Door Handle Won't Open both Inside and Out on 2005 330Ci? Ideas??

[Z4fan]

Hey guys,

My passenger door handle just went and I can't open the door, neither from the inside or outside.

2 questions:

1) How do I open the door to fix the problem? Can I take the door panel off, or part way, while the door is still closed and manually 'click' the door mechanism to open?

2) Is this normally just a cable the broke? Or loose from it's connecting spot?

I appreciate any help that is offered!

Cheers
Tony

[this3is4me]

this would be a help to me as well, this morning my remote wouldn't unluck my doors and I had to use the key to get in....

I also wasnt able to open my pass side door from the inside either.... wierd

I have a 01 330I

[2Bored330ci]

Don't know if you're going to be able to do this one at the house. I don't think you can remove the door panel without the door being open, without causing damage to it, that is.

The interior door handle is connected with a rod and it is pretty secure. Also, being that both handles are out, I'm guessing it isn't the handles but rather the latch which is probably failing to disengage. When you pull on the handles, do they return back to their normal position or are they really loose?

[Z4fan]

The interior door handle is connected with a rod and it is pretty secure. Also, being that both handles are out, I'm guessing it isn't the handles but rather the latch which is probably failing to disengage. When you pull on the handles, do they return back to their normal position or are they really loose?

Both go back to their original position, not loose. When you use either one, you don't actually feel anything (feels as if it's not connected) but they do go back as if there is some tension.

Thanks for the help btw

[redneckrice94]

I would call a good locksmith (One that high end car dealerships use & have a reputable name in the area.) It will probably be about $80 for a basic opening but usually they can give you better ideas on what is wrong and what needs fixing.

The only one I know of is in the Twin Cities, but they come out in $50,000 mercedes/dodge sprinter trucks with graphics wrapped all over the vehicle, and are the only ones in the area other than dealerships with the $10k+ worth of machinery to make high end auto keys and remotes on the spot, without even having the key.

[jreyes19]

Hey guys,

My passenger door handle just went and I can't open the door, neither from the inside or outside.

2 questions:

1) How do I open the door to fix the problem? Can I take the door panel off, or part way, while the door is still closed and manually 'click' the door mechanism to open?

2) Is this normally just a cable the broke? Or loose from it's connecting spot?

I appreciate any help that is offered!

Cheers
Tony

how did it "go"
when you tried to open it did you hear a noise
does it give the same resistance or is it loose

it would be hard to get door panel out wilth a closed door and the seat in the way i imagine

but i am sorry about that, it sucks
idk any knifty tricks unfortunatley sorry

[Gigatron]

Sounds like a possible GM5 issue. Could be that the internal relay that operates the passenger side door has died.

Now before you think I'm nuts, the doors on these cars, are electromechanical. The door handles connect to an electronic actuator, inside the door, which interfaces with the GM5 module. Pulling on the handle doesn't actually open the door. It signals the GM5 that you're trying to open the door and the GM5 pops the latch. It's a terrible design with known safety issues, but BMW refuses to acknowledge it.

It's not the end of the world, though. Go to this website http://www.bmwgm5.com/ and read through all the sysmptons, to see if you can narrow it down.

I need to send mine to this guy, shortly. I have intermittent door lock issues and it's driving me nuts.


As far as getting the panel off, unfortunately, there's no way, with the door closed. To remove the panels, you'd need to pop the clips that run the border of the panel - and there's no way to access them as they're blocked by the door jamb. Even popping the tension clips that run under the window and removing the screws behind the trim panels won't get you anything. The panels are a combination of plastic and very stiff fiber board. There's no give in those things. You might try turning the car on and off a few times - you might get lucky and a few power cycles might reset the relay. Or, if you can pull out the glove box and give the GM5 a few whacks, you might knock something, just enough, to let you unlock the doors.

-Fred

[2Bored330ci]

Yeah, definitely doesn't sound like a rod just popped off. It may be with going by the dealership and having them diagnose it for you st least. Then at least you know if its computer or mechanical.

[simonhla]

There was a thread reasonably recently where someone faced this same issue. I think he somehow managed to get the panel off with it closed. You'd probably have to seach pretty hard to find the thread though.

[Z4fan]

"how did it "go"
when you tried to open it did you hear a noise
does it give the same resistance or is it loose"

No noise, nothing really. Someone was trying to get in and nothing happened. There is some resistance, I saw a video where the inside handle was actually out of its normal spot, mine goes back to the original spot.

"Sounds like a possible GM5 issue. Could be that the internal relay that operates the passenger side door has died."

Hmm i never knew this, thanks for the info. If there is tension, perhaps the link is intact and it is a GM5 server issue. What a brilliant design LOL

I'll look on that site and see what I can find. Do you know if it's possible to 'reset' the server by disconnecting the battery, or some reboot function? Or is it possible the GM5 is fried and I have to buy a new one?

geez what a pain in the butt...

Thanks for the help though guys, I really appreciate it!

[FiveNine]

Might have missed it but can you lock and unlock that door?

And from my experience with my own door, there is a steel wire connected to a flimsy white piece of plastic which uses leverage from the pull of the door handle to open the door itself. May have broken off that connecting piece? Just a guess...

Good luck

[Gigatron]

"Sounds like a possible GM5 issue. Could be that the internal relay that operates the passenger side door has died."

Hmm i never knew this, thanks for the info. If there is tension, perhaps the link is intact and it is a GM5 server issue. What a brilliant design LOL

I'll look on that site and see what I can find. Do you know if it's possible to 'reset' the server by disconnecting the battery, or some reboot function? Or is it possible the GM5 is fried and I have to buy a new one?

geez what a pain in the butt...

Thanks for the help though guys, I really appreciate it!

The GM5 has a series of internal relays (I think one for each door, 1 or 2 for the windows, 1 for the wipers and something else). Sometimes, the relay breaks a connection on the board, sometimes the relay just dies. A broken connection leads to intermittent functionality. Disconnecting the battery won't do anything, really. I'm not even sure power cycling will do anything - just a theory that the vibration of the engine cranking might be enough to give you enough of a connection to pop the locks.

But, you don't have to buy a new GM5. For $90 + shipping, the guy that runs the website I linked to, will rebuild your existing unit. The car will function with the exception of door locks, windows and wipers (IIRC). A new unit from BMW is somewhere in the several hundred dollar range.

Might have missed it but can you lock and unlock that door?

And from my experience with my own door, there is a steel wire connected to a flimsy white piece of plastic which uses leverage from the pull of the door handle to open the door itself. May have broken off that connecting piece? Just a guess...

Good luck

The cable is spring steel, so in order to force it to break the connector - that takes some serious effort. And even if the connector was broken, the handle would flop around. I know all too well about that problem . But since he says the handle returns to the original position, I would comfortably rule out a broken connector - at least on the handle side.

Now, on the actuator side, that might be a different story...

-Fred

[Z4fan]

So question, when the door is locked and you pull from the interior it first pops up the little knob indicating the door is unlocked, then you can open the door. The "broken" passenger door still can push the little knob up, if the cable was broken would that link also break? If it's still connected, would this then mean the door is still locked and a GM5 issue?

From the outside it feels exactly the same as the drivers side door (which works) and from the inside it feels the same as well, it just seems locked.

Thanks for all the ideas and help, I really appreciate it.

[Z4fan]

btw: if I took it to a dealer to make sure it's a gm5 issue, how much would it cost to diagnose? i don't usually go to the dealership, but it might be worth it to get them to make sure what the issue is before I start taking apart the GM5

[2Bored330ci]

After reading up on the GM5 module and the services that Scott provides, you may want to email or call him to get his opinion. He states on his page that if one door on a coupe doesn't work, it may or may not be the GM5 but considering his expertise, I'm sure he'd know more.

As far as getting it diagnosed at the dealer, if they are nice they will do the diagnose for free or they will charge you an hour of labor which can run from $85-125+. Best bet would be to call them and see.

[TonyT]

Look up "Doors locks are crazy" thread on e46fanatics. There is 10+ pages of useful info there.