Call me crazy, but I also feel that door handle carriers last a lot longer if you understand how to pull on them. Do not grab and yank. They need to be "rolled" out as you pull on the with soft force. These are not bank vaults we are opening. If you grab and yank, of course it will stress the points inside. I've had my X5 for 15 years and live in some of the coldest weather you can imagine. My vehicle, in winter can sit in -40 deg C for days at a time (not super common for me as I have heated garages everywhere I park, usually, but there are times when the vehicle sits or is parked outside for house/days and so when I go to open the door, I ensure the door handle is clear of ice and snow and slowly roll the door handle out and up, all the while feeling for extra resistance. If it's there then you stop!!!! This same idea goes for every other day of the year when it's warmer. Just be gentle. It's not a 1960's Ford or Dodge pickup truck you are trying to enter.

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I swear, my cars are like a girlfriend.
Sometimes its a rough ride, sometimes its smooth motorin'.
Sometimes she doesnt like how i treat her and sometimes i dont like how she behaves.
BUT at the end of the day, she loves it when I am inside her.

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'91 850i
'05 X5 4.4i
'09 Clubman S