Door Won't Lock With Key

[davintosh]

Thanks, Qsilver7; I got in touch with Scott at bmwgm5.com and will be sending a key to him ASAP. I was planning on tearing into one of my keys to replace the battery and unfortunately already bought a battery; anybody want to buy it?

Originally Posted by Gregory891

Repairing your lock cylinder is easy. Been there, done that. There is a guy on Ebay located in Turkey that sells you the parts you need. Description is OK, you'll find some videos on YouTube as well. I went this route and was back in action in 30 minutes.

I then fixed my remote key system and it was NOT the key or battery, it was the module that receives the signal (located in the rear hatch, not far from the 3rd brake light).

And thank you Greg. Already bought repair parts from another seller on eBay who ships from Michigan; should have them in hand by next Tuesday. Regarding your remote control fix, did you end up replacing that module or is there a fix for it? What do you do to test it & narrow the problem down to that? Makes me wonder if that's my problem too; the rear wiper has been non-op since we bought the car.

[Gregory891]

I wouldn't expect that the rear wiper is related to the remote issue.

My remote didn't work when I bought the car some 25 months ago, the lock cylinder breaking (on a rather rainy night) was the impetus to fix both the cylinder and the remote system. I found a good used FZV module on Ebay for under $20. On my E53 X5, it's modestly bigger than a credit card, and at the price I paid - no concern to repair or even to diagnose it.

I repaired my door lock cylinder. Then I swapped out the (possible) bad FZV module with the used one I bought and BINGO - the key remote works. Problem solved.

One bit of advice, check your FZV module on your car to confirm the BMW part number and operating frequency. BMW uses different ones depending on where the car is sold (US, Europe, etc.) so as to use the legally allowed frequencies.

[davintosh]

I got the lock fixed tonight; ordered replacement parts through an eBay seller, and they were quick enough shipping the parts, but one of the parts that came was defective, and the shape of the spring that came with the repair kit was just slightly wrong. Thankfully it was a different part that was broken, so I was able to reuse the original pieces.

In case anyone else runs into this problem and has to order a lock cylinder repair kit, this is the best video on the repair I was able to find: BMW E46 Door Key Lock Repair DIY - YouTube

[davintosh]

Originally Posted by Gregory891

I wouldn't expect that the rear wiper is related to the remote issue.

My remote didn't work when I bought the car some 25 months ago, the lock cylinder breaking (on a rather rainy night) was the impetus to fix both the cylinder and the remote system. I found a good used FZV module on Ebay for under $20. On my E53 X5, it's modestly bigger than a credit card, and at the price I paid - no concern to repair or even to diagnose it.

I repaired my door lock cylinder. Then I swapped out the (possible) bad FZV module with the used one I bought and BINGO - the key remote works. Problem solved.

One bit of advice, check your FZV module on your car to confirm the BMW part number and operating frequency. BMW uses different ones depending on where the car is sold (US, Europe, etc.) so as to use the legally allowed frequencies.

Looks like I'll probably be replacing my FZV module; I sent one of my keys off to Scott at bmwgm5.com and got it back last week, but it still doesn't work, but the one that did work doesn't anymore either, so that points to the receiver. I'll be sure to check the original before buying to make sure I get the right part. Thanks for the tip!