AWR-fix: Door Handle Carrier Repair: 28¢

[andrewwynn]

Not kidding, with one stainless steel zip tie I repaired a broken door handle carrier tonight that makes it literally better than new: far stronger than the original design because the weak point is now flexible and steel, not hard, brittle cast aluminum.





Here's the basic idea, the yellow arrow on the second pic is just to point out the missing self destruct tab.

I'm going to make an icloud photo album and the link will be added to this post.

A couple preview pics:




I've modified the stainless zip tie so that I can wrap the band through the end twice! With only one wrap I couldn't get it even close to tight enough to hold the hinge together when there was frost on the latch lever.

I will caption all the photos in the photo album to make it easy to follow the steps.

Even if you replace a broken DHC with a new one, you should reinforce with a stainless zip tie before installing and you should upgrade the door latch on make it freeze resistant as described in my door lock actuator repair thread: https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...or-repair.html

Here is the photo album: https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0S5p3ich2Nfrc

Note: open in browser vs tapatallk or the captions will get cut off. Also, tap/click on photo to turn captions on/off.

If you have already replaced your DHC or about to, I'm going to start collecting old parts maybe I can keep a bin so you can help a future xo member that needs a cable or the outer frame of a DHC etc.

I might even refurbish a handful to keep on hand. I figured out that the DHC are the same front and back it's just the cable that is different. If you have one front and the opposite side back you have on hand an instant fix for any of the door doors

[deepblonde]

Great post, Thank you;
I really should try this out, and modify one by removing the metal that hit when you try and open the door whilst still locked, that you mentioned causing the carriers breaking.

[Muleears]

I haven't had to do this yet but I understand its only a matter of time... Thanks for the time and effort to share this mod with the world!

[Attacking Mid]

Really nice DIY. Thanks! How do I know if mine is broken? Will it completely stop opening? My drivers door works, but you have to lift the handle further than normal to open the door. Is this a fix for that issue?

AM.

[andrewwynn]

@am if the door handle does not go back down flush or if it feels spongy when you lift are the two precursor signs the hinge has broken. If the door handle feels firm but you have to lift higher it's a sign the Bowden cable has been compromised. I'm going to see if I can start collecting old cables because frequently that is the problem and you can't buy just the cable.

It can crack and be partly broken for months before the hinge pulls apart enough the gears don't mesh and it stops working completely.

I recommend anybody that lives in a cold climate retrofit all their door actuators to make them freeze resistant as shown in my door actuator thread and while the door is open, reinforce the DHC with a steel zip tie.

It's 5x the difficulty to do a double wrap with the steel zip tie, you can achieve a decent safety margin with a single wrap even with a nylon zip tie. The difference is, with a single wrap, should it break, the door handle will be spongy as the hinge pin will move each operation, but it should keep the door handle working.

With the double steel zip tie you will never know if the hinge breaks it will continue working like new.

[Attacking Mid]

I'm convinced. I have 10 stainless ties on their way from China for $2.39 delivered! I guess I have a cable issue. I'm an experienced bicycle mechanic - can I fix the cable with bicycle parts?

AM.

[andrewwynn]

The cable has very specific ends but depends on the problem and you won't know until you open up the door exactly what your problem is. Other people have had the outer sheath compress and that would give the symptoms your describe.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Attacking Mid]

Originally Posted by andrewwynn

The cable has very specific ends but depends on the problem and you won't know until you open up the door exactly what your problem is. Other people have had the outer sheath compress and that would give the symptoms your describe.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thanks. Once my stainless ties arrive, I'll open it up and see what I can figure out with the cable. If I come up with something brilliant, I'll post it. Don't hold your breath.

Either way, I'll put the tie on as you suggested to prevent future problems.

AM.

[andrewwynn]

It's easy enough to make the cable a little "shorter" if necessary, you can put a little epoxy into the end to hold the cable sheath a bit farther away. Or you can. Cut the second groove on the end deeper.

[Roy32]

im confused about the "self destruct tab". i have a new carrier here and i don't see anything that actuates the tab. what actually moves this tab? and can it be removed from the carrier completely with no side effects?