Broken Outside Door Handle Fix

[Ricky Bobby]

getting ready to tackle my first one in the coming days. passenger side in the front, getting sick of having to open my girls door for her. lol.

[AussieBMW]

Originally Posted by AussieBMW

Hi all,
This post has been especially useful as I have had to replace the driver side handle, and just did the rear right side on the week-end. The driver side went without a histch and has been going strong for 12 months.
But, I have one major problem with the recent rear upgrade. Prior to putting it all back together, I tested the door and it opened and closed without issue. After putting the trim back on, I closed the door and it does not open now.
Neither from the inside or outside

Please help!
Is there a way to open the door?
How do I get the trim off while the door is closed?

I read on another thread that sometimes when you change the carrier with an aftermarket part, it may be stiff and jam up a little bit. So by playing with the door lock/unlock and pulling on the door handle at the same time, the door finally opened up.
Major situation was averted.
Door has been working fine for the last 5 days.

Note: When removing the door trim to replace the carrier, you do not need to remove the screw underneath the door handle cover. This is not attached to the body of the door. So you only need to remove the 2 screws under the wood trim, the 1 under the SRS sign and the 1 lower down in the side pocket.

[Crispy3M]

Can't thank the OP enough for this thread.

1.5 hours.

Cheers!

[bigwave2255]

i fitted an after market carrier, and it was a little sticky, however now after about two weeks it has freed up nicely and all works well

[PersonaNonGrata]

Originally Posted by Crispy3M

Can't thank the OP enough for this thread.

1.5 hours.

Cheers!

Glad it helped!

[Ricky Bobby]

Did my aftermarket one last week. Bolted up fantastic, and you can tell how much "tighter" the door handle is when opening the passenger side now, shows how much wear these carriers take after a few years.

It really wasn't hard at all and thanks to this DIY i'm sure it will take me faster for the next one, the hardest part was clipping the door panel back on!

[aimtimes100]

just finished my fix up.4 hours because that carrier didnt want to cooperate. just s tip, that collar has to go exactly where it was when the first carrier came off.that added a lot of extra time to my fix...

[JimG]

Thanks for the procedure - it was a big help! I feel bad though as it took me a lot longer than some others claim!

A couple of additional notes:

1. Read the other instructions regarding removal of the door panel before starting.
2. Get a supply of both fasteners better to have them before you start than do it with the car apart! ( 6 of each - dealer cost $37.20 )
3. Step "It will take some patience and fiddling to get the new carrier in." is understated - it can take a while.

Bought the part from Rockauto $49 + shipping ( $20 for 3 day), got it in two )

Definitely not the easiest job, but these directions saved the day!

And I figure that I saved around $200-250

Thanks again

Jim

[Blade69]

Just came from the stealership today. $448 they wanted. He actually told me it was mostly the part. Right away I was like "I don't like this dude." A quick Ebay search and I found a genuine BMW part for around $105. Needless to say, I'll be ordering it, with the plastic clips and doing it myself.

[Russianblue]

FYI, safety wire fix STILL holding after 18 months! granted, relatively light usage, but still holding nonetheless....