I have had some problems in this area but more to do with corrosion/sticking of the lever. You could first try to adjust the cable fixing point to compensate for any stretching - see image below.

The problem however may be with the door handle carrier where the upper end of the cable connects to the outer handle so check it for any damage/wear - see this post how to remove (scroll to second post of the thread).

Attached Images

 

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Cheers, Brian

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2001 X5 4.4i Sport
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