Non working fuel lid and trunk buttons fixed

Bored enough with the Coronavirus shelter-in-place situation that I, after dealing with fuel and trunk lid buttons not working for a long time, finally got to work. As an FYI for other 575m owners that have the same issue, thought I should post this. Reading the few posts on FChat I could find on the common problem, I checked the relay, the fuse and both were fine. Then, pulling the switches from the mounting points next to the handbrake, I thought they looked fine - but, after cleaning the connector blades with some fine sandpaper - presto! Both switches and the buttons are working perfectly.

It is very easy to remove these switches. Many of us have done so to deal with the sticky issue. Simply pry each button out carefully using a small flat screwdriver. Pull the switch from the wiring loom and clean - maybe, just possibly it will solve your issue. I dealt with this for the past few years and solved it in less than an hour. Can’t wait to head to the gas station and pop the fuel lid without first pulling the emergency cable on the rear deck to get to the trunk to access the cable to the fuel lid... you get the point.

Simple pleasures can be so wonderful.

Stay safe!

 

Thanks for the tips on cleaning the contacts - it occurred to me (afterwards) that sandpaper was probably not the best choice.