Duck tape...

 

Same thing happened to me. I have the soft latch doors. It's really a problem as you can't drive the car without the doors fully latched. At first, last year, the dealership refused to accept that there was a problem. When I complained again during service this fall, they admitted that there was a bulletin describing the problem. Has to do with some rusting of the mechanism, I think. It had to be replaced at the cost of between 500 and 600 dollars.
I have issues with the passenger side door not unlocking from the inside door handle. Again the dealership service people refuse to accept that there is an issue......... We'll see

 

Ours was replaced once already! Still does it.

And woe if you try to drive it and let it slip open. The transmission slams into PARK!!!!!! Glad I learned that at very low speed!!!

Did it this morning....27 degrees.

Will see if I can track down the service bulletin and post here.

 

And here I thought "door bonk" was a problem isolated to VW products! I once owned a Passat with such bad door bonk that I carried a bungee cord with me during the winter. Needed re-greasing a few times/year. Sorry to hear it's happening on your (much higher quality) car.

 

I'd say defective part or poor installation during the replacement. It may need to be properly aligned with the metal bracket.

 

I'm familiar with this issue. It happened on my E39 too. Generally it isn't the cold weather, but it's conditions where ice can form inside the door or latch mechanism. It is the combination of cold *and* water or condensation.

I was lucky - my front passenger door refused to latch shut when I was asked to demonstrate the problem to a shop foreman. I'm generally not lucky in that way. They replaced some bowden cables, but not the latch. The latch in the same door was replaced later because the power lock was failing. I believe the dealer repaired BOTH front doors for the failure to latch problem.

On my E39, it was a lubrication problem. The latches do require an appropriate lubricant prior to going into winter weather. A lot of us who are out of warranty, avoid dealers, and DIY everything forget to actually lube latches and hinges. IN the E39 case, one of the smaller parts of the latch would not come down around the back of the striker pin and hold the door closed. A little heat and manual manipulation of that pin with a screwdriver and it worked again. Proper lubrication (thin enough to creep, not so thick that it gums up in the extreme cold, and something that drives away moisture) was the permanent fix.

BMW has a particular clear spray lubricant they recommend that won't goop up latches but is thicker and more durable than a typical thin spray silicone lubricant. I'll have to see if I can find some details too.

If someone knows of a service bulletin reference, I'd love to see it. I'll go dig for my warranty info and part#s to see if it's helpful.

 

That’s my worry with soft close doors - so far 6 years and still ok. But one of these days it’s going to go - and happen at the worst time possible.

I hate the fact that it slams into park but imagine it’s coded to know not to shred the transmission and it’s not like I’m going to test it out.

Any maintenance that should be done on a still working system to extend life?



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That***8217;s my worry with soft close doors - so far 6 years and still ok. But one of these days it***8217;s going to go - and happen at the worst time possible.

I hate the fact that it slams into park but imagine it***8217;s coded to know not to shred the transmission and it***8217;s not like I***8217;m going to test it out.

Any maintenance that should be done on a still working system to extend life?

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I have soft close doors and I just use dielectric grease lol. Mine used to do that until I started putting lube on it. Also you can adjust the door latch hook so that it's easier on the latcher or mechanism.

 

Thanks. Do the normal doors force the car into park if they don’t latch?



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Thanks. Do the normal doors force the car into park if they don't latch?

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Yep. That's programmed behaviour if the doors are OPEN. Exactly what it does varies based on whether your seatbelt is fastened too.

Try to fix your location in a parking spot by reversing with your door open. If your seat belt is off too you can barely move. If the seat belt is fastened you can creep in reverse.

 

Dealer says bowden cable. $550. Um for what? R&R a 30 cable that takes 15 minutes to access?

I don't even think it is the bowden cable since I applied heat with a hair dryer to the latch and the door worked. I wan't heating the bowden cable at all at that point.

I think it is lube in the latch thickening to the point it won't all ow the latch pawl to engage.

 

I've currently got this issue right now where in the cold it opens but the latch just springs back up so it won't shut.

When I lean on the door and lock it with the fob it closes but then if you unlock it again it won't open .

Did anyone find out what there issue is because all I've seen is people got a latch and still has the issue .

Should this not be a re call issue?

 

As mentioned above…this is not a new problem but has occurred on past era BM….and it is caused by frozen parts within the door latch system. Because if you can get it somewhere warm (above freezing)…the door will operate normally.

When this happened back in the 1980s/90s with my e30/e31/e34…I started using a product that has TEFLON in it…it is called TRI-FLO. I have been using this product every year prior to the onset of cold/freezing weather and have never had the issue since.

Also, try not to wash the car if temps are going to be dipping below freezing. If you get rain/snow/ice/freezing rain…then hopefully the lubrication you used to disperse moisture & water will prevent the innards of the locking mechanism from freezing up.

If you’ve never heard of Tri-Flow…you can google it to find local vendors. A lot of bicycle shops sell because it works great on their chains,.

 

Where exactly are you spraying this? On the Bowden cables or the actual latch system. If it's the latch system, where exactly are you spraying it?

 

I use the Tri-Flow in/on the lock cylinders & latches...you can see the straw taped to the can...I insert the straw into the door locks...then insert the key and manually turn the lock cylinder to the manual (emergency) lock/unlock positions so that I know they work in case there's loss of power. On the vehicles that have a removable access to the door innards, yes, I spray inside that area, too.

I also spray the door latch and operate it so that any parts that move against each other are lubricated with the Tri-Flow.

Examples below of areas to lubricate for maintenance:

Some BMWs have an access point similar to the pic below...if you have one, you can remove and spray in this area, too:

Here's other areas you can spray:

 

So this is happening to me again right now with the cold snap we're having. I've lubed the crap out of everything - still happening. And only on the driver's door.

I'm not going to try to remove the door card to look around in this weather, I'm sure that various plastic bits will shatter.

The F10 has the access point cover, but it's to access the fastener that holds the outside handle on as opposed to giving access to something useful to lubricate.

If anyone has any brilliant ideas, I'm all ears Both my original and replacement latch does this to me from time to time.

I am developing a theory that it may be the linkage to the outside door handle is hanging up as if the outside handle is pulled.

 

@QSilver7 - you seen to be the expert in these things. I have done all of your things in past months - still encountering this issue. I feel it is the bowden connecting the outer handle to the latch, but I'm only 90% certain. An old halogen worklight pointed at the door if I'm safely back in my garage sorts it all out. I have removed the plug above the latch and looked around with an inspection camera, PTFE spray lube isn't getting to the right places to permanently fix. Keeps freezing back up. Too cold to pull the door card I think.... At least it's warming up a bit in a couple of days...

 

My BMW just developed this problem. I left my driveway and turned a corner at about 8 MPH when my driver's door swung open without incident. I'm about to try lubricating inside the door.

 

the bowden to the outer door handle has been updated technically.
but the replacement of the part is quite a time consuming job.

i had to do mine last winter.

 

the bowden to the outer door handle has been updated technically.
but the replacement of the part is quite a time consuming job.

i had to do mine last winter.

Except I probably already have the updated one (replaced by the dealer a few years ago) though I'm not 100% sure.

I've been in the door and replaced the latch myself back in 2019 - is it more time consuming than that? (i.e. once you have the door card and vapour barrier removed, is there something particularly awful about the cable replacement?)

Do you happen to be aware of an updated part number for the "revised" cable? Or was it revised under the same number? RealOEM tells me 51217297439

 

part number is the same but part is updated.
you have to remove the inner part of the door handle to hook up the cable. and for that you have to remove the weather stripping of the window and remove the b pillar trim -> there are screwes behind the stripping. otherwise you cant remove the door handle part in which the cable clips in.
also make sure that the vapour barrier is waterproof afterwards. the vapour barrier is also updated in 07/13 with additional sound insulation.

 

Oh goodie - that sounds like more hassle than I was hoping for. I'm at a decision point where I'm not convinced I'll be able to "lube" anything well enough to know that I'll be trouble-free for the rest of the winter. I was thinking of doing my best to source the part affordably and just get the job done this weekend. Especially at these temperatures I am concerned about other things which may accidentally break while I'm working, so I wanted to touch as little as possible.

From what you recall - is there sufficient access to the cable ends without doing the whole procedure that it might be worth the effort to get some water displacing lubricant into the sheath of the cable without replacing the cable? Or, do you need to do all the weather-stripping / B-pillar work just to access the ends at all? (particularly the handle end, not the latch end).

I also don't know 100% that the problem isn't at the latch, though I strongly suspect the cable has taken on some moisture in the sheath.

I can get it to work again by warming the outside door handle area with a lamp, or blowing hot air in the door handle bolt access hole. I spray lube in everywhere I can access while it's thawed and it still freezes back up again shortly.

Because I don't need to focus my heating efforts at the latch, I am guessing the issue is at the handle end of the cable. Now that my unheated-but-attached garage is cold enough to cause the issue (until it warms up soon) I have been able to experiment and observe a little - I can feel that the first pull of the outside handle doesn't feel right and then it's stuck until warmed again, so I don't think the issue is in the latch or the interior handle cable.

 

what i would to:
- open the driver door till better weather appers with inner door handle <- i did that till the part from bmw arrived from behind by opening the rear door from outside

There is no workaround. The problem with the cable itself is that it is bent like a U and I don't think you can remove the water from the cable with some kind of spray. There are also rubber grommets at both ends, which make it even more difficult for lubricant to penetrate.

the part itself it quite cheap

 

what i would to:
- open the driver door till better weather appers with inner door handle <- i did that till the part from bmw arrived from behind by opening the rear door from outside

So - when you approached your parked and locked car you first opened the rear door and released the driver's door using the inside handle. That does make sense. Not sure I can do that for the rest of the winter but let me see how much of a hassle that is .

Indeed, the part is relatively inexpensive.

One of the things I was trying was to spray lube while the handle was pulled. If the moisture is getting into the sheath at the handle end, pulling the handle then getting some lube onto the cable which will be drawn into the sheath should help. So far - no good - but I also don't have the door apart.

 

Replaced the outer door handle bowden cable (part 51217297439 for me). Found a small tear in the rubber seal at the door handle end. It has warmed up above freezing for the last week so there's no opportunity to know for sure that it's fixed.

Comments on the job:
- the procedure calls for removing the weather strip and the outside door trim. I didn't do this right away because I couldn't see WHY this needed to be done. As the job went on I could see that it was for easier placement of the outside door handle in its location because the trim piece extends into the door cavity 4" or so. I found I could not remove the trim easily - perhaps fixed in place with a little corrosion or something and I felt that I was going to damage something else trying to force it out. With some perseverance manipulating the door handle mechanism back into place I did not need to remove the trim. I did completely remove the door latch from the door

- If this is the driver's door which has the mechanical key lock, I recommend watching this video to refresh on the connection mechanism between the key lock and the door latch which is not talked about often enough

 

Just had my drivers door cable replaced for same issue ... door not latching in freezing temps until interior got warm. 2016 550 with 86k miles

 

The problem is with condensation getting in to the door mechanism through the poorly sealed membrane - I have the same problem on the one door I haven't re-sealed with "REEMO high performance butyl tape https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reemo-High-Performance-Butyl-Sealing/dp/B075SZ7XKF" - will be doing this when it warms up though. Also check the door drains to ensure they are not blocked and letting all the water out and check the door seals to ensure they have the correct "sponginess" as water travels through these also. Good post from Surly but the video shows the guy has removed the water barrier membrane - this is the only way water gets in your car - and it floods ( bitter experience) - make sure the barrier membrane is there !!!

 

Disagree. Water gets in the door all the time from the top at the glass interface. That's why there are multiple drains in the bottom of the door. The barrier needs to be there, yes, or water comes into interior of the car, but it is not a principal cause of doors not latching below freezing.

I linked the specific video I did because he is one of the very few people to cover the linkage between the physical key cylinder and the door latch in the driver's door which is important to get right. My link takes you right to the time code where he covers this detail. I did not intend to imply that everything contained in that video was done perfectly.

 

Thanks for this feedback.

my Indy indeed replaced the cable and stated the same issue. They resealed the door and will determine when it's below zero (next winter??) if the issue is fixed.

 

My Bowden cable repair still holding strong this winter

 

So far so good with my driver's door outer cable replacement, although I have not put it in the specific conditions which made it the worst (yet). This was usually an automated car wash followed by a plunge in temperature.

My pn was 51217297439. On disassembly I found a small tear in the rubber boot at the latch end of the cable which was letting water/moisture in. Some light rusting of the cable was visible through the tear and it stands to reason that water would freeze in this location and hang up the cable a bit, making it seem to the latch that the outside handle was being pulled slightly when it was not.

As I've probably posted before, my E39 had a similar problem but on that car it seemed to be lubrication of the latch itself as well. Worth trying that before opening the door.

 

I have the same issue and since Surly and Chicago 550x report that replacing the cable seems to have worked, I guess that’s my next job - I already replaced the actuator and then went back in there two more times to when it didn’t work. I am out of my mind with this. Need to exhale and just set aside some time for one more round of battling. Will report back when done.

 

When the cable fails, it acts strange, and you can feel it in the handles. It feels disconnected from the mechanism. I agree that it's important to determine if it's the latch or cable that's stuck. On my E39 it was a latch lubrication issue that snuck up on me because it worked fine except in arctic blasts. The little can't-recall-the-real-name bit that comes up like a thumb and clicks in to close the latch against the striker was underlubricated and froze.

My F10 acted in a way that could be described identically, but felt different. At first I tried lube in the latch but it became clear that wasn't the fix. The F series latches internalize all kinds of things that used to be in separate components (like power lock actuators). In my case, if you played with it a little bit after it's working again I could tell from the way it acts and locks that it was as if one of the door handles was pulled.

Shining a 500W halogen work light at the latch/handle area restored normal operation temporarily.

The driver's door has some extra tricks in it because of the mechanical key override. Linked videos help. I did not pull out my metal B-pillar trim like official instructions said since I was sure that was going to cause unintended damage. It was more of a struggle this way but I got it done. It would have been a piece of cake if I pulled the trim.

I guess I never posted a picture here of what I found. It's not a great picture, but is better than nothing. This tear in the boot was at the latch end. It's not visible, but there was rust on the cable itself and water in this location when I removed it.