[spiderman1982]

I have a 2017 X1 and if I use the foot under the license plate method to open the tailgate, it only opens 50% of the time. Also, sometimes when I am unloading, the tailgate beeps and starts to close on me. The dealer says that X1s don't have the ability to close without pushing the button. Is that true? Can the tailgate be closed by way of your feet passing through a sensor beam? Is this adjustable to make it more or less sensitive?

[E90Fleet]

For opening:
Most dealers dont seem to know how to properly show people to use the system.


The system works by detecting your leg moving AWAY from the bumper

So you need to hold your leg up to the bumper, keep it there a second or so and then quickly retract it away from the bumper


This video shows the correct technique
Works 100%

[E90Fleet]

Closing:

Yes, the same movement will close teh trunk

The X1 US manual warns that if the key is in the area the trunk could inadvertently close.

If the remote control is in the sensor area, the
tailgate can be closed inadvertently by an unconscious
or alleged recognized foot movement.

[Tjalle]

Beware: you should lean away from trunk, or it will detect an "obstacle" and may not operate. At least on X4.

[oreoOozZz]

This is very tricky but once you get it down, just like E90Fleet said you'll get it 100% of the time. I just do a quick kick and make sure my foot goes directly in the middle of the bumper. Took some time to get down pat. Just be careful you don't kick your bumper because I've done it lol.

[The Beast]

My SA showed me a process that works every time

Stand around 50-60 cm away from the car
Put just your toes directly under the centre of the bumper
Swipe your foot towards the right

Works every time...

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by oreoOozZz

This is very tricky but once you get it down, just like E90Fleet said you'll get it 100% of the time. I just do a quick kick and make sure my foot goes directly in the middle of the bumper. Took some time to get down pat. Just be careful you don't kick your bumper because I've done it lol.

No need to kick forward, as its not the forward motion that activates the system but rather the taking your leg/foot away.
You can gently/slowly place you leg/foot there.

You can either remove it rearward as in my example or to the side as The Beast suggests

[Pristineship]

when I was picking up the car I tried it with the "swipe to the side" move, salesman immediately instructed me that I should just "kick back".
Worked maybe 20% of the time with the kick back, works almost always with the swipe.

[f30nynj]

I can vouch for this. I have a 2016 535xi.

How to open?
The bumper open kick needs to be slow. Don't be like kicking a football. Also have keys in pocket closer to car.

Closes on you while you are still placing/removing items?
Most likely because you legs are under the bumper and you moved. It senses as if you wanted it to close.

[XavVD]

I was also annoyed with my x1, I was hardly able to do it 50% of the times.
Then I read the user manuals. It says specifically to step away from the hatch by a length of an arm to prevent from obstacle detection.
Now it works 90% of the times. But it leads a bit to unnatural position (kind of bending rearward while kicking below the bumper)

[Saltire]

We have a 2017 F48 xLine 2.0d with comfort access (i.e. We have the ridges on the doors which you press to lock). I thought all comfort access cars came with the "kick unr the boot" feature, but I can't get it to work at all.

I've had a look under the bumper, and there seems to be a plastic box in roughly the right position to be a control/sensor box, with wires running to it. Still can't get it to work though.

Is it me?

[Bill_P]

I have had mine 9 months now. I have been through a couple of phases where I lost "the knack". I then realised I was being too slow and deliberate with the kick motion and now I get about 95% sucess on first kick.

Key in pocket, stand a short pace behind bumper, kick in until tips of toes under bumper and withdraw in one swiftish motion - do not hesitate under bumper. I use the straight in and out motion - some say they have more success with straight in and out to the drivers side.

[Saltire]

Originally Posted by Bill_P

. . . kick in until tips of toes under bumper and withdraw in one swiftish motion - do not hesitate under bumper. I use the straight in and out motion - some say they have more success with striaght in and out to the drivers side.

Ah, thanks for that. I've been putting most of my foot under the bumper; I may be kicking too far! Dark now, but will give it a try tomorrow.

[Saltire]

It worked!

I think I was originally standing a bit too close. Stand at arms length and it works fine. Bit more of a knack than with my old F30 though.

Many thanks for the help.

[S4Sprint]

I have a 2017 X1 for about 8 weeks now. The no-touch tailgate is needing reengineering. Trying to open the gate normally only works 75% of the time - it normally takes multiple kicks to get it right even after reading the manual and doing it the recommended way. But the annoying and dangerous piece of this system is when it closes on your head. The other day I was loading a large, heavy piece of lumber and before it was in safely, down comes the gate. It beeped to alarm me and I just managed to get out of the way but I could not stop it. I tried to squeeze the button above the license plate but it wouldn't stop. The gate came down and hit the lumber and went back up. It could have damaged my merchandise or scarred up the panel on the tailgate. I want to disable this feature and see nowhere in the iDrive to allow me to do this. Why isn't that a feature in iDrive? I want that added to my iDrive by a software update. It has come down multiple times on me, on my wife and on guests that load their bags into the trunk not knowing anything about the car and accidentally step under the sensor and employees that help load items into the car for us. This will end up being a law suit against BMW for sure - its way too dangerous as currently designed.

[TC3]

I only had car 4 days but each time i have used kick action to open tailgate works perfectly.

[The Beast]

Originally Posted by S4Sprint

I have a 2017 X1 for about 8 weeks now. The no-touch tailgate is needing reengineering. Trying to open the gate normally only works 75% of the time - it normally takes multiple kicks to get it right even after reading the manual and doing it the recommended way. But the annoying and dangerous piece of this system is when it closes on your head. The other day I was loading a large, heavy piece of lumber and before it was in safely, down comes the gate. It beeped to alarm me and I just managed to get out of the way but I could not stop it. I tried to squeeze the button above the license plate but it wouldn't stop. The gate came down and hit the lumber and went back up. It could have damaged my merchandise or scarred up the panel on the tailgate. I want to disable this feature and see nowhere in the iDrive to allow me to do this. Why isn't that a feature in iDrive? I want that added to my iDrive by a software update. It has come down multiple times on me, on my wife and on guests that load their bags into the trunk not knowing anything about the car and accidentally step under the sensor and employees that help load items into the car for us. This will end up being a law suit against BMW for sure - its way to dangerous as currently designed.

Never had this happen to us in nine months of ownership...

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by S4Sprint

I have a 2017 X1 for about 8 weeks now. The no-touch tailgate is needing reengineering. Trying to open the gate normally only works 75% of the time - it normally takes multiple kicks to get it right even after reading the manual and doing it the recommended way. But the annoying and dangerous piece of this system is when it closes on your head. The other day I was loading a large, heavy piece of lumber and before it was in safely, down comes the gate. It beeped to alarm me and I just managed to get out of the way but I could not stop it. I tried to squeeze the button above the license plate but it wouldn't stop. The gate came down and hit the lumber and went back up. It could have damaged my merchandise or scarred up the panel on the tailgate. I want to disable this feature and see nowhere in the iDrive to allow me to do this. Why isn't that a feature in iDrive? I want that added to my iDrive by a software update. It has come down multiple times on me, on my wife and on guests that load their bags into the trunk not knowing anything about the car and accidentally step under the sensor and employees that help load items into the car for us. This will end up being a law suit against BMW for sure - its way too dangerous as currently designed.

Sounds like you have something seriously wrong with your car

1) It is not supposed to close with the kick function unless you have the key with you and you are close to the tailgate. So other people loading things without the key cannot close it that way.
If yours is closing without it there is a problem

2) The obstacle sensors are very sensitive and stop the trunk at the lightest touch (sometimes annoyingly sensitive) No way the door closing can hurt anyone or damage large items.
If yours doesnt stop with a light touch there is a problem


Best see your dealer

[S4Sprint]

Originally Posted by E90Fleet

Sounds like you have something seriously wrong with your car

1) It is not supposed to close with the kick function unless you have the key with you and you are close to the tailgate. So other people loading things without the key cannot close it that way.
If yours is closing without it there is a problem

2) The obstacle sensors are very sensitive and stop the trunk at the lightest touch (sometimes annoyingly sensitive) No way the door closing can hurt anyone or damage large items.
If yours doesnt stop with a light touch there is a problem


Best see your dealer

What happened in that situation (1) was that I went to the back of the car, with key in pocket, to load the bags and my guest picked up the bag and loaded it while I was near the rear of the car. She apparently got her foot underneath during that process and the gate came down on her head.

Regarding your point (2), the gate has always reversed and gone back up each of the times we were hit (or escaped before getting hit) but I would not call it a light touch. It needed a firm push or when it hit the lumber an immovable object to reverse it. There needs to be some other sensor to prevent it from closing while people are standing there loading or arranging the items in the trunk. Also needed is a type of emergency stop button that readily accessible and easy to spot for a person unfamiliar with the dangerous feature.

One other situation - I had pulled the X1 into the garage and simply walked behind it - there were about 2 feet of space between the car and the closed door, so I could have gotten close to the sensor, but I did no sort of kick maneuver - just walked by and the hatch opened! That could have damaged the paint or glass if my ceiling and door tracks did not have the proper clearance. Should never have opened like that.

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by S4Sprint

What happened in that situation (1) was that I went to the back of the car, with key in pocket, to load the bags and my guest picked up the bag and loaded it while I was near the rear of the car. She apparently got her foot underneath during that process and the gate came down on her head.

Regarding your point (2), the gate has always reversed and gone back up each of the times we were hit (or escaped before getting hit) but I would not call it a light touch. It needed a firm push or when it hit the lumber an immovable object to reverse it. There needs to be some other sensor to prevent it from closing while people are standing there loading or arranging the items in the trunk. Also needed is a type of emergency stop button that readily accessible and easy to spot for a person unfamiliar with the dangerous feature.

One other situation - I had pulled the X1 into the garage and simply walked behind it - there were about 2 feet of space between the car and the closed door, so I could have gotten close to the sensor, but I did no sort of kick maneuver - just walked by and the hatch opened! That could have damaged the paint or glass if my ceiling and door tracks did not have the proper clearance. Should never have opened like that.

It seems way to sensitive on your car.
Ive never seen them open or close with people just standing against the back getting stuff out or walking past.
More people complain its too difficult to get it to work.

I wonder if the sensor wire behind the bumper has come loose and is maybe hanging in the wrong position and seeing your feet too far away from the bumper ?

[eml]

Originally Posted by E90Fleet

The obstacle sensors are very sensitive ...

just curious ... where are the obstacle sensors?

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by eml

just curious ... where are the obstacle sensors?

The tailgate motors sense resistance