Yupp i will as soon as spring/summer comes, its very cold here and i already replaced a window regulator in -20c weather.

ok perfect - i have this exact same problem and with my X now.. really annoying and seems like a common thing. I'm actually driving around without a door panel cover and pulling the cable to open the door cuz its cold and i'm tired of rolling down the window to open the door (this happened last sat).

So this is my situation - advice NEEDED! Mine happened from the inside - so the inside handle is flopping around. I took door panel off - and attached the cable. and i get tension in the handle - when i put the door panel back on, it flops around again. basically it seems like when cable is not pulled away from the lock - the tension isnt there. do i need a new cable, carrier, or actuator? (is carrier and actuator same thing cuz i see some on ebay i want to pick up) HELP!! I WANT MY DOOR PANEL BACK ON!!

you have a bad door carrier and you need this part # here.

CARRIER, OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE, FRONT LEFT151218243615
plus this DIY.

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 follow this step above and got it done in 45 min.
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/diagrams/z/z/69.png

It is the door handle carrier..I just had mine done a month a ago..same symptoms.

ok - sounds good.. thanks! just wanted to make sure. I saw some on ebay for $45 and $10 shipping - worth getting it through ebay or should I pay full price and get it on ebay?

the ebay one is find ,i had it for two years with out any problem.

Will lubing part A fix the issue with the door lock not going up all of the time? Most of the time I have to use the key to unlock the door.

lubing the part is not a fix the issue,with your lock not going up or going up haft way you have a bad door actuator.

Thanks for the reply. I will start looking for one.

it might…
 

the guy at the parts counter said that they have taken the whole unit apart, cleaned and re-lubed it and it worked. the problem is that the actuator gets gunked up with dirt and oil and water so everything gets stuck.
but in view of the price and the amount of work it takes to get the thing out, i'd just buy a new one and be done with it. cleaning it could work but maybe for only six-months or a year. who knows.
and i couldn't for the life of me figure out how to take that damm thing apart.