[Shock(/\)ave]

I'm scheduled to deliver the 325iS to the new owner on Sunday afternoon and it's obviously not happy about it. This morning when I approached the car I noticed the driver's door was still open. I didn't think much of it until I got in and tried to close the door only to realize it would not shut at all.

Needless to say the drive in to work was interesting.

The plastic latch isn't in the locked position, it still moves freely by hand and it'll still trigger the window sensor to slide up, but it will not click and lock. What part(s) do I need and what type of job and I looking at? I'm very short on time to get this fixed...

[PurduinaM3]

I'm not sure about you, but the only time I had this problem was in the middle of the winter after I got a car wash. The door mechanism froze and wouldnt close, and I had to hold the door closed the entire way home. I used a hair dryer to warm it in the garage and then it worked again.... I doubt thats your problem though since its summer....

[jvit27]

[Braymond141]

You looked in the latch and pushed the hook back? Go look at the good working side and compare to the non-working side.

[M3CH]

Originally Posted by Vitolo 2.0

With all their beady little eyes and flapping heads so full of lies....

[C H]

Originally Posted by Braymond141

You looked in the latch and pushed the hook back? Go look at the good working side and compare to the non-working side.

Should just need to pull up the door handle then with your finger push the catch down so that it looks like a 'C' instead of an 'O'

[Shock(/\)ave]

Thanks for the help everyone.

Instead of continuing to drive around with my seatbelt looped through the door frame I decided to tackle this problem on my own. After some extensive research I determined my latch was now broken and would no longer lock; the entire assembly would need to be replaced. I called around and sourced a complete used replacement door latch assembly from one of our many excellent local suppliers for $50. Picking up the assembly required an interesting trip on the highway during rush hour traffic and through a sudden summer storm.

I managed to complete the replacement procedure in just under an hour and a half and I now have a perfectly functioning door again.

[Shock(/\)ave]

For anyone unlucky enough to find themselves in the same situation: you do not need to remove the window glass or the external door handle to complete this replacement in a coupe.

• Start by pulling off the door panel and peeling back the weather barrier.
  
  
• Detach and remove the inner door handle and loosen the inner door handle connecting bar.
  
  
• Reach in through the main opening into the inner door and feel around behind the actuator on top of the door latch assembly for the plastic retaining clip; push the clip away from the actuator and lift the actuator off the door latch assembly using your other hand by gently pulling on the harness.
  
  
• With the actuator removed and disconnected use a small pair of pliers to push the metal bar which extends down from the external door handle out through the plastic retention piece on the door latch assembly, then push the entire assembly upward (it obviously must be otherwise detached for this to be possible) and toward the outer edge of the door to unhook it from the external door handle bracket.
  
  
• If at any point you find yourself unable to move the door latch assembly due to the door lock pin bar take the small pliers and bend the bar as necessary; the bar may easily be bent back into shape upon reinstallation.
  
  
• Installation is the reverse of the removal process, though you should thread a small leftover piece of bar or thick wire through the plastic rention piece where the external door handle bar will be fed through to keep the arm from falling inward; once you have the external door handle bar lined up use it to push the piece of bar out of the retention piece and you will thread it through correctly in the process.

I apologize for the lack of pictures, but I needed to get this repair done quickly as I need to take the car to work tomorrow morning. This job is tricky and requires a great amount of dexterity, but it definitely falls within the realm of something you should try tackling yourself.

[pjo928]

Shockwave,

Need a little help. Working on replacing the exterior door handle assembly using your procedure. I got as far as step 3, getting the actuator off (top metal frame of door handle assembly broken off). I wish you had some pictures so I can figure which metal bar I need to push out through the plastic retention piece. It looks I'm 1 step away from removing the assembly. Any other thoughts?

[Shock(/\)ave]

Originally Posted by pjo928

Need a little help. Working on replacing the exterior door handle assembly using your procedure. I got as far as step 3, getting the actuator off (top metal frame of door handle assembly broken off). I wish you had some pictures so I can figure which metal bar I need to push out through the plastic retention piece. It looks I'm 1 step away from removing the assembly. Any other thoughts?

I had to work very quickly and figure many things out myself as I went along so there wasn't time for pictures.

You absolutely need to disconnect and remove the actuator to get enough room to work for the remaining steps of the process - otherwise you're looking at removing the window glass. Here's a thread with a side view of the actuator still mounted:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=131544

The picture you're looking for is in step 7. You can just make out the metal mounting plate the actuator sits on and the black plastic tab on the far left of the actuator. You need to use all of your manual dexterity to reach in and push back (toward the outside sheetmetal of the door) on the edge of the black plastic tab while pulling up on the actuator to free it. A thin small flathead screwdriver might help if used as a wedge between the black plastic tab and the actuator casing.