Door handle needs extra effort to open door

N

Nigel-Z4

Member
I've only had this 2003 E85 3 litre Z4 for a few weeks now. From the very beginning I've had to lift the door handle extra hard and toward the back end to open the door.

My mechanic stripped away the inner panel etc to check it out and said he could not see how it could be sorted.

So I took it to BMW who tried to make adjustments just behind the rubber flap on the edge of the door near the lock mechanism, but it didn't work. So they said it would be £80 for them to strip both door panels away and investigate and that it could be that the door handle mechanisms need replacing; sounds like it could be expensive.

Anyone else had this issue as I've heard this happens a lot.
 
Hi,
Yes, we have the same model car and the door handle on the passenger side is difficult to open, as is the bonnet catch.

I've WD40'd the bonnet (probably needs something a little more substantial though) and may try this with the door handles too.

In fact, come to think of it, the boot started to self open recently and eventually wouldn't close...WD40 (not an advert :) ) seems to have sorted that out though...I think the actual lock (for the key) gets so little use that it gets a little sticky over time.

Jon
 
Ah, good tip on the lock being used with a key. I might try a little WD40 into the actual key opening and put the key in and give it 50 turns.

On another geeky note, do you guys know what WD40 stands for?

Here goes, WD stands for Water Displacement. Now here is the funny part. It supposedly took the lab 40 attempts to get the formula right. They in fact mastered the formula in 39 attempts. But then afterwards when they where trying to think up a name for the stuff they decided WD39 didn't have any ring to it, so the boss said 'hey, how about we do one final test just to be 100% sure', saying this with a smile on his face so they could genuinely call it WD40.

Although most sources will simply say that it took 40 attempts in the lab by the chemist, Norm Larsen, they always omit to state the fact that the 40th one was not really necessary; true.

I leaned that on a documentary about WD40 years ago; yup, there was a TV programme about it.
 
Bowden cable between the door mechanism and the lock is stretched.

Fairly common problem and usually in hot weather when the cable stretches and makes it harder to pull enough to open the lock.

Needs the inner door card off, new mechanism or cable and rebuilding.

Leaving it will in time cause you to break the handle.

WD40 won't help much as it's a water displacer and in time dries.
 
Likewise for the bonnet - the cables stretches there as well making it difficult to open.
 
I'm waiting for BMW to get back to me to quote me on supply and fit of mechanism and cable to drivers door. I bet it is going to be around £400.
 
is it a constant problem or from time to time. mine is only effected when the door has been in direct sunlight for a few hours
 
Nigel-Z4 said:
BMW want £197 supplied and fitted for cable and handle mechanism. I'm going for it.
Click to expand...


Sounds reasonable, I had the same problem...well it started off like yours but then wouldn't open at all - cost me more at an Indy!
 
Bumpy bump...

My bonnet was getting hard to open. In the end it wouldn't open. I put it down to the cable but it was actually the latch that had become massively stiff. WD40 and any oils just attract dirt and seem to seize them up. I really highly recommend if your bonnet is hard to open that you remove the latch and really give it a full clean (submerge in cleaning solution and get super clean)... refit dry and it should be ok. I managed to break mine while releasing the bonnet with a screw driver hence needing a new one.
Mine releases after about half the bonnet release pull now, rather than right at the top as it was before.


And that leads me onto the door handles. Is the cable really stretching or is this stiff mechanisms? Mine get worse in the heat, usually it releases after a pull, then release back, then pull again and it opens more easily. But the drivers side is starting to do it now in hot weather.


I forget how these look inside when I did my door cards but I have a feeling it's gonna be the door mechanism itself that just gets a bit dirty? Anyone taken one off, cleaned up and refitted to find it working better?

If that doesn't work then surely the cable can be shortened relatively easily (thinking those things that tension barbed wire fences, but used in-line with the existing cable?)

Hmmm

Dave
 
I agree a good cleaning could get the mechanism working, though a stretched cable is possibly still part of the problem. (I'd be really surprised if there is some way of adjusting the cable though) Mitigating one part may cause the other part to appear to not be an issue... for now. Still worth a go IMO. I agree grease and oil are not ideal lubricants because they attract dirt. But having moving parts with no lubrication makes my skin crawl. I've had good luck using the PTFE based dry lube meant for my mountain bike chain on various parts. I used it on my bonnet catch, while it's now a bit dusty, no extra dirt has been attracted and it still operates smoothly.

One thing for sure, while WD40 has many great uses, lubrication is not one of them, you will get a similar result trying to lubricate something with diesel fuel.
 
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