Broken Outside Door Handle Fix

[1stE53]

Originally Posted by Russianblue

on the way to Hendrick BMW to pick up my $156 carrier, i got to thinking about tonycajjo's post. incidentally, i think the way Hendrick funds the NASCAR team is through the retail parts counter. everything is almost exactly BMW list PLUS 30%.

anyway, i didn't have any piano wire, but i DID have some Magical Harbor Freight Safety wire and a super high quality Harbor Freight safety wire twister!


7) repeat process in 12 months!


kidding. i don't know if i will have to repeat or not. it works like new. over 50% of the project time was spent trying to get the STUPID hex bolt back in for the door lock thing. complete hell. i think i finally cross threaded it.

seriously this DID save me probably $400 at the dealer. i was pretty proud of myself...even though i might be crying here soon. but i think it'll hold for quite a while. i took the time to dynamat the door too. it's SUPER solid in there now.

How is your fix working out? I broke my third carrier today!!! owned the X for 15 months, one door to go. The only consultation is that they are all different doors . I really want to try your fix, if it has been working well for you.

[Isambard]

Very nice job Russianblue! It will be interesting to see how long your fix will last-longer than a new one?

I too took longer to get the lock bolt back in that to do the rest of the job, not to mention the fear of cross-threading the lock! I dropped the original bolt inside the door, but luckily had the one from the new carrier still left! What a PITA that little sh*t was!

[Russianblue]

wanna here something funny? i called at say...10AM on Saturday to the dealership and they put the new carrier on hold for me. i got the idea to fix it myself on the way to pick up the new one...turned around drove back home.

in the midst of my repair, the dealership called and asked if i still needed the part. i said no. he said, "good, because we have another customer here with the same problem".

i got a kick out of that.

if it holds for one year it's worth it to me to not get raked over the coals by the dealer.

the car used to be my dad's. after i fixed it, he told me he's already had the driver's side carrier replaced. it's really not excusable when you have a computer that runs electronic fuel injection and can adjust for any number of external variables to make the engine run perfectly, but you can't design a simple door pull.

[StartX5]

Russianblue, I replaced my driver side door handle carrier last week for 2 hours and $119.00 for part. I wish you posted this a day early

[X5r]

Good instructional DIY thread Personanongrata. I picked up the driver side carrier from a junk yard, only to find out it didn't include the cable. So had no choice but to use the original. I cussed at least 50 times at the step where you detach the cable and pull out the original carrier. Took me 3 hours time.

[Russianblue]

guess what fellas? i lost the driver rear carrier yesterday! holy cow this is ridiculous. i'm implementing the same fix as we speak. posting from the laptop on the hood of the X! EXACT same problem. i'll update with a picture and the safety wire job v2.0 later. passenger front door is holding up beautifully!

[1stE53]

Thank you for keeping us posted. I'm nervous EVERY time I open my doors, and with two children those back two doors get opened just as much as the driver's side

[Carsareart]

Great Post, Thanks. I did the drivers door yesterday. I spent most of my time trying not to tear up the foam and putting the key lock bolt back in. Otherwise not a problem. Thanks to all who helped out here.
I have noticed one problem now. When I lock the doors the door plunger does not go all the way down. It comes back up and can be pushed down with no problem. It just moves a little bit when I lock the doors. The door still locks and unlocks with no problem with the remote, switch or key. O well not a big deal but annoying.

[Russianblue]

i figured out something for any/all of you who may have issues re-threading the hex bolt.

the carrier is VERY VERY sensitive to proper alignment. there is a bulbous protrusion inside the door which the carrier sits on and the carrier must be PERFECTLY aligned around the edge of it.

it's difficult to tell when you've got it just right, and if you tighten the door handle screw too much before you get it aligned correctly, it'll be off just a hair and will prevent you from reinstalling the hex screw properly.

so just be aware. when it's aligned properly....everything seems to go back together quite easily.

[bLoNdiEnDrE]

Thanks sooooooooo very much, I have this exact same issue...I went on vacation and my friend who was housesitting called me to tell me that this occurred (I was like oh, ok, not much I could do 2,000 miles away). Nevertheless, I'm ordering the part & with your wicked step-by-step write-up, I will tackle this myself (I'm so excited)!!!

Thanks, I'm psyched, I'll let you know how I make out (and take some pics) once I complete the repair.