Driver side door won't open from outside

[95tiSpud]

Hello, recently found this site and need some help. After following the how-to thread on permantly fixing the windows (thanks again), I found out why I can't open the driver side door from the outside. There it was in the bottom of the door; the lever that's part of the exterior door handle/lock assembly that pulls the lock mechanism open is broken. Do I need to buy the entire exterior lock/handle assembly from the dealer ($250 - $300) or can I buy just the lever part of the assembly and replace that? Or should I just pay someone to install it?

[cooljess76]

Your best bet is to locate the part number on realoem.com and then compare prices at pelicanparts.com or getbmwparts.com. Both of those sites sell genuine BMW parts for much less than the dealership. Otherwise, perhaps you can locate an e36 at the junkyard and get the parts you need for even cheaper. Anyway, here's a link to the realoem diagram and parts list for the door lock actuator:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...62&hg=41&fg=40

I highly recommend going to the realoem homepage and entering your vehicles information. Once you have your vehicle plugged in, create a shortcut to your desktop for future referrence. It'll open the realoem.com search page with your vehicle's information already plugged in

BTW, it looks like the door latch pieces are sold individually.

[95tiSpud]

Thanks for the info. I don't see the part I'm looking for yet but will keep searching. I am amazed at how much information there is on this site. I have a long way to go to get my '95 back up to par...

[L84THSKY]

If I may piggy back, my doors are both giving me trouble opening. The passenger handle has been getting stuck. I have to snap the handle up really hard to get the door to open. On my driver's side, the door handle is getting stuck too. The outside handle is not returning to the flush position after opening. Then when I try to get out of the car, the inside handle doesn't work. That's when I realized the outside handle was not fully closed. If I make the outside handle flush, the inside will now work.

Is this just in need of a good lube?

Originally Posted by cooljess76

Your best bet is to locate the part number on realoem.com and then compare prices at pelicanparts.com or getbmwparts.com. Both of those sites sell genuine BMW parts for much less than the dealership. Otherwise, perhaps you can locate an e36 at the junkyard and get the parts you need for even cheaper. Anyway, here's a link to the realoem diagram and parts list for the door lock actuator:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...62&hg=41&fg=40

I highly recommend going to the realoem homepage and entering your vehicles information. Once you have your vehicle plugged in, create a shortcut to your desktop for future referrence. It'll open the realoem.com search page with your vehicle's information already plugged in

BTW, it looks like the door latch pieces are sold individually.

[tiFreak]

Originally Posted by L84THSKY

Is this just in need of a good lube?

it's worth a try, just spray some graphite lube in there

[davemac89]

im also having a problem the locks on my doors or the hatch isnt working. i wanna just get remote locks at around. but if i can fix the problem it might be better