I am locked out of my trunk electronicaly,key will not open ,any ideas how to get in. car is 89 van den plas.

Submitted by wljenkins@usa.net on Sat, 04/13/2013 - 16:04

Gary, your Series III is a little easier than the XJ40s that John has. You can actually stick a stiff wire like a coat hanger throug the upper, right license plate bolt hole and point it toward the middle of the boot and push up the lever on the back of the lock that connects to the release. There are some wires that may intefere with the task. I'll try and shoot a photo of a Series III boot lid that's in my garage and post it for you. Once you see the photo, you'll see what I mean.

Submitted by wljenkins@usa.net on Sat, 04/13/2013 - 15:51

You'll find the answer if you search the forums, I've answered this at least twice before. Remove the license plate, cut a hole in the trunk lid right in the middle of where the license plate was. I used a hole saw with a 1 1/2" or 2" diameter cutter. You could use a smaller one if you'd like but it shouldn't be any smaller than 1/2" or 3/4" in diameter. This will give you access to the rod that runs from the lock down to the latch. Push up on it and your boot will open. Cover the hole with tape and put your license plate back on and in a couple of weeks, you'll forget all about the hole in your boot lid.

Submitted by ghcunningham@c… on Sat, 04/13/2013 - 12:50

George- I have the same problem with a 1984 XJ6 VDP I recently purchased. The key will turn, but not unlock the trunk lid lock. Very frustrating! Any advice short of going to the dealer? -Gary