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MG ZR ZS ZT Technical - Car wont let me in

I have a 2002 MGZT 190, The batterie has gone flat i am unable to open the doors with the remote or the key, is there anyone out there who could help me het into my car. Many thanks
r ellis

My 2004 ZS180 can open and lock the doors purely with the key, are there no physical key locks in your doors?
P Hunt

I cant open the door even with the key, have tried it appears when the battery goes flat it shuts everything down
r ellis

Forgive me, but are you using it correctly? If you can insert a key in a lock and turn it I would expect it to mechanically lock and unlock that door even with a flat battery, that is what mine does, I regularly disconnect the battery when it isn't going to be used for a while, and then manually lock the doors.

Alternatively can you get the boot open? If so, but still can't get into the cabin that way, you should be able to connect a battery charger to the boot light and charge the battery that way. Get the polarity right though or you might blow the fuse!
P Hunt

Even more alternatively, if you can get a look at another one you might be able to work out how to clip jump leads onto the battery cable on the starter solenoid!
P Hunt

When you insert the key into any of the locks and turn the key it still will not open the locks it appears that with this model once the battery dies you are unable to open any of the doors or boot, i have heard the there is a sequence, to unlock the doors if the battery fails but it is not in the hand book.
r ellis

I have it on good authority that the key should *always* be able to open a door, regardless of whether it is locked or super-locked. The implication is that the mechanical lock on the drivers door is faulty. Have you tried opening the passenger door with the key - if it has a lock, that is?

If not the only route seems to be prying the bonnet open somehow, maybe tripping the latch, or reaching up from underneath with a jumper cable or charger lead to the battery cable on the solenoid as I mentioned before. Both will require another car with an open bonnet, I suspect.

Failing that it probably means getting destructive.
P Hunt

Hi, There is no key hole on the passengers side, and i have been advised that as the locking system is electronic you have to have life in the battery to operate the locks even with a key on this particular model, I think i am going to have to break the rear quater light to gain access, then i can flip the bonnet and either jump the car into life or take the battery out and put it on charge. thanks
r ellis

Make sure you can reach the button or handle well enough to operate it, and that it *is* going to open a door, before choosing your window!

When you get it working again I'd try the key in the lock and see if you *can* then lock and unlock it manually.
P Hunt

Hi I am sure i can reach the bonnet catch as sonn as the quater light arrives i will break the glass, reach through and undo the rear window you can unwind the rear windows as they are wind type, not electric and then i can climb through and over the seats to the boot catch which is also none electric. as sson as the bonnet is open i can get the battery out recharge, and once the charged battery is connected is the car should jump back into life.
r ellis

Isn't there an emergency unlocking sequence using the key in the lock which is related to the key number? Sort of 1,2,3,4 - turn left x1, tr x2, tl x3,tr x4? The emergency code was given with the car on delivery. At least it was for my ZS.
David Wardell

That procedure is the emergency immobiliser override, if the plipper has been lost or fails to remobilise the engine. It's nothing to do with actually getting into the car, which is done simply by turning the key in the door lock.
P Hunt

>Isn't there an emergency unlocking sequence using the key in the lock which is related to the key number? Sort of 1,2,3,4 - turn left x1, tr x2, tl x3,tr x4? The emergency code was given with the car on delivery. At least it was for my ZS.

Not on a ZT or 75. They use a passive immobiliser chip system.
Ralph Gadsby

Hi Guys
Completley unrelated this but on our Ford Falcons down here this same thing happens- flat battery and you can't get in with the key or the remote- The easy way is as Paul suggested -getting some power into the system.
We usually jack the front of the car up and hook the jumper leeds to the starter motor and then the remote will work-or if it has gone out of code which happens with the rolling code systems sometimes at least the key should open it.
Paul- I don't know if the MG system is the same but the Ford system is strange in it's operation
If the battery is diconnected you can lock and unlock with the key OK but if it has been locked with the remote and then looses power the key won't unlock it untill it's powered up again Cheers Willy

11.05 am Sunday here Sun's out birds singing 20'C What's it like there ?
WilliamRevit

That's odd, Willy. I'm pretty sure mine doesn't do that as I can remember when trying various methods of disconnecting the battery (the car may only be used for a few miles per week in winter, not for several weeks at all in good weather, and it knackers the battery) discovering that locking with the plipper, disconnecting the power, unlocking with the key, opening the bonnet and reconnecting the power sets the alarm off, i.e. it knows it was in a different state when power was reconnected to when it was disconencted. The MG system is almost certainly based on the BMW.

15:00, Sun's out, birds singing, about 13C. Plenty good enough for a 30 mile run to get the Sunday paper :o)
Paul Hunt 2010

With the alarm system on the Ford Falcon----
If the battery is diconnected the alarm will go off. To do work on a car needing the battery unhooked we turn the ignition on then diconnect the battery while it is still on and that disables the alarm then turn the key off.
Carry out needed work-
Then reconnect with the ign. off.
I personally don't like unhooking with the key on. I worry about the computers but Ford recomends this method and no problems sofar. The Ford system here is basically Bosch which I imagine is fairly similar to BMW as well
Cheers Willy
WilliamRevit

Yup the ZR immobelizer /locking system is also diabolical; did Rover go out of business due to the warrantee costs on the system?
AG Martin

Hi

My brother in law bought a new shell for his Ford Sierra after a smash years ago, when he rebuilt it, he de-locked it at the same time..
eventually his battery failed and he couldn't get in the car so he ended up laid under the front nearside with his arm up the engine bay and managed to put a jump lead (+ve) to the starter and the other to the bodywork then was able to unlock the car with the fob and release the bonnet lock to fit a new battery....


John..
j b biggs

This thread was discussed between 24/01/2010 and 23/05/2010

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