Annual Rant Mode Initiated

[Factory6speed]

Is the febi Bilstein door handle carrier no good? I was about to order it to fix my rear door but now maybe I have to spend the money on a good one..

[80stech]

The Febi one worked fine for me. I think a big problem (going from memory) is that there is a boss that is a close fit into the door skin and you almost need three hands to keep the carrier in place while getting the fastener in and really easy not to notice that it might have slipped out of place and the whole job kinda goes to poop. The OE BMW carrier is probably the best chance for a good fit and maybe more likely go in without potential problems.

[andrewwynn]

Originally Posted by Factory6speed

Is the febi Bilstein door handle carrier no good? I was about to order it to fix my rear door but now maybe I have to spend the money on a good one..

I wouldn't feel bad about febi especially for rear door but with any non bmw part I would make close comparisons: I've had to grind down springs that stick out too far and swap badly made cables. Also speaking of cables it's the same DHC front or back door only the cable is different so if you can only find "front" or "back" but need the other (or the price is way more for the opposite, you can almost always use the original cable especially if you don't live on an ocean or in the rust belt).

Having a good look at the original coming out and having a file or angle handy to find tune any factory defects that will interfere can make a decent 3rd party work perfectly fine and save some $ for next event)

[Overboost]

Originally Posted by EODguy

Hey OB, Good to see you back!! Was thinking of calling you last month but had put it off. Hope you and your best half are having a great time (minus the e53 issues )

Stay safe and next time we can hit Charlie Mike's

Sent from Embassy network using Tapatalk

[Overboost]

Originally Posted by Overboost

LF DHC complete. Not a bad job, no surprises. About 1.5 hours

[andrewwynn]

What method did you use to deal with the butyl seal on the vapor barrier?

[Overboost]

Originally Posted by andrewwynn

What method did you use to deal with the butyl seal on the vapor barrier?

I only pulled that corner down 8", just enough to get access to the DHC.

It has been on and off enough in 20 years doing window regulators and power mirrors that it is now just gooey, easy peezy. I even didn't unplug the airbag, just taped it off to the side.

[andrewwynn]

Hopefully you'll never need this tip but I flip the airbag 180° "yaw" and use one of the screws to hold it vs. tape.

I use a snap blade knife extended to slice through the butyl but I think it's always been cold out so I could not peel the vapor barrier away. Then I use heat to re-goo for reassemble.

Aluminum duct tape works well for patching tears in the foam.

[Overboost]

Originally Posted by andrewwynn

Hopefully you'll never need this tip but I flip the airbag 180° "yaw" and use one of the screws to hold it vs. tape.

I use a snap blade knife extended to slice through the butyl but I think it's always been cold out so I could not peel the vapor barrier away. Then I use heat to re-goo for reassemble.

Aluminum duct tape works well for patching tears in the foam.

[andrewwynn]

Before you ever trade in that X5 beauty let me know. Jordan takes his road test in exactly a week.