When to replace your General Module???

[Tmitch813]

Greetings,

RE. 2004 BMW X5 3.0i (E53)

(1) Our FOB stopped working remotely - so we just used the keys to manually lock/unlock the vehicle for a while...

(2) Last week I went to manually lock the door and... all doors locked and the windows rolled up (we had them cracked open due to the hot weather). I though that was weird - never happened before...

(3) When I returned to the car and tried to manually unlock the door... the cylinder just spins freely and the door will not unlock.

(3) After getting advise from UCrewX5 (Thank you!) I was able to open the car without braking a window (although the alarm diid go off a few times). We were able to manually unlock the two fronts doors by using the inside handles however the two rear doors will not unlock as well as the rear liftgate. Also the central locking button inside the car stopped working. I can drive the car but I can't lock it!

(5) I ordered an new key from the dealer however they were not able to initialize it. They think that I may need to replace the General Module (GM3) - which runs about $500 for a new OEM part (https://www.ecstuning.com/b-genuine-...e/61359117101/) + labor.

My Question: Anyone know a good way to tell for sure if it's the General Module (GM3) that is causing the problem. if so I think I can find a decent used one on eBay -or- get mine repaired by GM3 Repair Service (https://www.bmwgm5.com/bmwgm5/) for a reasonable price and do the labor myself (https://www.bmwgm5.com/bmwgm5/). I am grateful for any other suggestions and/or advise...

Thank you!