92 525i Driver door will not unlock

[barry8108]

have a 1992 525 touring. Central locking and all doors worked great, then we had 5 days straight rain here in Memphis, now the drivers door will not open. Central locking is working, i was able to get the door panel off with out destrying it, have searched everywhere, any ideas? i see it has happened to a lot of people, but no fix. please help!

[shogun]

From an old bulletin for E34, maybe also works on front doors
lock rear doors: E34 locked rear door procedure
Special repair note: If the rear door lock actuator fails when the door is locked, the door cannot be opened to replace the actuator. The following procedure can be used to open the door without cutting the door trim panel.
-remove 3 screws retaining door trim panel at upper mount of grab handle, inside door release handle, and behind ashtray. Remove plastic door knob.
-Open the window and, using a putty knife or trim removal tool, carefully pry the uppermost part of the door trim panel away from the chrome trim by the window opening to get the upper retaining clips to release. The insertion of the tool is eased somewhat by pressing down on the trim panel.
-Carefully pry the trim panel back, and use a small block of wood or screwdriver handle to hold it away from the door.
-Use a long, thin screwdriver to reach between the trim panel and door, and peel the insulating sheet away from the door so that you can see the end of the lock actuator.
-Use a bar, or a long, heavy screwdriver to reach inside the door and contact the white plastic end of the actuator that the lock linkage hooks up to. Hit the end of the tool so that the white plastic end breaks off, disconnecting the linkage from the seized actuator. The door can now be unlocked and you may proceed with the repair in the usual manner.

[db9]

I had a similar issue on our 95 Touring ( except on rear)
I was going to use the process as outlined by Shogun but before I did ..

I did the following..

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2487743-Rear-door-mechanism-stuck-before-removing-door-panel-from-inside%85