X5 Door Handle Carrier Removal and Replacement DIY

[cn90]

BillT,

I have learned this lesson after repairing many BMWs and Volvos door locks...

Once the repair is done and the panel is back on, do NOT close the door.
Instead, use a screwdriver and flip the lever inside the latch (on the door) to simulate door closure.
Now simulate trying to open the door (the door is opened anyway) using either internal vs external handle, the lever inside the latch should drop downward.
This trick allows you to open the panel again should your repair does not work.

[BillT]

Originally Posted by cn90

Once the repair is done and the panel is back on, do NOT close the door.
Instead, use a screwdriver and flip the lever inside the latch (on the door) to simulate door closure.
Now simulate trying to open the door (the door is opened anyway) using either internal vs external handle, the lever inside the latch should drop downward.
This trick allows you to open the panel again should your repair does not work.

All of which I did during the testing... except cycling the lock. If I just would have locked and unlocked it prior to reinstalling the panel and closing the door, I would have saved myself a couple hours. Great advice otherwise.

[semcoinc]

Originally Posted by cn90

BillT,

I have learned this lesson after repairing many BMWs and Volvos door locks...

Once the repair is done and the panel is back on, do NOT close the door.
Instead, use a screwdriver and flip the lever inside the latch (on the door) to simulate door closure.
Now simulate trying to open the door (the door is opened anyway) using either internal vs external handle, the lever inside the latch should drop downward.
This trick allows you to open the panel again should your repair does not work.

Amen on this suggestion!

I just completed an R&R of my left rear door handle carrier. I was forced to remove the door lock actuator to extract the carrier from its nest. In the process, something went FUBAR on the actuator and I finally was able to realign the mechanism within so that it would function.

After reassembly and before closing the door, I cycled the mechanism with a screwdriver and actuated the door lock mechanism with the outside handle. At first try with the new aftermarket cheap carrier in place, the cable was seen to be too short to fully unlock the mechanism. After a full evaluation of the cheesy carrier and cable I noted significant wobble in one of the components in addition to a shorter cable.

I ended up re-lubing the old 113K carrier (which was still functional but I was doing a window regulator and thought I would be proactive on the door handle carrier). I will return the cheesy aftermarket door handle carrier and be more active in evaluating these things in the future. Spending 4-8X the dough for the OEM part is not in my budget but I will be sure to evaluate aftermarket parts with greater scrutiny before install.

Mike

[TiminIndy]

I have done my driver's door twice now, but now my rear driver's door won't open and I assume I need to replace that door handle carrier. Any tips on differences with replacing one on a rear door? I didn't see any DIY's for that, but I did notice a comment or two about it being difficult to remove or something.

[semcoinc]

I was stuck on removing my rear carrier for a while and ended up having to remove the door latching mechanism which was blocking the egress of the carrier just enough to make it impossible.



Mike

[TiminIndy]

I found a video that does help see the layout of things and the challenging part of getting the carrier out and the new one back in. This guy had an additional challenge of removing the door panel with the door closed, as his child lock was on, so he couldn't open it from the inside. I don't agree with all of the methods and tools I saw him using, based on my experience with the front carrier replacement. Some of the critical parts of the process weren't shown and I'm not clear on exactly how the door panel connects at the top and which direction it needs to be pryed to get it off of there after disconnecting the screws and clips.



He also ended up removing the lock rod to get the broken one out, but it sounds like it can be maneuvered over and around that.


Video link:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0dQXx3A-SM

[SunnyDaze]

I've done plenty of door carriers. I can't say much that others haven't said but here are some tips that I can offer.

Re-use the OEM dog-tip allen bolt that holds the lock cylinder (or wedge shaped pieces if it's not the driver's side door).

If you drop something in the door an extendable magnet will find it.

Some Nissan or other random clips will work in a pinch.

Do yourself a favor and remove enough of the vapor barrier to expose the larger bottom opening.

On an 85+ degree day, the vapor barrier adhesive becomes serviceable.

The $25 Amazon unit works equally as well as the not-so-cheap units.

Apply a little Mobil 1 or other synthetic oil to the pivot points of the carrier assembly. It gets exponentially smoother.

Always disconnect the battery. Always.

Always reconnect the airbag and switch pins before reconnecting the battery. Always.

When you reconnect the battery, start the car and cycle through central lock. That should "reset" the actuator if you depressed the rod while working.

If you have the /!\ illuminated triangle on the dash, rotate the steering wheel lock to lock.

If the carrier won't go in all the way, there may be a random piece of rubber in the top of the door that has to be pushed aside.

I'll add more if I can think of any...

[andrewwynn]

My best tip on the DHC fix is to remove the door actuator FIRST. you get 3x the space to remove the DHC and you can do a little fix on the actuator to prevent it from freezing up; see my awr-fix: door actuator thread to see what i'm describing.

Also; for the rear DHC, you need to remove the rear sun shade if you have it; there is a hidden release clip accessible through a little notch at the top toward the front; i used a little awl to push the clip up i think it was to release; you can't get the door panel off until you remove that as there is a hidden t20 screw behind it at the bottom.

I don't bother with the battery as i don't bother disconnecting the air bag; i just flip it around and bolt it back to the door so it's held in place so it doesn't put any stress on the wire.

[SunnyDaze]

Originally Posted by andrewwynn

I don't bother with the battery as i don't bother disconnecting the air bag; i just flip it around and bolt it back to the door so it's held in place so it doesn't put any stress on the wire.

I've had actuator mounting bolts that were seized and stripped or sheared off during removal attempts. That's a PITA. If I weren't leery of that, I'd definitely pull it first. It'd avoid having to find the perfect angle for installation.

I don't trust myself enough to not make a jittery move and damage the airbag harness if I leave it connected. That's a great idea for those who don't want to remove it, though!

I think I'm going to take my doors apart and do your "iceproofing" method at some point this summer when I get free time. Pittsburgh gets more freezing rain than snow lately. Broken carriers and frozen actuator levers not allowing the door to close have left me in sticky situations more than once.

I realize this is an old design and BMW has long forgot about it, but, they really dropped the ball on this one.

[andrewwynn]

Use impact to loosen the actuator. If stripped somebody probably used hex not torx to attempt removal or greatly over tightened. You can replace with some normal 10.9 bolts v. Torx just make sure the head clears.

We use window anti-frost spray on the door seal whenever it's wet out and transitions from wet to freezing.

Only thing that will prevent the door handle from freezing is the actuator fix from my thread. You might be able to install the teflon pad from the inside without removing on the front door.

It's at least five times easier to remove the DHC on the back with actuator removed so do that even if you have to cut slots in the bolts and use a large flat screwdriver.