post #1 of 17 How to open (passenger) door stuck in double lock I couldn't find any DIY, tips or tricks that solved the problem I had on my 01 E39 M5. Front passenger door was stuck double locked aka dead locked and could not be opened from either the inside or outside. The tricks I tried but failed to solve the problem included taking the battery terminals off for 1 hour and connect them with each other to drain all power, supposedly resetting all the modules; hitting the open/close locks button 100 times or slamming on the inside/outside of the door. Im sorry I didn't take too much pictures during the process but will try to write it down as good as possible. I recommend buying a new door lock actuator before starting the fix, so after removing the airbag the airbag light will not illuminate. Tools that I used: Torx (for inside door handle) short/shallow 10mm socket + ratchet long flat head screwdriver Take the black glossy piece of trim from the top/inside of the door, just pull up.

Working from outside, push the door card inwards so you have a workable gap, you will be able to lift it over the (chrome) rod. With a screwdriver, pop out the airbag cover. It will break some foam but it is easy to glue this bag together with no visible damage. Disconnect airbag and remove the bolts holding the airbag in place using the ratchet for the top 2 and the spanner for the bottom one. Pull airbag out through the gap on top. Disconnect door lock actuator. Using a long flat head screwdriver, pry below the white plastic on the actuator where the physical lock is located and it will pop open. Now you will be able to remove the door card and replace the FUBAR actuator. Images are clickable for higher resolution. I did not disconnect the battery but I strongly recommend doing so, just to be safe while working with explosives. The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Spiller For This Useful Post: alex1020 (10th March 2012), chowdah (3rd April 2011),

mailman (3rd April 2011), zed.inc (8th March 2013) post #2 of 17 post #3 of 17 post #4 of 17 post #5 of 17 post #6 of 17 Originally Posted by Spiller +1, you are asking for trouble keeping the failed one in place. If you find this post unsatisfactory, please add me to your Ignore List so you will not be disappointed again in the future. Prior - 98 540i with Chevy 6.6 LS2/T-56 power - Build Thread Older - 92 325i with Chevy 6.6 LS2/T-56 Power Oldest BMW - 95 M3 with Chevy 6.6 LS2/T-56 Power post #7 of 17 Muffler Delete w/ Timmay Tips RK Autowerks Carbon Fiber Cold Air Intake Dinan Rear Sway Bar Painstakingly Custom German Precision Platicus Dippidus Kidney Grills Intravee II + BSW DSP Adapter + Alpine KCA 420i The List Will Grow.... post #8 of 17 2001 E39 M5 : Silverstone Blue, 19" Breyton Spirits (horribly rashed...Genuine BBS LM's to go on), Philips Silverline Indicator Bulbs, Intravee II and Alpine KCA-420i (in a box in the house) and 160GB iPod Classic , Evolve headers and race cats to go on, otherwise standard at the mo...

"I look at it like this. Owning an M5 is kind of like dating a slamming hot big-t...ed blonde, who is a pain in the *****, drains your cash, but screws like there's no tomorrow. Owning a Honda Civic or the like, is akin to dating a girl who is fat, ugly, smells a bit where she shouldn't, is a cheap date and doesn't screw at all (you don't mind). where to buy wayne dalton garage door partsSo yeah, I'll take the blonde." 2014 jeep wrangler 4 door top removal /vbulletin/e39...ry-thread.html if I ever get around to anything...sliding barn door kit uk Cabin Filters 6/3/11, Bosch wipers 21/5/11, OEM air filters 24/5/11 (110,920), Oil Change, Oil Seperators and Thermostat 07/08/11 (112,699), Final Stage Resistor, Coolant Temp Sensor, Silvered Indicator Bulbs 21/08/11 (114,110), Private Plate 23/10/11, Came home from storage 13/02/13garage door opener installation columbia mo

post #9 of 17 Originally Posted by spiller Amen to that safety precaution! post #10 of 17 Quote message in reply? Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive. Please enter a valid email address for yourself. In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.This article is one in a series that have been released in conjunction with Wayne's new book, 101 Performance Projects for Your BMW 3 Series. The book contains 272 pages of full color projects detailing everything from performance mods to timing the camshafts. With more than 650+ full-color glossy photos accompanying extensive step-by-step procedures, this book is required reading in any 3 Series owner's collection. The book was released in August 2006, and is available for ordering now. See The Official Book Website for more details. If you are not the original owner of your BMW, chances are there are quite a few things amiss with your car, and you are left wondering how they got broken.

There probably isn't a place on the car with more gadgets and devices that break than the door. Not only do you have window glass and potentially leaky seals, but you have door handles, mirror switches, window regulators, door stays, and door panels--all of which are very susceptible to breakage or damage. Even if you only work on your car from time to time, there is a very good chance you will need to dive into the door to fix something that has broken. This project specifically targets the replacement of the door lock assembly, but because there are so many moving parts on the door, I'll discuss just about everything else as well. The first step in working on your car door is removing the door panel. (An important note: If you're looking to remove your outside mirror, you do not need to remove the door panel; see Project 76.) Photos 1 and 2 detail the process of door panel removal. The toughest part is pulling the panel out from the door, it is attached with 11 plastic clips that can be difficult to snap out of their frames.

Also, the door panel often separates as you pull it away from the frame, leaving the plastic door pockets attached. Never fear, though, these are easily glued back on at reassembly time with some 3M Super Weatherstrip glue. With the door panel removed, you should see a foam covering glued onto the back side of the door. A black, sticky goo attaches this to the door, which can be removed and reused again if material is still pliable. Be careful not to tear the foam covering when you remove it, though. With the panel removed, you will have access to a number of items inside the door. The door stay can simply be unbolted from the door frame and removed. The plastic door handle can easily be swapped out. The window regulator can be removed or repaired (see Project 70). Any door seals or channel guides that need renewing are accessible to you as well. If any door-mounted speakers are broken, don't forget to replace them while you have the chance. The E36 speakers have a thin outer lip on their housing that often cracks as people bang on the door panel with their feet and knees.

Unfortunately, this small lip is an integrated part of the speaker, and you must replace the entire speaker with a new one if you want to fix the broken lip. One common failure point of the E36 BMWs is the small switch located inside the power lock assembly. These switches get a lot of use, and when they wear out, they can cause all sorts of problems. Switches that are stuck open tell the car the door is ajar all the time. The dashboard chime may ring continuously, or the gauge cluster may experience some erratic behavior. If the switch is stuck closed, then coupe and convertible owners may have a heck of a time opening and closing their doors because the window won't roll down that 1/4-inch or so to allow you to pull it away from the car. The replacement of the lock assembly is detailed in the sequence in Photo 5. On my 1993 E36, I had a really tough time chasing down a fault with the alarm system and door locks. I thought for sure it was related to the door switches, but in the end, the problem was related to faulty wiring in the trunk.

(See Photo 2 of Project 82 for more details on this failure.) Closing up the door panel is straightforward. I always like to use new plastic door panel clips because not only are the new ones cheap, the old ones get brittle and may break in the very near future, causing an annoying rattle. Don't forget to install the foam covering. It's very common to accidentally leave this on your workbench, only to discover it later on when you are putting your tools away! If you would like to see more technical articles like this one, please continue to support Pelican Parts with all your parts needs. If you like what you see here, then please visit our online BMW catalog and help support the collection and creating of new and informative technical articles like this one. Your continued support directly affects the expansion and existence of this site and technical articles like this one. As always, if you have any questions or comments about this helpful article, please drop us a line. Shown here is the sequence for removing the door panel.

A: Slide the outer door handle trim piece toward the front of the car to remove it. B: On this convertible, there's an additional hidden screw on the passenger-side door handle underneath a small plastic plug. The location and quantity of screws varied slightly over the years. C: Below the handle, two small plastic plugs cover two screws that secure the handle of the door panel to the door frame. D: Eleven of these small plastic clips secure the outer edges of the door panel to the door frame. Carefully pry each of these out of their mating holes to remove the door panel from the door. Shown here is the back side of the left (driver side) door panel from an E36 convertible. There are 11 plastic clips that attach the panel to the door. You need to remove each of these clips from the door prior to removing the door panel. It will feel like you're breaking the door panel, but you will need to apply significant force to pull off each of the plastic clips. Use a stiff plastic spatula to wedge the door panel out without scratching the paint on the door.

The blue arrows show the back sides of the two door speakers, and the red arrow shows the side mirror switch. With the door panel removed, you should see the foam covering (top). This material has a plastic back to keep moisture out of the door and a foam front to help reduce noise in the interior. Carefully remove the foam barrier by peeling it back. It's attached to the door with a gooey, black adhesive. Be careful not to tear the piece as you remove it. The bottom photo shows the door with the foam barrier removed. The purple arrows point to the four rivets that need to be drilled out if you are removing the window regulator. The blue arrow shows the Allen bolt that holds the end of the window regulator to the door. In the inset photo, you can see the back sides of the two door speakers. These speakers need to be disconnected prior to removing the door panel. Reach around the top of the door panel and disconnect the wire harnesses by pulling on them carefully. The mirror switch simply pops out of the door panel (left).

If you need to replace this switch, pry it up out of the door and unplug it. If you're removing the door panel, then remove this switch. The plastic door handle is a part that can wear out and break (center). With the door panel removed, replacement is a snap. Simply unbolt the door handle, detach it from the actuator rod, and install the new one in its place. While you have access, you might want to replace your door stay, if it's worn out (right). Simply unbolt it and remove the pin from the body. This photo sequence shows the procedure for replacing the lock actuator and switch assembly. A: Start by disconnecting the wire harness that attaches to the lock actuator. B: Remove the Torx bolts that hold the entire latch assembly to the door. Don't forget the bolt that is on the side of the door. C: Loosen and/or disconnect the actuator rod (green arrow) from the door lock assembly. D: Maneuver the assembly out of the door with your hand. E: Pull the entire assembly out of the door so you can access the black plastic actuator on the top of the latch assembly.