outside door handle stuck - Page 7

mark scheurer · #1 05-04-2009, 10:39 PM

I spent the last 3 hours removing the old handle and installing the new one which i bought for $60 on Ebay. I found to my dismay that the round detent as shown was too large for the ball that fits in it, which is not part of the carrier, and consequently it kept popping out. So, tomorrow I have to go down to the stealer and get the OEM part, while shipping back the bad part and hoping that I can get my money back from the Ebay merchant. The attached picture shows the female end of what I am talking about -- this is the original part, the bad one is still in the car. What a PIA!

Blowout · #2 05-04-2009, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark scheurer

I spent the last 3 hours removing the old handle and installing the new one which i bought for $60 on Ebay. I found to my dismay that the round detent as shown was too large for the ball that fits in it, which is not part of the carrier, and consequently it kept popping out. So, tomorrow I have to go down to the stealer and get the OEM part, while shipping back the bad part and hoping that I can get my money back from the Ebay merchant. The attached picture shows the female end of what I am talking about -- this is the original part, the bad one is still in the car. What a PIA!

I bought on ebay from autolampsplus.com and the driverside carrier fit fine. As a matter of fact, I had a difficult time getting the ball into the socket because of the tight fit. It snapped into place after I used the right sized pliers to press it in.

From your discription the ball fits in all the way, but does not snap into place...correct?

mark scheurer · #3 05-05-2009, 12:47 AM

That's exactly right -- it goes in all the way, but it's loose.

This is the one I bought: eBay Motors: 00 01 02 03 04 05 BMW X5 Outside Door Handle Carrier (item 220408940547 end time Jun-03-09 19:22:29 PDT)

mark scheurer · #4 05-05-2009, 11:18 PM

Just finished the job with an OEM part from the stealer. The part fit this time. Some tips that weren't mentioned but are important when doing this job:

You can't do the job with the window down. The window has to be all the way up. May seem obvious to some but not to others who are mechanically inept -- such as myself.

Getting the door on after finishing is a complete PITA! There are numerous fasteners on top and bottom that are difficult to line up, the puddle light wire has to be pushed through the bottom, and the cable to the inner door handle is hard to re-attach.

All-in-all I'm glad I did this, gave me a bit of confidence, and after looking at the terrible quality of the old carrier which had corroded and snapped, made me wonder about BMW -- why build such a great car and in seemingly random places put crap components that will give your brand a terrible name? I know a lot of people who, when faced with a broken door handle after not-too-many years, will simply dump the car thinking its junk and that's a shame.

Blowout · #5 05-06-2009, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark scheurer

Just finished the job with an OEM part from the stealer. The part fit this time. Some tips that weren't mentioned but are important when doing this job:

You can't do the job with the window down. The window has to be all the way up. May seem obvious to some but not to others who are mechanically inept -- such as myself.

Getting the door on after finishing is a complete PITA! There are numerous fasteners on top and bottom that are difficult to line up, the puddle light wire has to be pushed through the bottom, and the cable to the inner door handle is hard to re-attach.

All-in-all I'm glad I did this, gave me a bit of confidence, and after looking at the terrible quality of the old carrier which had corroded and snapped, made me wonder about BMW -- why build such a great car and in seemingly random places put crap components that will give your brand a terrible name? I know a lot of people who, when faced with a broken door handle after not-too-many years, will simply dump the car thinking its junk and that's a shame.

How much was the carrier at the stealership...if you don't mind me asking?

mark scheurer · #6 05-06-2009, 12:30 AM

$111 minus 10% CCA discount, so $100 or so....

Blowout · #7 05-06-2009, 01:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark scheurer

$111 minus 10% CCA discount, so $100 or so....

Well hopefully you can get your $$ back from the ebay site.

At www.parts.com it is OEM BMW. Just a bit lower than what you paid...
DescriptionYearDealer PriceCore PriceYou SaveYour PriceBase Right 00-06 $93.33N/A$17.73 $75.60 Savings of: 19%

Fultoncm · #8 07-13-2009, 08:50 PM

I am convinced now this car is a piece of shit. I've replaced just about everything in every door. Don't even get me started on electrical issues.

sandwalkerJT · #9 07-17-2009, 12:07 AM

Thanks to this forum, I saved a bunch of money on this very issue. I did manage to mess up quite a few things that I'd like to share. Hope this will save someone some trouble.

- bought my part off ebay for $53 shipped, took a while to arrive, mean time i already took apart my door and had taped up the handle holes on the outside. It occurred to me that if i had the windows up and the batteries died, there'd be no way to unlock/open any of the doors without breaking a window or something.
- The new part had a problem with the ball connector at the end of the cable being too big (as others have experienced on this post). No problem, i used the cable from the old part, it was still good, fits like a charm.
- I had the toughest time putting the hex bolt back onto the key lock unit. something about not getting the right angle. It helped alot to take the plastic cap off the key unit so you can see the bolt threading thru properly. I think you dont put the keyhole unit all the way in flush until you get the bolt started. bolting it in will draw that piece in place.
- I did manage the break the clip off the plastic cap of the key hole unit when pushing it back in place and ended up glueing it back in place with one side of the clip still somewhat working.
- when i removed the handle, i twisted too much and pulled too hard, causing the pastic tabs to wear off the attaching stud in front, so the front end of the handle is no longer securely locked in. I ended up drilling a leader hole and bolting in a washer with a short wood screw on the inside. seem to have worked very well, very sturdy.
- I wonder why no one mentioned the little light that illuminates the inside door release lever. It dangles on a long wire next to the window control unit wires. I didnt know where it went at first and then couldnt figure out how to fit it back in place properly. after i closed everything back up, i noticed that the light fell off from where it's suppose to be. oh well.
- all in all took me total about 5 hours, most of the time spent messing with the hex bolt. made bunch of mistakes, but in the end the repair was successful and i'm quite satisfied with the results.

Blowout · #10 11-08-2009, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandwalkerJT

- I wonder why no one mentioned the little light that illuminates the inside door release lever. It dangles on a long wire next to the window control unit wires. I didnt know where it went at first and then couldnt figure out how to fit it back in place properly. after i closed everything back up, i noticed that the light fell off from where it's suppose to be. oh well.

This small light has a clear plastic housing that connects it to the door. Mine broke in two during removal of the door panel. I use super glue to put the two peices back together and it worked out fine.