When real cold door won't latch

[hinchcliffe]

Yesterday and today I had to heat the car up before the door would latch, So I'm trying to shift, steer and hold the door closed, great if I got in an accident.

Anyone else have this issue? Anything besides Lithium "White" Grease should I try spraying into the latching mechanism?

Curt
'97 528i

[Jean-Claude]

That happened to me one time. From then one when it was real cold I would be careful when innitially opening the door. Didn't have another problem.

[Fastx525ixGuy]

Same thing happened to me. Just start your car 5-10 minutes before your actually leaving.

[thejlevie]

I've seldom heard of this as being a problem with more modern BMW's, but it was a fairly common problem with late 80's or early 90 models in colder weather. The complete fix then was to remove the lock mechanism, clean out all of the grease and re-lub it with LubriPlate. I had to do that on my 90 735i, which completely fixed the problem.

[HansundFranz]

This is a fault that occurs with early production E38 and E39. I think there's a service bulletin about it. The fix is to replace the latch with an updated part.

[r0x]

Had a similar problem today on an E32. Right/rear door wouldn't open - had to push it open from the inside. Then, it wouldn't close and latch fully. Turns out the snow on my roof had melted in the sun, trickled down the shady side of my car, and froze in the door jamb. So while the latch was OK, the door still couldn't open or close properly.

I banged lightly on the ice with a wrench, and it all fell away. Door worked fine after that.

[GoodguyFly]

Same thing happened to me--complete with shifting and steering. you have to just let it warm up for about 20 minutes and keep your vent on full at the hottest temp to get things heated up.

[bill k]

This happens on y 2001 X5.

[Glenn 328is]

This happened to me twice a few weeks ago. It was in the -34°C to -38°C range. I slammed the door a few times and would just bounce off. I worked the latch with my finger and it eventually closed. I use a spray lithium lube as well.

[choffa]

The spray lithium grease is the problem. In very cold temps it thickens to the point that the mechanism sticks. The best thing to do is thoroughly clean the mechanism (will need to remove inner door panel to gain access). Flush out grease with CRC brake cleaner or other cleaning solvent, then lubricate with a light synthetic oil.

CJH

[thejlevie]

The spray lithium grease is the problem. In very cold temps it thickens to the point that the mechanism sticks. The best thing to do is thoroughly clean the mechanism (will need to remove inner door panel to gain access). Flush out grease with CRC brake cleaner or other cleaning solvent, then lubricate with a light synthetic oil.

I remember this as a chronic problem on '90's vintage BMW's. The fix was pretty much as described above, but the preferred lube was Lubriplate. It has very good temp/viscosity properties.

[Mr.Stabby]

the latch problem is common with me. only happens with the back doors. cold outside try to close it and it just bounces off. i just switch the child safety lock on and off or knock it a few times till the desired click is heard.... works every time