked me if I had a local Porsche guy. I said yes. They said it would be best to bring it there. I ended up having to drive 300 miles each way to rescue the car (left the wife there) using the spare key. Oh, I left her there because she was visiting her mother. Forgot to mention that. By the way, she also locked her suitcase in the trunk with the key, including her various medications. I drove the car back home the next morning, grabbed some tools, and poked around underneath. Got the drivers side of the bumper cover loose enough that I could (without the help of a third hand) slip my hand inside and feel around for the hoped-for release cable. I saw the picture of one during my online research, but could not feel one. Further online research indicated that not all models have this feature. This morning I drove the car to my Porsche guy (at Bauer Porsche Repair in Oakland, CA). He listened to my tale, smiled wryly and racked the car. An hour later he had it. Trunk was open, key was in fact inside, and he confirmed that my car has NO emergency trunk release cable. (He proved that by completely removing the bumper cover and checking both sides.) And my regular trunk release cable had snapped at the trunk latch end. ************************************************ * Here's how the trunk got opened without an emergency release cable: ************************************************ * It turns out that on each side of the trunk there are small holes. For the purpose of this emergency situation, think of them as "access ports" and they are covered with small panels. The mechanic was not previously aware of these holes as he never had any reason to be poking around this area of the car. One of the covers had fallen away (not sure whether into the trunk or outside). Discovering this hole, he came out and asked me on which side of the trunk the car keys might be. I said I didn't know. So he explored one side of the trunk by inserting his hand in the hole and feeling around, but he did not find the keys. I got the impression that he could actually see a bit into the trunk but not entirely, so he had to feel around. Giving up on one side, he opened the second hole by removing the cover and discovered the keys. He had to reach for them with a tool (a coat hanger) and was able to pull them within reach with some effort. This was fortunate because the trunk was filled by a suitcase and other items, so the keys could have been hiding anywhere between those items or behind them. An empty trunk (except for keys) would have been less of a risk for this procedure. After arriving home I opened the trunk, removed the suitcase, and looked for the holes. The are located in the rear corners, left and right sides. You might need to pull back some carpeting to see them. You must remove the bumper cover entirely to access them from the outside. From the exterior, with bumper cover removed, they are found just below the bottom front edges of the tail lights. The holes are approximately rectangular and are large enough to insert a hand and part of an arm (maybe up to the elbow, depending on one's size). They turn out to be pretty useful for retrieving a key locked in the trunk. All you need to do is remove the bumper cover and fish around. Instructions for removing the bumper cover are outside the scope of this post but easily found elsewhere. Needless to say: 1. I am very happy with my Porsche guy. 2. I am very happy to have the trunk back. 3. I will probably be getting the manual trunk release fixed very soon. 4. I will definitely be getting a replacement key fob for the spare key so that I'll have one that actually opens the trunk. 5. When the wife arrives at the local Greyhound station (or however she figures out how to get home) I figure I will have earned about 5,000,000 points for keeping my mouth shut about her locking the keys in the trunk 300 miles from home with no other means to get it open other than buying a new key fob (which could take days) or having a really clever mechanic. Anyone heard of this solution before?