Door handle to carrier nut and bolt
 

Hi Guys,

Has anyone needed to replace the bolt that fastens the door handle to the carrier assembly? I have called all the major suppliers and they no longer carry this $4.00 bolt. Mine was rusted on and I could get no grip because the head of the bolt was spinning freely in the handle so I had to cut it out now I cant find it anywhere.

Problem is its kind of a special bolt thin square head in order to clear the door when the handle is pulled. I'm kind of outta ideas so I thought i'd ask you guys...

Appreciate any help or ideas

Thanks
-stephX5

Have you looked into realoem for PN?

RealOEM.com - Online BMW Parts Catalog

Also, the link below may help you...

BMW X5 - Exterior Door Handle Not Working

Hi cn90,

Thanks for the info. I should have been more clear. I have everything in place and its all ready to go but I cant put the handle back on because basically when I got to step 9 in the link you sent me:

9. Push the handle from the inside and remove the nut holding the handle to the carrier.

That nut was frozen onto the bolt and I ended up having to cut it off thinking I could easily replace this since its just a 8mm nut/bolt. Well unfortunately thats not the case.

The realOEM part number is 51368149242 I called a couple of large supply houses basically they dont have it and their story is BMW doesn't make it anymore. This is a real pitfall to this repair if you cant get that nut/bolt separated its not easy to obtain. I was wondering if anyone else may have faced this same issue and how they got around it. I'll try to post a picture to make it more clear.​

This is what it looks like on the realOEM schematics:

Attachment 71774

I would go to a wrecker's yard and get a few from there. Little elbow grease, but not too bad.
Especially if these are out of stock - grabbing a few will make sure you have a spare or 2 for the other door handle just in case.

I took a look at the carriers I replaced recently. I don't have the parts you're looking for. I do have what appears to be #16 on the diagram = a screw and a plastic sleeve/washer, in case you want that.

In cases like this, I would find the closest sized nut + bolt I can get, and then use a grinding wheel or Dremel tool on it until it is just right. I know it takes time, but I find myself doing this a lot to get myself out of these sorts of situations.

I just did a google search using key words "bmw 51368149242", and there are a lot of sellers selling this bolt online.

Outside Door Handle Kit Smooth - Front Driver Side (LH) - Fits BMW 99-03 X5 E53 | eBay

This is for a handle for 11.00 or so shipped. It came with the two part handle, two gaskets, and the two parts you are looking for, 19 and 20. Maybe it was a fluke that it came with the bolts, but you can ask the seller if that is normal.

So here is the latest..

cn9 I called most of the east coast and some west coast guys in the google search nobody actually has it some say special order and some say NLA (no longer available). The dudes at Turner motorsport was somehow able to check when I told him this and he said that he can confirm there are 28 available that he could get his hands on. So I went ahead and ordered it, and one more for when the passenger side implodes. Gotta tell you its tuff to beat the feeling of spending just under $20.00 on a pair of nuts and bolts...

trust me I know...

because it only got better when I signed on here to update the thread only to see squidzilla found an entire handle for $11.00!

I probably should have gone the Doru/oldskewel route but I must admit I'm worn out looking for it be over so I paid $18.00 for a pair of nuts and bolts.

Hopefully this will all work out soon, I'll let you guys know when my uber-premium nuts and bolts get here.

Thanks for the help guys, it does feel better to share the bavarian pain!

I have an edit to the link above, it should help to make it easier to mount the new carrier.


11. The old carrier can be removed by playing with it such that it drops down behind the door edge lock mechanism.

12. The new carrier can be moved up into position without having to bend the cable all out of shape. Play with it until you get it. Perhaps straight up from below.

My Edit
If you set the carrier as if the door handle is pulled, wedge your non-marring tool to hold the carrier open, then you can more easily place the carrier into the door so that the screws align. Set the carrier nearly into place and use pliers to pull the handle attaching place outward. Put your non-marring tool through the access hole for the 4mm screw that holds the door lock in place and wedge it to hold the carrier open. The reason is that there is a layer of sheet metal at the top of the door that the carrier stops against, so you have to move the carrier away so that the mounting locations fit flat so that the screws can be put in.


13. With new carrier in place, make sure the carrier metal fits into the small cutout on the outside door and also that the screw hole on the other side lines up.

More tips
This step (Step 13) is a PITA if you do not wedge your non-marring tool to hold the carrier open. You are going to need the carrier held open in a minute or two anyway because it has to be open in order to install the door handle.


14. Insert and tighten the sheet metal screw first.