outside door handle stuck
 

i tried to lock my car when i walked away and was noticing the alarm was not turning on. so i walked back, opened the driver door then closed the door.. then i tried to open the door again and i can tell the door handle was kinda stuck out a bit more than normal and it wont open from the outside....

i can still open the door from the inside. what do you guys think the problem is?



01 3.0 5

okay just opened up the door. it appears that when i pull the outside handle the metal wire no longer holds as much tension and thus the opening mechnism does not go up as high. does anyone have the schemetics to the drivers door locking/opening device? has anyone had this happen? do you think I have to replace the whole thing? if you had the dealer fix a problem like this how much was it?

thanks,

Luke

hello anyone?

You had this up for 10 hours on a Sunday, this isn't a full time BMW tech board. Guys will answer if they know the answer. Utilize the search as this isn't the first time this type of problem has been posted.

http://www.xoutpost.com/search.php?searchid=1028447

I had the similar problem which turned out to be a bad lock actuator. Its a good thing its under CPO warranty. It also could be a faulty lock mechanism. If it centrally locks with the other doors, it could be just the mechanism. Do a search on door actuator in the E53 forum

okay guys... i think figured out the problem i guess it is the door carrier assembly.. the problem is i cant see any screws to take off the thing.. the screws are too well hidden.

i see a screw when you pull the outside door handle up and move the rubber cover. but there is barely enough room to see it let alone take it off so i am assuming the other screw lets you move things out of the way?

i removed the the side plastic cover (part number 3 if you look at the realoem picture) but can not see the hex screw at all, i cant even see a single crew. where are they hiding.

thanks for the help guys

Like you said, your problem is
 

the door handle carrier. Mine went bad 2 weeks ago and fixed it(2 hr job for me)
You have to remove the door panel to remove that assembly.

Do a search here and you will find some links with pictures on how to remove the door panel.

Good Luck

I haven't had this problem but here's a suggestion, find the search feature between "todays posts" and "Quick Links" type the words "door handle". I found the info including a diagram in 30 seconds.......

Regards

i did the search already. found the info and disgram too. i took everything off.. i just cant see the screws for removal of the handle carrier.

16 and 17 on the pic

http://www.xoutpost.com/attachments/x...g?d=1191889830

I had the same problem with both front doors and I replaced the part number 15 in the diagram ... it comes complete with the bolts 16 and 17 i did not see the technichian remove anything ... price here in Saudi was around 95$ per handle

You don't have to remove #16
 

just loosen it a bit.
#17 bolt is on the side of the door behind the oval plastic cover. You have to remove that cover and you'll see it inside.
#9 & #11 is one piece that comes out once you loosen the #17 from the side.
Feel free to ask more if it doesn't work :thumbup:

I looked everywhere with that plastic cover removed.. for the life of me i just cant see it... maybe something broke and is covering it? does anyone have a pic? can someone take one for me? its fairly easy to remove the plastic cover.. ill be forever indebted to you

That plastic cover that you have to remove to get
 

to the inside bolt is on the side of the door(driver door is what I removed), right above the locking mechanism.
Use this linck to remove the door panel: http://www.xoutpost.com/articles/x5/e...nt-bmw-x5.html

and this:
http://www.xoutpost.com/attachments/x...rocedure_2.pdf

Sorry , but I can't find a picture of that plastic piece that needs removed from the side of the door.
Which door handle is bad on yours?

Here is another nice link:
 

but again, no picture of this plastic cover(because they only show how to fix the window regulator, not the door handle carrier):


http://www.we350z.com/X5_Window_Repair.html

its the drivers door. i know how to take everything off.. just cant seem to take that one piece off. thanks anyways

If you can't find that plastic/rubber oval piece
 

you won't be able to remove the outside locking slot(where the key goes in).
Once you find it and remove that plastic piece, there is one screw behind it which you have to remove. Once that's done, you can pull the locking slot out.

Here it is, maybe this will help you spot it:
 

http://www.we350z.com/X5_Window_Repair.html

In the third picture, where the whole door can be seen, on the door panel you have the "airbag" sign. On the same level with the airbag sign ( but on the painted side) above the locking mechanism, that's where that plastic cover is located.

i can find the plastic cover.. just cant see the screw once i remove it.. pretty pathetic but even my friends cant see it

the screw is somewhere inside
 

can't explain exactly where

omg i just bought the piece and now i know where it is.. how do u get to it in the door? from the inside of the door or from that plastic cover?

You will reach that screw thru
 

the opening that you see once you remove that small plastic cover
Once you unscrewed it, pull on the door lock mechanism(part of the door handle). It will come right out.
With the door lock removed, turn the door handle up(or down) and remove it from the door.
now you should be able to remove the handle carrier.:popcorn:

i will try that this saturday. thanks for the help

door carrier
 

I'll pass along these tips that might help.
I just replaced the driver's side door carrier. It's one of those jobs that takes 3 hours the first time and 45 minutes the next.

First of all, it wasn't apparent to me that the door jamb plug (item 3) that hides the screw (17) is a 2 part item. Simply push/pry the center part out first, then remove the outer part that remains in the door. The hex key (to remove 17) should be oriented in a way that points towards the outside of the door, not towards the front of the vehicle. This is the reason for the oblong shape of the access hole.

After pulling the lock assembly out of the door, remove the small nut that is now exposed (mine was rusty) on the handle. Also, back out the screw so that it dosen't interfere with handle removal. You have now removed all the screws required to remove the handle and the carrier.

So just how does the handel come off? Also not too intuitive IMO, but here's how.

Pull the handle as if opening the door and rotate clockwise about an eigth of a turn. The left end of the handle pivots as the right end breaks free from the carrier. Now just wiggle the left end until it's retainers are aligned with the slot in the carrier and gently pull it out.

That's pretty much it; except for the cable attachments inside the door. Just take your time there, as they un-snap from their attach points.

Hope this info was useful.

Bryan

This just happened to mine AGAIN. The first time was a month ago, $472.00 to repair at BMW. This time the passenger did the same thing. Anyone have any better pics of how to repair it?

did you get this repaired? this just happened to me. I have my door panel off on drivers side. I think it's annoying that this happens frequently on this car.

This is my first time, from what I can tell, the tension cable from the inside door handle is not working when the door is in place, when I attach the tension cable, and pull the handle i feel some resistance, once I start putting the panel back on, no more tension. Basically, from what I can tell, when i pull the tension cable towards the front of the car or towards the door handle- i have tension and can feel the mechanism working. Once put in place (panel moved towards the rear of car / or to the left) - no more tension.

From what I've figured out - It looks like the material around the tension cable was attached to the door? Is that all that holds it in place to be in the right place for the correct tension? Should I be going through the procedures described in this thread - removing the outside as well and checking the mechanism in the door?

sorry for the long winded follow up question.. but i'm driving around with no door panel and window switches hanging... lol wish i was back in FL - i could spend all day outside fixing..

I had this problem couple of weeks ago on the passenger side door. And yes, it was the door handle carrier (on the floormat in the 2nd pic). Had to bring it to the dealer who had the skill to open the panel and all. Got the part for around $84 (exchange rate vis a vis our local currency).

The posts on this thread are quite accurate as far as dismantling the door panels, etc... I wanted to take more pics for record purposes but the SA gave me this look so I got only these.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...5/IMG_2571.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...5/IMG_2570.jpg

thanks - he pealed off your entire "foam" huh? Wasnt sure i wanted to do that - do you know how easy it is to stick back on? I found the carrier on ebay for $45+10 shipping. Supposed to be warm tomorrow so i'll see if i can get this done.. will take some pics too

Yes he did. But, surprisingly, he was able to put it back on as if nothing happened. So the door lock's as good as new! Good luck with yours and I'm sure the pics will help with the DIY guys around here.

Oh one more thing, they gave me a free car wash. :thumbup:

Here the write up I made when my driver side carrier broke!

Had same problem...seemed complicated at first but is actually very easy!

http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...tml#post421172


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'm currently in the throws of replacing the driver door carrier as well. As described by others, the outside handle was popped out a bit and the door would not open from outside. From the inside everything worked fine.

One addition to gregwx5 step by step is on #7.

- Once the nut was removed from the handle, I needed to slightly pry out that edge because there is a detent holding the end of the handle to the carrier and preventing the handle from rotating. Once that was done it twisted as described.

Once removed, the carrier showed a break on the side with the spring. This is weak spot in the design of this part it seems. They must sell alot of these.

Thanks the information posted by others on this thread. It kept another X5 owner from opening their wallet to a stealer. ;)

FRONT X5 DOOR DEADLOCKED/JAMMED HELP!
 

Hi Guys,

My front pass door is deadlocked and I cant open it. There is no tension on the outside handle, and the inside handle only pops up the door lock indictor. I remember the door did this last summer, and I just thumped the door a few timed on the in and outside, and the door started to work.
But nothing seems to work, I have been advised that I need to take off the inside trim whilst the door is still deadlocked. I have tried this, taking of all bolts suggested on this site, but the door trim seems solid and I fear the door aperature is holding it in place? Catach 22?
Has anyone got advice other than taking the car to the main dealer, I would appreciate it. Many Thanks in advance.:yikes:

Couple things...1 I believe there is a DIY on this site on how do it. 2. You definitely need a new door handle carrier. If you don't want to deal with the hassle of taking apart the door yourself, because it is a tedious process, take it to the dealer and have them replace it... Thats what i did, it cost me $500 US.

There is no lubricant or any type of substance or "quick fix" that will allow you to open your door better without getting this fixed.. Honestly..you will need to get this fixed very soon..Or you won't be able to open it from the inside either then you have a major problem on your hands...

Hi how are you.

Thats the problem I now can't open the door from the inside or outside, it's stuck. I just thought someone might have gone through the same problem and might have some advice other than the main dealer. I just don't know how to get the door open, then I would be quite capable of replacing the carrier, if it is the carrier?????
Any one out there?

Thanks

If you look at the pic of the carrier on the previous page, you will see a cable that is attached. That is what connects to the latching mechanism of the door. If I am not mistaken, the inside door release is attached to the carrier and opperates the cable as well.

I am assuming your cable is possibly broken. I don't have any suggestions on how to get the inside door panel off to get to the cable when the door is closed.

Uh...Uh oh... If you can't open the door from inside or outside you have a problem... The door needs to be opened to replace the carrier and anything else involved... this has happened to a couple members. Now you have no other options but to take it to the dealer. They had to break the door open to get it open. Then the guy had to pay for all the parts that broke with the door and hinges.. If there is a way to get it open without breaking the door, the dealer will know how. But honestly the chances aren't good.. That is why when these door handle carriers break, or when this type of problem happens, you only have a limited amount of time before you can not open the door from inside either... Guys, get this stuff fixed before its too late and you'll be spending major $$$ paying for a broken door getting replaced...

door handle
 

i recently had this problem but is was the door carrier, it is on the inner side of the door . i suggest you pop off the door panel and look at the cable, look at door panel removal in this site before you do any thing in the pannel i suggest you remove the negitive battery termanal on the battery so the air bag can deploy. bettter safe than sorry , all the info is here if you look for it. the carrier is any where from $55 to $90 on ebay .the job is not bad to do. the dealer isnt cheap . thats up to you , if you want to drop me an email , i will give you my phone # and help you to understand the entire job. [email protected]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for your comments. I actually use a mechanic who works for a main bmw dealer, I have used him previously.
I will book with him, as he is cheaper. I will keep you posted on the outcome.

Thanks

Kal
England.

He can't do any of this if the door doesn't get opened first. His door won't open from the inside door handle or outside door handle.

X5 door jammed
 

Hi everyone,

My guy from BMW opened my door and replaced the door carrier for £30 labour and £50 for the carrier.
He would not tell me how he opened the door without damaging it, I guess BMW must have secret ways to open door.
Many thanks and Happy New Year.

ok well guess what i have the secret i dont know how to post pics on this site and if you ask i can send to your email but here we go . if your door carrier is broke on the outside and then the cable or smething breaks on the inside first thing you need is a slim jim ! slim jim is a flat peice of metal that they use to unlock the older door locks (very flexable and bendable) on the inside of the door with the glass window all the way closed you need to slide the slim jim down the glass 11" where the front part of the outside door handle is , then with your thumb pressing against the slim jim against the bottom edge of the glass move the slim jim toward the back of the car . (the reason you must kep your thumb pressed up against the glass is to get around apeice of foam that is glued to the door under the door carrier).then roughly 2" from the back part of the glass (just about where the door lock pin is ) with the top 2"away from the edge of the glass continuing sliding the bottm of the slim jim toward the back of the car (if the slim jim was running from 12 oclock to 6 oclock the bottom of the slimjim would be at the 7 oclock mark and the top at 12 oclock. that is where the lock mechinism is slightly move the slim jim up and down to a spot where it feels stuck then pull up that should open the door . to set up the slim jim you need to lay it flat down with the pointy end facing down on the slim jim then 7" in from the point bend the slim jim so it is off the surface 1 1/4 inches and using a magic marker, mark 11"from the point so you know how far down to go when sliding it down the window . you will then be able to take off the door panel and work on you other problems you have. good luck if you need pics shoot me an email and i will send you the photos i am sure pictures say 1000 words

Hi everyone, Just joined the site and found my problem straight away !! (great site by the way). I have stripped the door down and removed the carrier to find the same fault. The question is does anyone know where I can find a reasonably priced new door carrier in the UK? Have tried ebay but no luck...it is drivers side on a uk spec car. Any help would be appreciated.

kalsingh1 had the job done in the UK for a decent price.

On eBay I paid $45 plus $10 for shipping or about L37 and it took a week to get the part. L30 to put it in isn't bad either. For those prices I might have had it done as well.

On the other hand your is disassembled now. Might check the dealership for a price quote. There is also the added satisfaction of doing it yourself ;)

thanks for the quick reply. I did email Kalsingh1 but have had no reply as yet. I haven't even tried the dealership as was hoping to find one on ebay for a reasonable price. Saying that I showed the problem part to a engineer friend of mine this afternoon and he seems pretty confident he can repair/modify it , to be stonger than the original. He's going to have a go at it tomorrow, nothing really to lose have I ...! Will keep you all posted on the out come.

Good luck with the repair. Nice to have friends that can weld :thumbup:

Here is a link for repairing aluminum which I believe the part is made of. http://www.aluminumrepair.com/video_new.asp

If mine breaks again I am certainly going to reinforce the part.

Slim Jims don't work on X5's....

2004 X5 door carrier remove/replace
 

These directions were great !!!!; they made the difference in me being able to finish the job or take the car to someone else to finish.

If the Slim Jims is not the answer. then how do I get the door open???

PM sent..

Problem solved..

PT,

I not trying to break into my X.. I can roll the window down and up. so I have access to the inside of the X. I Just have one door that just will not open from either the inside or outside.. I just need to know how to open the door so I isolate the problem. order the part and be happy with the $teeler taken my loot. i here in the Mideast and the $teeler here are 3x the cost for parts and labor....

Don't buy aftermarket parts!
 

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?

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)

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?

$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%
http://www.parts.com/oemcatalog/_img/help.jpg http://www.parts.com/oemcatalog/_img/add-to-cart.jpg

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.

My lessons learned
 

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.

Just want to say thanks to everyone that contributed information for this repair. I changed out my door handle carrier last week with no major problems and all of the information was spot on. Thanks again for all the good info.

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.

Door Handle Carrier Temp Fix
 

Where the carrier breaks near the spring, you can use a piece of thin wire to hold the rod that the spring sits on in place, just make sure the level that pulls in the cable up is seated in the right postion. Its definitely not a permanent fix, I actually used the wire out of a small spiral notebook. One thing that is not mentioned in most of the DIYs for this fix, take out the lock first, its makes it much easier to take out the carrier and to reinstall. When I take our my temporary one, I'll take a picture and post it.

2001 BMW X5 Driver Door Carrier Stuck
 

My driver door won't open from the outside as well. Door carrier is sticking out slightly as is the case with others on this post. It will open from the inside. This happened recently (2 days ago) when I tried to open the door after it had been frozen during an ice storm. I can't believe this happened as I didn't pull that hard on the door. Unfortunately, I was unaware of this issue prior to the storm. I just bought de-icing spray as a precautionary step for the future.

I don't have the means to do the repair myself and am getting a quote tomorrow. It looks like an expensive repair. I try to avoid dealerships but not sure if my local guy has replaced this before. Any thoughts on what the repair should cost or if there is any chance it is just stuck are greatly appreciated!

It sounds like the carrier broke. You might also try a foreign car repair. I found one in my area that charges about half what the dealership does.

I imagine the carrier replacement must be a common place occurance.

My shop here in TX quoted me $170 out the door with parts, but I did it myself.

Thanks Ritchie and Blowout for the replies. I am having it looked at tomorrow. They won't know until they take the panel off. I will certainly post the findings.

sounds very much like the carrier is broken. i just had the same issue with my x5 - - door handle jarred slightly, wouldn't open.. the hinge on the rear side of the carrier snapped. Apparently a very common issue..

In addition, my lock asembly is broken internally.. argggg... that's a key-coded part, which isn't so cheap....

The X5 is easy to break into on the drivers side. Can you see any signs of an attempt to force the lock?

I replaced my lock with a keyless cover so it looks like the other door handles. It prevents break ins from the drivers side door. The problem is you cannot open the door with a key now and can only unlock with the key fob.

I added external jumper terminals underneath the rear of the car and ran extension cables from the battery. I did not want to get locked out because of a dead battery.

actually, my remotes have been broken (dead batts), so we've been using the key entrance for about a year. i just have been way too busy to pull it down and replace the batteries (and I'm too cheap to buy new keys)...

the key assembly wasn't broken, it's actually the little rod that extends off the end of it which broke. rather strange.....

This is Exactlyyyyyy what has broken on my right rear passenger door! I discovered that this morning while trying to fix it and found out this peace has a broken part exactly as showing in the picture above. And due to what I've seen so far, this part seems to be a "hell" to remove it from inside door and replace it.

01 BMW X5 4.4i

I'm curently experiencing exactly the same issue with my rear passenger door! Today I've been working all day trying to fix my door handle that wont open from outside as described above, but unfortunately I discovered one of the 2nd. hex screw from outside is broken from the previous owner. The top of the screw is completely off and left the rest of the body inside the hole, which left me in such difficult job and unable to remove the broken assembly inside and replace it.

Great instructions plus door lock
 

Gents,
Thanks for all of the great instructions, worked like a champ replacing my driver's side front door carried assembly.

One strange thing: when I tried to test everything before completely putting the door panel cover back together, the handle worked, but the lock would not. It would try to go down, and do the "prairie dog" dance, going slightly up and down a lot.

I went back and read through the instructions, and assumed this was because I had not disconnected the battery, or because I hosed something up with the lock.

But, when I went to put everything back together (aiming to fix the lock the next day), the lock worked fine.

Maybe this has to do with the window control not being hooked up when I tested it?? Not sure, just wanted to post this here in case anyone else runs into the same issue.

Larry

I keep hearing about the door panel write up is on the home page but can't seem to find it. Anyone got a direct link to it?

here you go
 

I repaired my door today, which took around 2 hours, following the brilliant instructions on the posts One thing though. I disconnected the earth lead prior to carrying out the work as suggested. Unfortunately, when I reconnected the battery terminal the air bag and ABS lights came on and would not go out. Did I do something wrong? BMW want £70 including vat. However, I have found a local guy who is going to do it for £24. Just driven the car down the road and the lights have all gone out. How weird.

I'm not sure the exact reason why, but i think to clear those codes after disconnecting the battery, you need to drive it down the road. AS long as they are off, and stay off, then i would not be worried at all. Everytime you start the car, it sends a signal through all the functions to make sure they work correctly. You should be fine! :thumbup:

ya the lights should go off after you drive a few feet. mine did

Yep...That happens when you disconnect and reconnect the battery. Just drive it around and they should go off.

How 2 make warning abs lights go away
 

Yeah! just like Naz24 and other folks says: Usually those warning lights should automatically goes off after you take-off ahead. And I'm pretty sure that they probably already off on your dashboard. Well, normally after those warning lights comes on in my dashboard, I just moved forward and before i can even reach 6 feet ahead, all lights disappeared.

mine just broke! :(

gonna be doing this this weekend!

gregwx5.... since you actually replaced the carrier, maybe you can answer my question? Maybe? I changed my carrier last night, thanks to your post, but after pretty much getting it all back together..... I ended up with one extra torx screw! I took everything apart twice but could not find where it went. Do you remember how many torx screws you had.... I think four (4) directly hold the door panel on? I only worked on the drivers door & removed the spare tire to disconnect the negative terminal on the battery. Thanks for any help and from any body else that may know or have a repair manual showing where TORX screws go.

Is it one of those black torx screws? The door has 4 of them. Near the inner door lever, under the long trim, under the airbag logo and right above the left-side storage compartment.
If not, it probably is one of the old screws, as the carrier comes with both screws holding it, brand new.

chas3, you are correct regarding the amount, yes, it is 4 and exactly where you say except its not under the airbag logo, its behind-just to be technically correct ;)

Axel, like chas3 says, there are no torx screws that come with the carrier, certainly not the self-tapping type for the door trim. At least, that is all I got with mine. BMW certainly didnt give (fat chance!!) me any more door trim screws, just the carrier screws, which are threaded and have phillips/pozidriv heads if my memory serves me correctly! :popcorn:

I think an even better term would be "beyond" the airbag logo :)
As about the carrier screws, he didn't mentioned threaded or self-tapping. However, the actual error would be that the angled screw on the carrier is a hex, not a torx.

:iagree: :thumbup: :D

I signed up for this site to fix my sister's 2004 X5...specifically, the cable (#5) that goes to the door operating rod (#4) has broken loose from the door carrier (#15).

The specific area that is broke is the support connection to #5, not at the end that connects to #4, but the next connection up from the far right of #5. It connects to #15, but has broken off from #15. Driver's side.


I wanted to ask on the forum if the door carrier (#15) is what needs to be replaced...probably along with #5. I had used zipties to secure it to the door - which worked for a few days. Had to use console to unlock, then the inner door handle would open the door. Forgot to take a picture where #5 is attached to #15 and where it broke.

Console lock/unlock works as does key fob.

I am now an expert at taking off/re-installing the door panel, 15-20 minutes.





http://www.xoutpost.com/attachments/...g?d=1191889830

Well.. in my case, the only broken part was #15. If you are sure the culprit is #5 you could just change that bowden cable only. Actual pictures might help also. But I think a 2004 E53 should have the carrier replaced by now, it is probably going to fail soon.

Based on what I read in this thread and two others, it appears that the door carrier should be replaced. The part that has broken away from #15 in the diagram is the second plastic piece from the right on item #5. Not the end, just to the left of it. That broke from the carrier assembly. Almost looks like it is one piece.

You mean the ball lock? Try to mark it on the pictures from the carrier replacement DIY.

I don't agree this statement, since the inner latch uses seperate mechanism to control the door, it uses the other cable to direct connect to the lock actuator, so the outside handle locking mechanism definitely does not affect the inner locking mechanism. In the other word, you can live with the outside handle locking mechanism unfunctioning forever as long as the inner latch and the lock actuator still work fine.

this thread was very helpful several years later... I just replaced with an aftermarket door mechanism i bought on eBay for $50. What a crazy complicated repair to a fairly simple car part as the door carrier... Finally got everything back together and working great.

A long blade screwdriver, 1\4 extender on the #4 allen wrench and several F-Bombs were necessary to complete the repair.. :)

Yeah I'm glad that you got your door handle to work perfectly
but from a cheaper way, that's why a lot of people don't know
and everyday got robbed @ the stealership from buying every
single parts there.

I was having the same problem with my door handle, but got one
off ebay for: $50 dollars, the same mechanism part that you bought.
I fixed it myself and it's been nearly 2yrs now, I never have any problem since. But I bet if you go to the stealer now, this mechanism part would
cost tripple that price without labor.



01 X5 4.4i

About $98, on ECS tuning. Maybe cheaper elsewhere. OE BMW, as in the part that lasted 8 years. Let us know how long this lasts. Just curious.

Well, now I'm part of this fine club as well. We had rain last Saturday evening followed by a drop in temperature overnight. Wife went to open the front passenger door and it was stuck, probably moisture around the seal that had frozen. She yanked on it a couple of times, still wouldn't open, so I popped the inside handle and pushed, and it came open, but I suppose the damage was already done. When we were still unable to open the door from the outside, I figured (was hoping) it was just residual ice in there. Nope. Pretty sure I've got the broken carrier. :rolleyes:



Considering the fact that this was jaycotter's last post on the forum, I suppose we'll never know whether his buddy's repair idea and welding skills did the trick or not. Has anyone else successfully repaired this part instead of replacing it?


That's some pretty slick stuff! I'd never heard of it before, but looks like it'd be worth a try. Thanks for the link!

not to sound terribly stupid but when ordering, left side = drivers side in the US? Not sure why I am blanking?

Yes; driver's side = left side.
Passenger side = right side.

It is always as if you sit behind the steering wheel. So picture yourself inside car, and left is driver side, right is pass side.

thanks - I've read the write ups. Any advice? I'll be doing this theoretically in the dark after work thursday. Should take about an hour or so right?

I've done window regulators on the E46, this seems about the same level of difficulty.

Also, when I disassemble the old carrier, what specifically breaks that causes this?

Not sure exactly. I have never had the pleasure of doing this on the X. If it was my first time. I would allot a bit more than an hour. Getting that foam off the inside of the door will be a pain in the ass. Get yourself duct tape for when you rip it, and want to put it back. Or get a razor blade, and pull back that foam, while trying to cut the adhesive. It will stick back onto to itself so don't worry. Just taking that shit off will piss you off and most likely take most of your time.

Everything else is a function of having the right tools. As long as you have a decent set of tools, it looks like the job is very straight forward.

I will make that foam my bitch. I had the doors off the e46 umpteen times between speakers and 3 window regulator fixes. since this is a classy car, I may even get a tube of acoustic sealant and even repair the goop instead of just shoving it back on. Especially if its cold.

All done. Took about 90 minutes. Had a few problems getting the new carrier lined up right. Still not sure it's right but I gave up. There is a gap between the Handle and the cylender that wasn't there before. Used a uro part. Otherwise straight forward. Physically hardest part was getting the cable in its clamp.

Yea I hear people having that gap with aftermarket carriers. Some have more luck than others, but if you go back at it, you might make it better. Only OE seems to line up right away.

I have joined the "broken door carrier" ranks. Just curious, does anyone have any idea of what type of time frame we're roughly talking about in regards to the indoor latch being inoperable as well? My outside latch went about 2 weeks ago and I'm really not going to have the free time to address this for probably another week or so. BTW, great post, great forum. Thanks in advance.

Just to clarify, your outside door handle stopped working first, and now the inside handle doesn't work as well? If so, that's a bad deal, because it will be difficult if not impossible to get the door panel off in that state without damaging something. It looks like you live in a place that might be having cold weather; any chance you washed the car recently and something inside is just frozen, preventing the inside handle from working? Get it inside with some heat on it to see if you can at least get the door open.

I just read through some of the earlier posts in this thread and found this one that mentioned needing to take it to the dealer to get it opened & fixed. That may not be the only option though; I had a similar problem with my e32 when the door lock actuator failed with the door deadlocked, and was able to get it open by cutting a hole in the door panel. I had to source new vinyl for the door panel to cover it up afterward, but it got me in there.

Thanks for the response. My comment was poorly written. At this point, only my outside latch is inoperable. I had read in the thread that when this happens its only a matter of time before the inside latch goes as well. As I will not be able to fix the door for at least a week, I was wondering if anyone knew a rough timeframe of when the inside latch follows suit.

I saw that mentioned as well, but after looking at the mechanism, I don't think failure of the inside latch will naturally follow. The door handle carrier pulls up on the door lock mechanism, but IIRC the inside latch connects to a different part on the mechanism. Pulling on either actuates the door catch, but they both operate independently of one another.

Hello,

In my car I needed to replace the driver door actuator, some plastic thiny broke, so the inside door handle wasn't working anymore.
After replacement the driver door was not working anymore on the key or console button.
I removed fuses 20 and 24, next it was working again.

Hope this helps some one...
Greetings!

Anyone know if you can put a cylinder lock on the passenger side door. I hate it that BM trouble U in order to pinch a few pennies on a Luxury SUV didn't include a lock with the passenger side door. I know that they sell almost the same car in the UK so they must have a cylinder for that door. I know how to remove the cylinder, I just want to know if the rest of the lock mechanism is in there.

Hey,

I would believe that this works.

Here: http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...inder-fix.html you see some pics of the part where the key cylinder is in.

Here the rest: RealOEM.com * BMW E53 X5 3.0d DOOR CONTROL FRONT
Nr.: 51218402538 would be for the right hand side door.

Good Luck

VERY IMPORTANT. Part no#10 the PLASTIC Handle. There is a small plastic nib on the narrow end. If your handle has been used before it will be slightly sheared off. I did not have a new handle to replace the broken carrier at the time. So, I used a small self taping screw and pre drilled a tiny hole in the nib. When screwing tight remember to leave a small bit of slack so the handle can snap back into place after opening the door. Mine is working out fine. Of course, my 88 &89 E-30 rags have original handle mechanisms.

Thanks to all for these posts. I live in a remote area of the world and they helped me so much.

For others who may have difficulty getting parts try this website. Great prices.
Schmiedmann - Styling/Tuning/Spare parts for BMW X5 (E53) - New parts

Here is a little story that may amuse you all. I will post it all somewhere else later.

But thankyou all for helping me to get my car going again.

BM Trouble You.

Last year with the easing of import restrictions for cars into Myanmar
we imported a used 2006 BMW X5 from Germany. This was the beginning of
my journey into how hard it is to run a luxury car without back up in
a far off country

The car has always run well and then one day the front drivers door
handle broke. Nothing special involved just lifted the handle to open
the door and the mechanism inside the door broke and this was the
beginning of a year long saga. So I searched online found forums with
owners with the same problem and the solutions arent hard to find.

I found an expat here who has a German Car repair shop and we order
the parts wait a few months and it gets fixed. But then I started to
notice other things wrong with the car. Bad wear on the rear tyres
noises from the pulleys in the engine bay, airconditioning.

Ok so I look at the tyres and then notice that the whole car is out of
whack. The front left tyre sticks out an inch more from the side of
the car than the front right. The rear is the opposite it is in on one
side and out on the other. I show many people we put it up on lifts
and inspect underneath. The guys with lots of experience have no
answer.

I try a guy who has a alignment place at the side of a road for
Japanese cars. He puts it up on stands over a pit gets underneath
shakes a few things and then shows me a rubber bush that is obviously
broken. Well spotted. He showed me some other rubbers he thought were
bad too and told me to fix that up and bring it back.

So at this stage I have this horrible dangerous wear on the rear, the
front wheel on the left is sticking out 1 inch more than the left and
the rubbers are broken. At this point I had to park the car and not
use it because of the rear tyres problem.

Months go by as I try to get parts. I have a shopping list and visit a
dealer in Bangkok but the prices are too high for my family so I
slowly whittle it down to major stuff. My wife goes to take the car to
the swimming pool within 1km of our house and the passenger door
handle breaks. Time to add one more part.

I find a company in Denmark that I can order parts for this model
online and ship to anywhere in the world and the parts are 1/3 what
they are in Thailand.

Then I found a new workshop near my house who has only just opened
up. I make friends with them and they have an alignment section. I get
on the internet and download videos from youtube which show how to
adjust the rears on x5s which have a common problem of eating tyres. I
show these guys and we play with the adjustments and by eye we make
the car drivable again. One problem solved.

I get my rubber bushes for the front from Denmark and put them in.
That fixes a shake in the front, but there is still this wheel
sticking out an inch on one side. We test, we shake, we probe. Then we
start to measure this point to that point. Top to bottom clearances
from everything on both sides of the car. As we do we realise the rim
on the left is sitting different to the one on the right. One inch
different. There is nothing wrong with the suspension to make this
happen it is the rim. We look at the rims one has a little F on it
and one has R. Front and Rear. The tyres are all the same size on all
four and the spare, but the penny drops and we realise the rims on
BMWs are different from Front to Rear. One side of the car the rims
are on backwards. Simple fix to rotate the wheels. Nightmare finished.
Problem solved high fives all round. A good 10 people and experts
would have looked at this and no one noticed.

Personally I have never seen a car with different curves in the
spokes of the rims from front to back in my life before.
Have you? Keep it in mind. I can see how cool the engineers at BMW
must that thought they were when they invented it. I bet it improved
the handling too. I wonder if they thought of the consequences if
someone got it wrong. It is not even mentioned in the Owners manual.

BM Trouble U.

My left rear door doesn't open from outside.I don't know the problem from lock mechanism or the handle Carrier .when I lift the external cable with my hand the door don't open ..any tips or test procedure!

You need a new door carrier for that door which can be found on ebay $45 otherwise n'less you want to spend $109 from stealer bmw.

I don't need new door carrier,Just a Little lubricant and cleaning and it works again..I only need to know how to re install the carrier... like adjustments
http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/o...njeevm1/15.jpg

hi guys, im new to this thread and the forum. i'm about half done with replacing the passenger door carrier. have any of you guys with the aftermarket carriers experienced any play with the ball socket, where it goes into the lock latch? im pressing quite hard and it hasnt "popped in" it is just sitting on top of the ball.
is it just suppose to be like this where it is loose or should i apply more force? i afraid to break the latch where the ball is located.

thanks for all help and apologies if this is some sort of thread jacking? newb here.

it have to popped in easily..try put some lubricants..

hi mr xerox, thanks, i have tried with lube still couldn't go in. I test with the old oem part and popped in with minimal hand force. I have now switched out the ball/joint cable from old carrier onto the new. now just having a lot of alignment issue and actuator problem

any tips on to opening the door from the inside with the panel off?
thanks.

UPDATE: :D thanks fellas for ur tips and awesome help. just wanted to tie off my question. i was able to open the door by pulling inside latch it unlocked then new outside carrier was able to open. felt good being able to finally open door from outside. i guess during install i had manually locked it and then pulled the latch.
anyrate now im cringing hoping no "Open door " msg comes on....
thanks again

Can't you just switch the cover out with the RHD passenger side cover or rear door cover and if need be drill thru the cover to get to the keyhole in case the remote stops working or the battery dies???


-

[QUOTE=gregwx5;440278]

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.



Can the door lock cover and lock be removed via the bolt under the plastic cover at the rear end of the door and without removing the door panel? I just want to check if the bolt shown below is loose and allowing my door handle to droop down a bit. Thanks

The "no Key" replacement module for the driver side is not the same as the passenger side or rear. not sure what you are mean...

Just want to say thanks for this and related threads. My door had the symptoms this morning, so we bought the carrier at the local dealer (who almost matched RealOEM's price) and I took a bit over two hours to do the deed. Works fine now.

I did have quite a bugger of a time getting the hex screw to seat and it still doesn't look quite right - may have to go buy a proper Allen wrench of the right length to do this better.

But all in all, you guys saved my bacon and a lot of potential hassle and expense getting this fixed, so thanks!

Yep, thank you forum for this info. It took me much longer as I struggled to get the inner door panel off not wanting to break anything. The top part didn't want to budge so I thought there was an additional fastener but nope those clips on top were just extremely stubborn but with a huge pull up/tug it finally broke free. Outside the blank cap was a PITA to remove and so was the non-lock piece underneath. I put tape all over to protect the paint but still ended up with tiny nicks. Crazy rubik's cube project.

I didn't know how to unclip the inner lever cable so just unbolted the assembly and levered it out through the hole in the panel keeping everything attached. I found the fiber optic cable was installed too but it broke off and the cable so short - someday will extend it to make r&r easier and reattach to the cup. Was so dim it barely lit up the cup anyways, without the "light pipe" was so much brighter. For now duct taped it to the cup best I could but the angle is off.

Also working by myself for the reinstall that panel is very awkward when putting the connector back on (only have 2 hands afterall) so what I did was bring a chair over and a box on top to hold the panel up for me. Fiddling with the outer door handle rounded off the bayonet key so I did the screw with washer trick. Hoisted the panel back on the door and popped it back on.

I still have to fiddle with this project as the central locking button nor the drivers side window switch works on the passenger door, only the controls on the passenger door itself work. Will try pulling those fuses and reseating the switch connectors to see if that "resets" and corrects the problem.

Anyways long winded post. Here's a pic of what breaks inside leaving the outer door handle useless. Pot metal piece breaks off, ugh. It's supposed to stay on that rod with the spring. Just too easy to break.

update: umm, weird, so the driver's side switch can now control the pax window no problem but still not the door lock. I didn't do anything it just started working. didn't reset the connectors yet maybe tomorrow.

Hi guys, my driver door can't open from the outside. The mechanic quoted me New Zealand dollar $635 (equal US$550) to get it fixed. He said $250 for part and the rest is 3 hrs labour plus 15% tax. The labour here is between $60-80 per hr. People are expected to pay more when dealing with European cars. By doing the math, $250 + $240 ($80 x 3 hrs) =$490+15%gst tax = $563, he is overcharging me for 100 buck.
Anyway, the living expenses here is far more than living expenses in US.
My question is does he need 3 hrs to get it fixed?

Do it yourself
 

You can do it yourself for under $100. There are plenty of diy links on here. After owning an x5 for 10 years, i can do them in under an hr.

I know I am resurrecting a 3-month old post...but this post was very helpful to me. i have recently completed the full carriage update based on all the great posts here. I thought I had done well and saved lots of $$. However, now, about a month or so later, the handle is getting harder and harder to use. I have to pull very hard and my wife cannot open it at all.
I plan to pull off the door panel tomorrow to see what may be wrong.
My biggest concern: I think that I may have cross-threaded the final screw that goes in to the locking mech. ( you know, that screw behind the black plastic plug that is so hard to find). So if I did cross-thread it do you think that I have also ruined the locking mech.? And if so, will I have to replace that AND the keys?
I'll re-post after pulling the door panel and looking to see if something else is loose. Not sure why the handle would have so much play that it would not open the door.
Any thoughts? Thanks!

Original BMW carrier brought at the dealer or some Cheap Ass Crap brought on eBay or Amazon? If you brought it at the dealer there's a two years unlimited mileage warranty on the part. If you brought it on eBay or Amazon you're shiT out of luck.

Whatever you did, you will not have to replace the key. The locking cylinder is a different part. Good luck!

Thanks guys. @upallnight, it is a cheap one from ebay. Live and learn. Just proves what my wife says... I can be cheap sometimes. She would have just gone straight to the dealer but I wanted to save $ ... and prove to her I could fix it? Now it's probably headed to the dealer anyway if the carrier is in fact broken again. And if I did cross-thread that hex screw. :banghead:

Go to.... ECSTuning.com



-

Hey my wife says the same thing about me.

Doesn't a new carrier come with a new hex screw? In some cases, X owners have reused the old screw from the old carrier when installing a new carrier because the quality control is really lacking on those cheap ass carriers. I think the supplier sell the carriers rejected by BMW on ebay.

Don't remember if I re-used the screw or not. Just remember it being a bitch to get it started right. Maybe that's because of the cheap carrier.

Here's a guy that was having the same problem as you.

http://www.xoutpost.com/980864-post15.html

He brought an aftermarket carrier also.

If you skip to post #43 toy will find the solution.

http://www.xoutpost.com/981233-post43.html

Thanks again Upallnight. Wish had seen all this before doing the switch with the cheap part. Unfortunately, I'm headed out of town for a few weeks and won't have time to work on it before I go and the wife needs to be able to drive the car. So it may be going to the dealer.
But I will know what to do next time. And hopefully others will see all this and follow the advice - Buy the BMW carrier.

Dealer will be $500+

Good luck to all

Well if your dealer is charging you $500+ bucks for a door carrier, they deserve the term stealer, but you can buy it on line from a genuine BMW Dealer (not STEALER)for just under 130. It's about a hour shop time so even if they charge 200 bucks an hours that still leaves over 200+ bucks unaccounted for.

Carrier, outside door handle, front left. DOOR CONTROL FRONT for BMW X Series X5 (1998 - 2007). #51218243615

Hopefully he will report back and let us know his bill. My vote is on $500 (+- $50) for the repair, as there will be a 1 hrs labor charge for "resetting the system"- ha ha.:dunno:

You and I do everthing ourselves so that is NEVER an issue. Have wrench, screwdriver, trim tool, etc...will travel/repair! :thumbup:

I have to assume your 'Cuda SixPack was an actual AAR SIX BBL?

Don't forget the hazardous waste disposal fee. LOL

Yes my old Cuda was an AAR Six pack (3 - 2 barrel carbs). My dad was an ASE mechanic at a Dodge dealership so he help me keep that awesome car in tune.

Plum Crazy Purple with a pistol grip shifter.

So if it ends up at the dealer while I am out of town I will report back on the costs. Hoping a friend will be able to guide her to a more reasonable local garage. Also have a friend who is a former bmw mechanic but no longer in the local area. Anybody want to come to Colorado and fix this for me while I'm gone?

If there was enough powder on the mountain I would consider it. Got some new to me skis and I want to try them out.

Show the wife this video and she'll be o.k.

Repairing door handles on a BMW X5 2000 thru 2006 - YouTube

Ok it has finally happened to my car. While waiting for a replacement outside handle the inside one has broken and cant open the door.

Since owning this car I have changed the drivers door carrier 3 years ago and then the passenger side twice and now back to the drivers door.

Outside and inside again.

I changed the passenger twice because I used an aftermarket one and after 2 years the cable on it stretched and it would not open the door.

The drivers was changed 3 years ago with a genuine BMW part and it is getting charged again.

So please PM me with the details of how to open a door with both handles broken.

I have the same problem now with inside and outside handles broken please PM me a solution.

Did you already read this thread?
http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...-fix-pics.html

I am able to hold down my door open button on my remote and all the windows open and the sunroof too!

Thankyou that may do the trick. I am in Australia now. Back in Myanmar next week. My daughter rang me and told me that the inside lock doesnt work anymore so I will have to wait till I get back to work it out and find out what exactly has happened.

When I left I was able to open the windows by using the remote I used to use this method to get the windows open so I could reach inside to use the inside handle to open the broken door. The new door carrier will be there next week.

I know the outside carrier is broken so the cable is still attached so a tool like this in the right place should be able to be used to get the door open. I will post the results soon.

Ok I used the welding wire method and opened the door in about 5 mins. I have now fixed the whole thing. I am of the opinion that maybe these keep breaking because the door lock mechanism rusts over time and creates more friction causing you to pull harder on the handle and breaking it. Either way I wont be buying a BMW ever again thats for sure.
I made a little video that notes some of what I have said here.

https://youtu.be/WjhBT5Y3HpI

I replaced my door handle carrier today with help from this thread. Here are a few lessons learned (sorry if these are repeats...I didn't read every post in the thread):

- When removing the lock, instead of prying it loose from the outside I was able to reach around back inside the door and push the lock out...no scratching of paint or damaged trim using this method

- Definitely remove the bolt (#19) from the handle, as recommended. I removed the nut but left the bolt in place, thinking it wouldn't be a problem. It shifted towards the front of the car and caused interference with the door panel. I wasted about 45 minutes figuring it out

- I wish I had looked into replacing the two gaskets on the exterior of the door (#12 and #13); mine are 12 years old and it would have required no extra work to replace them

- Be careful reinstalling the hex bolt into the lock. There are a few folks on here who reported difficulty; I didn't understand why until I tried it. You've got to pay attention and line things up carefully in order to get the bolt threaded properly. I'm pretty sure I cross-threaded my lock

Or drop it into the depths of the door. I just got mine out 6 months of rattling later.

Holy mother of God this is impossible!
I've managed to remove the carrier but now I'm trying to put the new one in. I've got it in, however I cannot get it to align properly with the handle or the smaller part (triangular shape) handle. The carrier will just NOT align flush with the inside of the door. Either the front part (where the black notch of the handle twists into the carrier) aligns but then the back part of the handle will not align. I am going nuts. I've tried the old carrier and it won't align either. I'm at my wits end!

This might help from another thread:

LVP has just replied to a thread you have subscribed to entitled - Door Lock Stuck - Fix with Pics!!! - in the X5 (E53) Forum forum of Xoutpost.com.

This thread is located at:
http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...-new-post.html

Here is the message that has just been posted:
***************
I just did this on the front passenger side. One thing to note that will help others. If you look at step 2 of the door handle carrier steps, you can see that as you remove the blank or the lock, there are small indents in the straight profiles of it. When re-installing, you need to insert the blank/lock as far as it will go, press the carrier tight from behind and slide the blank/lock towards the handle. So, squeeze together tight, slide blank/lock towards the handle. This will lock the two together in alignment, but it will also align properly to get that screw mentioned in step 8 of the first post to line up.

Hope that helps.
***************

Or read thread referenced above for more details. Good luck!

I finally got it after about 40 attempts. What was happening (I think) is that the screw that holds the career to the handle (near the twist lock thingy) was not sliding completely to towards the end of the door. When it slid all the way, it kind of popped into place. I finished putting it all back together but I think I left a trim tool in the door itself haha. Oops