Volvo V70 Mark 1 2000
 

The battery on the car has run flat which has shut down the central locking so we are unable to get into the car. We have tried the key to open it manually, but the key turns slightly but doesn't open the lock. We have used wedges to open the door enough to get to the pull up knob but it won't lift. The knob on the passenger door did lift up, but the door won't open.
We used to have a 1997 mark 1, and when this happened before, we called the AA who powered up the system by running power to the starter motor solenoid. We called the AA hoping that they could do the same again with this car, but the AA man said that he could not do this as the position of the starter motor had been changed making it impossible to reach from underneath. Does anyone know if this is correct as it would seem strange that Volvo would have changed this in the last year of production?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Have you tried using the key in the tailgate to unlock and open it?

Thanks so much for your answer. Sorry, I forgot to say that on our model the key hole is just a blank so we cannot access through the tailgate.

My thought is to google around for the procedure to open the hood when the release cable breaks. Not sure about the 2000 V70 but for the 850s it involves removing one of the marker lights to access a trick switch. Once the hood is open you can charge the battery.

Thank you for your suggestion. I will have a look at what is involved.

On a 70, you'd have to smash that park light, but it's really not that much money to replace one.

here's a hack I had never heard of

Thank you to everyone who took the time to give us some tips on how to get into the car. As the car shuts down completely when the battery runs flat there is no manual operation with the key. It is also impossible to pull up the lever to unlock from the inside. But we have now solved the problem - after watching a youtube video, we ran power to the alternator underneath the car (after removing the under tray) and the locks opened straight away. Now able to open the bonnet and put in new battery.
Thanks again.

And take at least one front door apart and fix the "can't unlock with key or pull stick up" problem?