[tylset]

I have a 1999 E39 528. About a week ago my front passenger side door would not open from either the inside hande or the outside lock. All other doors work fine. I can hear the electronic locking mechanism working inside the door, but the door won't open. I tried removing the interior handle and manually pulling on the cable, however that didn't work. I went to the dealer who told me that they would have to pry the interior door panel off with the door closed, and said it would be a minimum of 5-6 hours and $600. Any ideas on causes or solutions to this problem would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[dyami]

i would tear the inside of the door panel off myself and take a look to see whats wrong. once you can find out the broken part, then your next step is to find that part and install it.

 

[tylset]

I tried that, however the door panel is impossible to remove without breaking when the door is closed, and a new door panel would be that much anyway....I would love to make this a DIY project if at all possible though

 

[dyami]

take the panel apart when the door is open then shut the door and lock it and see what happens. the moving parts in the door dont rely on the door panel so its safe to remove when the door is open.

 

[Torque]

take the panel apart when the door is open then shut the door and lock it and see what happens. the moving parts in the door dont rely on the door panel so its safe to remove when the door is open.

He can't open the door from inside or outside ... which means he can't open it at all ... which means it's permanently closed.

I really have no idea how you would go about fixing this without taking to the dealer though ... I've never heard of such a thing happening.

 

[mmardood]

i have the same problem the door does not open anyway

bmw 528 1997 the rear left door dose not open,

i open the panel from inside and knock on the machen with scrow driver and its works after one day its stop opening again i reopen the door panel from inside and hit it again but now way to work l look at it very carfully to see what is the problem but i see nothing wrong, what can i do now?

 

[witeshark]

The latch linkage must have a damaged part. It may need to be looked at by a tech.

 

[BimmerE39]

I had a similar issue, except I was able to unlock/open the door from the outside. You have a very odd situation as I wasn't able to find anything on Google about it either. The only thing I found about having doors get stuck is having them frozen shut which obviously does not apply here.

 

[DonJ]

I wonder if a lock smith might be able to use a slim jim or something to work the mechanism from the outside. I guess it's worth the call to a locksmith.

 

[marti5]

It has to be a problem with the actuator, its a black box connected to the lock mechanism, it does unclip ....but its a pain in the arse to get off, then you will be able to get a hooked coat hanger and pull the toggle on the lock mechanism, downwards I think, maybe upwards I cant remember, and open the door.

Update:

Here ya go

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=DD63&mospid=47585&btnr=41_0061&hg=41&fg=45

You see that hook near #8 thats the hook you have to hook , #2 is the actuator which you have to remove 1st to allow you to get to the hook, as the actuator is hooked to the hook , if you see what I mean.

 

[marti5]

Here you go:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=DD63&mospid=47585&btnr=41_0061&hg=41&fg=45

you see the hook near #8 thats the toggle mentioned which is connected to #2 the actuator, so you have to remove the actuator to get to the toggle and pull up or down.

 

[marti5]

Here you go:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=DD63&mospid=47585&btnr=41_0061&hg=41&fg=45

you see the hook near #8 thats the toggle mentioned which is connected to #2 the actuator, so you have to remove the actuator to get to the toggle and pull up or down. Then the door will open.

 

[marti5]

^^^ dont know what the hell happened there as it wouldnt upload as you can see from the wording tried 3 times so cancelled and wrote it again and now its all appeared weird!!

 

[cipher]

I have the same problem with front passenger door i haven't found anyone that has any ideas on this. i see and hear the door locks go up and down as i lock and unlock door but neither inside or outside handle will open it. taking the panel off while closed is tough because you can pry it off in some areas but where the air duct on the door meets the body there is a screw holding the panel in so that sounds lke a dead end unless you dont mind breaking it.
i really dont want to go to the dealer because i believe its an easy fix as long as its open. if anyone has any ideas please let us know ill try anything at this point

 

[ralliart10]

I have the same problem Was this problem ever fixed?

 

[Lord Vader]

I have the same problem Was this problem ever fixed?

It is possible to remove the door panel with the door closed, very difficult but possible. Plan to break the door panel because the odds are against you.

You need to pull the panel back far enough to see the push rod that causes the lock mechanism to open. See if you can stick your hand in and pull it. That should release the door.

 

[cipher]

I have the same problem Was this problem ever fixed?

My solution may not b for everyone. I bought a used panel on eBay for $10 then covered my seats and dash w plastic for protection and grabbed my angle grinder. A 1x1 foot window was cut in my panel allowing me to take apart the lock and finally get the door open. I replaced the faulty part and all is well. Do not break ur panel off u need ur trim and plastic vent piece they r hard to find and expensive. Finding a replacement without these is easy and cheap. Stay away from the dealer they will rip u off!!

 

[ralliart10]

My solution may not b for everyone. I bought a used panel on eBay for $10 then covered my seats and dash w plastic for protection and grabbed my angle grinder. A 1x1 foot window was cut in my panel allowing me to take apart the lock and finally get the door open. I replaced the faulty part and all is well. Do not break ur panel off u need ur trim and plastic vent piece they r hard to find and expensive. Finding a replacement without these is easy and cheap. Stay away from the dealer they will rip u off!!

How were you able to take apart the lock?

 

[cipher]

I used a dremmel w a right ange attachment to hack at it. U may not have to. It depends on what ur issue is. Prying at it or pulling the rods may get it open. 1 last tip- disconnect the battery before u start. Unscrew 4 bolts holding the airbag,unplug and set aside. If this is removed while battery is connected it will trip ur airbag lite

 

[ralliart10]

Got the door open finally and found a solution for everyone that cant still open there doors