Thanks...do you think it is covered under CPO? If not i'm going to do it myself, Thanks for all the input!

Yes, Thanks to 'X5in AK' !! He helped me big time to get it all fixed. At one point i was thinking of going to stealer and get it done but then after talking to Alaskanian friend, I dared and got it done. Jeff (UCrewX5) helped me opening up the interior. So, buy the part, get started and you'll do it eventually. If i can do it then anybody can do it. Trust me on that.

Ask dealer if your car is covered. They'll tell you yes or no.

And cheers to igosal - glad I was able to help. :beerchug:

ok i managed to remove the door panel and removed the black plastic oval piece....i also bought the new carrier assembly.....i'm not sure how to remove the old assembly....do i have to some how remove bolts 16 and 17 from the diagram above...and how do i disconnect the actual door handle from the carrier?

I thought it was part 1 on the diagram, the actuator. Because you can open it manually from the inside, but when you use the key, the rod only goes up half way in the door.

where is the best place to buy part #15 from?? cant seem to find it for less than $135

WOW!!! Can I say Thank You x5world!!! I managed to fix my door handle and the problem was exactly with part #15. The actual metal structure that held one of the parts fatigued and broke off making the handle inopperable. I bought my part from the dealership..$112 but $89 with CCA


For future reference these are the steps I followed:

1) Remove door panal using instructions on main page. I disconnected my battery. You have to unbolt the airbag, but do not have to disconnect it. I just taped it to the door so it does not hang by the cable.

2) Pop off the painted trim piece that is around the key hole on the exterior of the door.

3) Pop off the black plastic oval on the side of the door. (2 pieces)

4) The hex screw (#17) that holds the carrier is located inside this hole. You will NOT see the screw by looking directly into the hole towards the front of the car. You must look into the hole as if you were looking at the side of the door (It took me a while to find this screw, just don't look into the hole directly because the screw is off to the side). The hex screw that holds the carrier screws into the lock assembly, you could see the hole from the outside. Once you find the screw remove it.

5. After removing the hex screw, the lock assembly (key hole) is lose. Gently pry out the entire assembly (the end of the shaft has a star shaped structure that presses into another piece when putting everything back together)

6. Now you could see the bolt and nut that holds the handle to part of the door carrier. The bolt has a square head. Remove this bolt.

7. Now the handle could be removed by pulling the handle up and twisting. The handle will pivot on the left side, then pull it out of the carrier.

8. Once the handle is removed, remove the rubber seal and the philips head screw (#16) holding the carrier is exposed underneath.

9. Disconnect the cable on the inside of the door. Unsnap the white plastic piece, and the metal cable with ball.

10. The old carrier could now be removed, and the install the new one using the same idea.

I have the same problem too..
 

My car is 2001 X5 4.4i and I had left it outside in the night while the temperatures were in the high teens. When I unlocked the car in the morning with the key and then tried to open the door, the handle broke off. The same thing happened on the passenger side door too. Now I have to get into the car from the back seat and unlock the door from inside.

I have NEVER messed with cars so far. Would it be easy enough for me to figure this out if I decide to DIY this one? I wouldn't want to spend $700 for labor. I just ran out of my extended warranty on my car ( one month ago). Also, what does CCA mean? Any help and any more details on this problem are very much appreciated.

Thanks to gregwx5's very good instructions, I replaced my driver's side carrier today. Everything went fairly smooth, except I had some probs lining up the bolt that holds the lock cylinder to the carrier. Unfortunately it looks like I busted the pass. side carrier too when our weather in Calgary hit -50 deg. Celsius a week or so ago.
As long as you follow the instructions to a tee, everything should go smooth. Just make sure you're careful when popping the door clips, disconnecting all the harnesses and inner door handle cable.You can also unbolt and disconnect the airbag and set it aside instead of leaving it hanging. Just make sure you don't turn the ignition on until you have reconnected the airbag harness. You can leave it disconnected for any amount of time and you won't get an airbag light as long as you plug it back in before you switch on the ignition.

Thanks!
 

Thanks cocoabrova, it's helpful to know this. I'll definitely do it myself this weekend. Where did you buy the part? Do you know what gregwx5 meant by "CCA"? I would like to get a discount if there is any. Also, do we have to buy the part from the dealer or can we get it anywhere else for lower price?

Thanks Again!