[tracerit]

looks like my drivers door lock is busted and i'd like to save some money doing it myself. i haven't found any DIY guides or any mentions of it through search.

[chromisdesigns]

Not sure on a 330 -- on the 335i, it wouldn't be, as you need to do a reprogram of the central locking system if you replace the driver's side actuator -- that's the master module for the door locks. Unless you have a BMW shop computer, you are out of luck.

[ENINTY]

You should get the Bently repair manual and a BT scanner if you are going to DIY. The BT scanner is a must to make repairs on the E90; the thing is a rolling computer. The Bently and BT scanner will cost you $400. If you plan to do other repairs then it is worth the investment. If not, I'm pretty sure the door lock replacement labor is less than $400.

[GMWNashville]

Originally Posted by chromisdesigns

Not sure on a 330 -- on the 335i, it wouldn't be, as you need to do a reprogram of the central locking system if you replace the driver's side actuator -- that's the master module for the door locks. Unless you have a BMW shop computer, you are out of luck.

idk who told you that but they lied..its a pretty simple job just remove the door panel, use a razor blade to cut the sealing butyl for the vapor barrier. then theres 2 ways to remove the actuator. you can either pop the window loose from the regulator with a screwdriver and some pressure and unbolt the regulator or just unbolt the regulator and play with the actuator to get it out(obviously unscrew the 3 screws holding the actuator in. also dont forget to remove the 2 points where the harness clips into the regulator as well as removing the door lock portion by taking out the rubber plug in the side of the door and unscrewing the allen screw then gently taking it out. its pretty simple once you get into it...

[chromisdesigns]

Originally Posted by volkswackin

idk who told you that but they lied..its a pretty simple job just remove the door panel, use a razor blade to cut the sealing butyl for the vapor barrier. then theres 2 ways to remove the actuator. you can either pop the window loose from the regulator with a screwdriver and some pressure and unbolt the regulator or just unbolt the regulator and play with the actuator to get it out(obviously unscrew the 3 screws holding the actuator in. also dont forget to remove the 2 points where the harness clips into the regulator as well as removing the door lock portion by taking out the rubber plug in the side of the door and unscrewing the allen screw then gently taking it out. its pretty simple once you get into it...

Uh, huh -- and then how do you reprogram the central locking system, which is REQUIRED when you replace the master door module?

[tracerit]

i just got a hold of the BMW TIS Service Manual so i'll have to see what's going on, but what else is the master door module referred to as?

what kind of cost would i have to look at to have a shop computer reprogram the Central locking ssysteM?

[geo]

if the actuator is on the passenger side i still need to reprogram the central locking? I still didnt get how u remove the actuator , if there would be a diy ...

[chromisdesigns]

Originally Posted by tracerit

i just got a hold of the BMW TIS Service Manual so i'll have to see what's going on, but what else is the master door module referred to as?

what kind of cost would i have to look at to have a shop computer reprogram the Central locking ssysteM?

It's the locking module on the driver's side that is the master.

As for cost, why not call a BMW shop and ask?

[chromisdesigns]

Originally Posted by geo

if the actuator is on the passenger side i still need to reprogram the central locking? I still didnt get how u remove the actuator , if there would be a diy ...

I don't know the answer to that one. Maybe not, but there is probably a good chance it will throw a code, needing a tool to read and reset it.

[geo]

OK just stoped by to say that my right side actuator started to work tday after i have removed door cover and instaled HIFI speakers ,pulled the conected wires a lil so i dono if its just some luck due to wires there or is just SF . And i was about to order a new one tmorrow . ill see how long will this last but so far works perfectly .

[tracerit]

oh wow, maybe i should just open my door and play and make sure all connections are working before buying a new part haha. thanks for the update!

i still haven't tried to fix it yet, i spent $500 on a new mtech steering wheel and the pbx haha.

[reckhard]

My driver door actuator crapped out today. I checked the fuses and no issues with them so it must be the unit itself. It locks but will not unlock...

So I'm wondering if anyone has actually bought a new drivers side actuator and replaced it themselves? Is what chromisdesigns says actually true - that some sort of reprogram is required or is that just speculation?

I took a look at the service bulletin http://www.bmwtis.com/tsb/bulletins/...p/B511907g.htm and it does not talk about any sort of reprogram. I can buy a new one for $164 and quite like doing this sort of thing myself. Also anyone know why the service bulletin says to replace both front units at the same time - is there a technical reason or is it just for preventative maintenance?

[tracerit]

thats exactly what im going through as well. drivers side locks but wont unlock. i think its cheaper at tischer, the parts for both front is like 66? search the part number there.

[reckhard]

OK - I bought a new driver side door actuator and replaced it today. Everything works the way it should now. I did not replace the passenger side actuator, no programming seems to be required. The replacement isn't the easiest but once you get into it it isn't too bad. The procedure is to first remove the door lock. Lower the window so it is 4" from the bottom (important as you won't be able to unclip the glass in any other location). Remove the door panel and peel away the cover to get inside. Unclip the glass and manually lift it to the closed position and tape it there. Unbolt the window guide rail and move it aside. Unscrew the actuator, and remove the wire clips as well as the door handle cable. Now just put in the new one and put it all back together. I didn't take pictures but if your going to do this I would download the BMW TIS manual software and follow thier illustrated procedure.

[sloc]

Did you disconnect the battery first before changing out the actuator?

[spdy330]

I see you are in OC. Contact EAS and ask them about reprogramming the master module. They may be able to do it.


http://www.europeanautosource.com/

EAS European Auto Source
1305 E St Gertrude Pl
Unit B
Santa Ana, CA 92705
(714) 369-8524


Good luck!

Originally Posted by tracerit

looks like my drivers door lock is busted and i'd like to save some money doing it myself. i haven't found any DIY guides or any mentions of it through search.

[reckhard]

No I didn't disconnect the battery (although the TIS says to)

[Hankdoll]

Originally Posted by reckhard

Lower the window so it is 4" from the bottom (important as you won't be able to unclip the glass in any other location). Remove the door panel and peel away the cover to get inside. Unclip the glass and manually lift it to the closed position and tape it there. Unbolt the window guide rail and move it aside. Unscrew the actuator, and remove the wire clips as well as the door handle cable. Now just put in the new one and put it all back together. I didn't take pictures but if your going to do this I would download the BMW TIS manual software and follow thier illustrated procedure.

I don't have access to TIS, how did you safely unclip the glass without the "special tool" and disconnect the wire clips? I tried last weekend, but since I can't see inside the door I really wasn't sure how to unclip / unhook the actuator from the wire harness clips & handle.

Any other tips? Will give it another shot this weekend when I have more time.

Thanks!

[reckhard]

Hi, I downloaded the BMW TIS (shop manuals) via Bittorrent. You could do the repair without them but I wouldn't want to. It helps to have a nice illustrated guide.

I just used a screwdriver to unclip the glass - not too sure why a special tool would be required as it's not that hard. The key is to get the window height right as there are slots in the window guide that let you get at the clips only at the one height (and its pretty hard to change the window height once you've got the door apart.) Other than the window height the only other non-intuitive thing about the process is that the door lock (the thing in the outside handle you stick your key into) has to be removed before you can get the actuator out. If you don't you'll break it.

[cisfinmark]

Problem: The driver's side door will not unlock with fob or central locking button. The actual key and door handles work fine for unlocking and opening this door. All other doors operate normally. Fuses 56 and 57 were fine.


Fuse 56 was replaced with a 20 amp mini as suggested.
http://www.bmwtis.com/tsb/bulletins/...p/B511907g.htm

The actuator was ordered for $34.82 from Tischer
GetBMWparts.com
part#
51217202143

The tools used are pictured below. The Bentley service manual was also used as reference.
The plastic trim tools worked really well. I got mine from ECStuning.

The driver's side window was brought down so that about 4-5" of glass remained visible.

The "wood" trim was removed using the plastic trim tools starting toward the inside (right-hand-side of the photo).

The three Torx-20 screws were removed from the panel.

To remove the door panel I started toward the top inside corner near the window speaker (right-hand-side of the photo), again using the plastic trim tools. I worked clockwise until all that remained was removing the panel from the upper clips. The fasteners hold up well as I removed the panel a number of times. Once the panel was removed over the unlocking button, the wires were unplugged, and the Bowden cable was unhooked (see photos).

The unlocking button rod was pulled straight out of the actuator.

The power cable to the windows has press-point and rotating lever to get it unhooked from the panel (see photo).

I removed the door light and replaced the bulb with a wedge LED for good measure.

The vapor barrier was completely removed. It goes back on nicely.

No special tool was used to unhook the window glass from the window regulator. I just used the plastic trim tools behind the glass to pry the clip out enough to pull the glass up. See the photo with the circular hole in the glass to see what you're dealing with.

Once the glass was out, I removed the two 10 mm nuts holding the outside window regulator guide to clear some space.

The door lock was removed by removing the small circular cover on the side of the door and removing the 4 mm Allen bolt. As far as I can tell, you must remove this first or the actuator will not come out.

With the door lock out you can can reach up from the inside of the door and unclip the wires from the actuator. There are two: one is on the bottom; the other is on the side. The wires are tied to plastic plugs that are pressed into supporting holes on the actuator. You can see these a bit in one of the photos showing the exterior door handle cable.

To unhook the exterior door handle cable from the actuator reach from the inside of the door and grab the white plastic end and pull it out of its slot in the actuator. The second point of attachment should come off the actuator lever at the same time (see photo of cable end). Be sure to get both of slotted attachment points back on properly on the new actuator and confirm that the exterior handle works before closing things up.

I then removed the actuator by removing the three Torx-30 screws.
For comparison I've shown the old (left) and new (right) actuators from several angles. Also shown is the actuator and door lock, showing the point at which the door lock enters the actuator.

The installation of the new actuator was reverse of the removal. The only issue I had was with with improper installation of the exterior door handle cable to the actuator (mentioned earlier). The battery was also a bit run down.

[reckhard]

Good photos and writeup. This should help out anyone 'on the fence' about doing it themselves.

The only thing I did differently was that I didn't completely remove the glass. I lowered the window until it was about 10cm from the bottom, unclipped the glass from the guide and then taped it into the open position. From there I could unbolt the guide to move it aside enough to remove the actuator.

I can't believe you cheap you can get the part in the US...

[cisfinmark]

Reckhard, it was your post that inspired me to give it a go. So, thank you for leading the way.