Opening boot on 96 XJ6 when in valet mode?
Asked by Jagguy Nov 15, 2013 at 06:22 PM about the 1996 Jaguar XJ-Series XJ6 Sedan RWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
I activated the valet mode by pushing the valet button in the armrest. Now I cannot open
the boot with the black key as the instructions indicate. The key will not turn completely.
Maybe the lock mechanism is frozen. And am unable to exit the valet mode to open the
boot....not sure how to do that. How do I get the boot open?
5 Answers
Ok to get the boot open get a drill and drill bit (3/4 Bit) pull your rear tag off. measure from the two tag screw holes to the center between the two and make a line in the middle going down about 4 inches and get a punch get your drill and drill a hole just enough to make a hole not to let the drill bit go no deeper than a 1/8 of and inch (just enough to make a hole. Take a flat head screw drive and insert till you touch the inner lock (theres a cable and a half round shaped guide for the cable) lift the handle up and lift under the guide latch and lift the trunk at the same time it will open may take you a few times but it will open. Now once you open the trunk; open up the the battery cover and there will be a fuse box tray. Once thats open there will either be two purple relays pull both or one at a time ( This resets the valet) before you close the trunk check the f5 fuse and see if it is blown, also check the right side trunk hinge to see if the wires chafed and grounded. repair. after that turn switch in on position and press trunk release you should hear the release mechanical noise. check motor electrical and if added voltage activates trunk release its good if not the motors bad replace, also if none of the above not work the body control module is a fault
If you don't want to drill a hole in your trunk, you can access and pop the latch by removing the lower right plate screw clip. Use a long skinney screw driver to push up on the latch and it will pop right open. This took about 10 minutes of missing around with it to get the right possition. After I got in, I removed the key latch and lubricated it real well and put back in.
It seems like "about 4" down could cause a miss of the desired location. Anybody have the exact measurement? 97 XJ6
Have a 1993 Xj6. I followed M Angelo’s method, listed above. I had my boot open in a matter of minutes. Did my happy dance and now life goes on. The hole was in the perfect place. I didn’t happen to have a 3/4 drill bit so I ended up using a 7/8”. Thank you M Angelo for taking the time to post your solution. It was a tremendous help for me.
Guru9RSWW7 answered 2 years ago
Awesome fix. Shame a Jaguar dealer can't be more helpful. Thanks for the info.
