2003 Z4 Central Locking Problem

N

Newyorkmikey

Member
So, when I press the unlock button on the remote, the 'knob' on the drivers side door only comes 2/3 of the way up, and the door remains locked. The motor makes all the right noises, it just doesn't go as far as it should. It's temperamental, and works sometimes for a day, then next time it won't. The passenger side works fine.

Recently the key has stopped working in this situation too, and after about 3-4 attempts to get the drivers door unlocked, the windows drop to half way open and the roof unlocks itself. I assume it's recognising that there's a problem and making sure you can get in.

I had a search and found some similar problems on the board, but none with the '2/3' travel from the lock... any suggestions as to whether it's a WD40 job, new actuator, or whole central lock computer??

It's a great car apart from the electrical issues - I also had the 6 CD changer stick recently (and fixed it with strategic "tapping" thanks to advice on this board - great resource).

Thanks,

Mike
 
I'm having the same issue now. It can be a real pain, as it works occasionally, then not, and you never know. I think the driver's door is the only one that contains the "top-down" logic in the lock mechanism, so maybe there are some extra actuator mechanicals in there that get bound up. I seem to remember reading something about this somewhere, and the jist of it was that if you take it to a dealer, they will tell you they need to replace the "central locking system", at a hefty price. Very hefty as I recall. :(
 
Ouch - thanks for the reply. I was hoping it wouldn't involve replacing the whole central locking system, but don't know enough to argue otherwise should the dealer say it's necessary.

I'll take it to my local BMW indy in a month when the service is due, and see how that goes... I will update the thread in due course unless anyone pitches in before then!
 
Update on my central locking. It was the worst case scenario, the relay on the central computer that talks to the central locking motor in the door.

My local indy (Peter Mabey BMW in Sydney) wouldn't entertain sourcing a part from our favourite OEMs (they're nonreturnable as they need to be programmed with the car info), so I had to pay up. Just under $1,400 AUD fitted and programmed ($1,100 AUD for the part, about $500 more than it would have cost to get from ecstuning or similar). Big ouch, along with Inspection II means I'm broke for a while after a service bill of just under $2,500 AUD ($2k USD).

If I was in the US, I would have given the relay replacement a crack (or at least sent it to a pro for soldering) as my bank balance feels violated..! :?
 
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