[djviru]

Okay so I got in the car this morning to go to the gym and the door opened just fine, the car has comfort access so I usually just pull the door handle and it opens.

I was leaving the gym to go to work this morning and the driver side door would not open. The lock pin would not come up, I tried the normal comfort access pulling, keyfob unlock and even jumped in from the passenger side and tried pulling the handle twice, none of these methods would open the door. The only thing I got to open the driver door was using the physical key!

Has this happened to anyone? Any suggestions? What could cause this?

PS - The car is no longer under warranty

[493263]

Happens to pretty much every car I own. I forgot the exact part name but it's about $200. It's like a capacitor that stores power to pop the lock open.

[493263]

I believe it's called the lock actuator.

http://www.trademotion.com/parts/201...&siteid=214697

BMW Genuine Factory Part
Part Number: 51217229461

LOCK ACTUATOR 5 Series; w/o Auto Soft Close; Left
Includes Door Lock.

Fits 2011 BMW 535i xDrive Base
MSRP
$221.49 Save
$44.30 Online Price
$177.19

[lsturbointeg]

Originally Posted by 493263

I believe it's called the lock actuator.

http://www.trademotion.com/parts/201...&siteid=214697

BMW Genuine Factory Part
Part Number: 51217229461

LOCK ACTUATOR 5 Series; w/o Auto Soft Close; Left
Includes Door Lock.

Fits 2011 BMW 535i xDrive Base
MSRP
$221.49 Save
$44.30 Online Price
$177.19

+1
Also...any stereo/alarm shop can put these in if u don't want to be raped by dealership labor.

[djviru]

I do have Auto Soft Close doors

I hope its not much more.

[djviru]

I found the part# 51217185689

Cheapest I found was $330 shipped on eBay for Brand New and $170 shipped for used.

[djviru]

Anybody know of a DIY for a F10?

[493263]

Originally Posted by djviru

I do have Auto Soft Close doors

I hope its not much more.

BMW Genuine Factory Part
Part Number: 51217185689

LOCK ACTUATOR 5 Series; w/Auto Soft Close; Left
Includes Door Lock.

Fits 2011 BMW 535i xDrive Base
MSRP
$442.97 Save
$88.59 Online Price
$354.38


i guess it is much more lol

[493263]

Originally Posted by djviru

Anybody know of a DIY for a F10?

This is probably not one of those things that doesn't need a manual. It didn't look complicated when I had the door opened to change my speakers and tweeters.

First, I would make sure it's that part that's broken. Stick a volt meter on it and test it.

But to give you a ballpark of how much it cost to fix. I had it fixed on my Infinity M35X a few years ago. Both my front doors' actuators needed replacement. It cost me about 2 hours of labor. Total came out a little over $400 for parts and labor.

[djviru]

Originally Posted by lsturbointeg

+1
Also...any stereo/alarm shop can put these in if u don't want to be raped by dealership labor.

Have you used an alarm/stereo shop to install one of these? How much is the difference in savings?

[bake]

I believe mine is going bad as well. My drivers lock pops up very slowly. I just haven't had time to bring my car in though.

[493263]

Originally Posted by djviru

Have you used an alarm/stereo shop to install one of these? How much is the difference in savings?

Depends on the shop. But if they've got good qualified people, then they would charge you nearly the same per hour for labor anyways. It takes 2 hours max so I wouldn't worry much about the labor cost. Just find someone that knows what they're doing and guarantee their work.

The good news is that the actuator doesn't seem to throw codes

[djviru]

So I was driving home and stopped to get gas, the gas door actuator wouldn't open, I had to use the emergency gas door release from the trunk to get the door open.

It's too much of a coincidence for both things to go bad, I now suspect it has something to do with the fuses.

[OEMonsterz]

Very unlikely to be your actuator unless your car sees very adverse weather conditions or the battery has been drained a lot. Have you checked the key fob power? Definitely check the fuses.

Replace batteries in both key fobs and you may need to sync the door and key fobs again.

Check car battery with voltmeter

[djviru]

How many volts should the car read?

[493263]

Originally Posted by OEMonsterz

Very unlikely to be your actuator unless your car sees very adverse weather conditions or the battery has been drained a lot. Have you checked the key fob power? Definitely check the fuses.

Replace batteries in both key fobs and you may need to sync the door and key fobs again.

Check car battery with voltmeter

Battery can cause it but that means the other doors should behave the same. It's easy to test by lock/unlock all doors about 10 times. If they all start acting slow, then it's your battery. The actuator uses a capacitor to store enough energy for a quick burst to force the lock open when you unlock. A weak battery wouldn't charge it fast enough if you rapid fire with lock/unlock commands. If only the driver's door is being lazy then it's just that one actuator. If they all randomly lock/unlock at the same time like they selectively take commands, then it's your fob's battery.

It doesn't sound like a fuse problem since it would affect more than just the driver's door actuator.

I don't know exactly how the gas door work but I think it has to do with the driver's door actuator. My gas door don't open sometimes unless I unlock the driver's door. So the driver's door lock system being broken could mess with the gas door.

[493263]

Originally Posted by djviru

How many volts should the car read?

Slightly over 12V

[djviru]

I got in the car this morning and all my radio presets are gone too! This is becoming a huge pain in the ass...

[djviru]

Wow.... So I tried playing with the lock and unlock, I noticed the doors aren't actually locking. The lock pin is staying up for all of the other doors except the driver.

[djviru]

Definitely don't think it's the actuator now, no way all of them can be bad.

[493263]

You need to try resetting your ECU. If that doesn't work, you may need to replace it.

My previous '98 528 did the same thing after 5 years. It only happens during high humidity and rainy days... and eventually everyday. Then it started messing with other more important things like traction control. I'm guessing the seal is broken in your ECU/TCU modules like what happened in mine.

[djviru]

Autozone wouldn't test it. The guy was so scared to touch anything. Advanced tested it but didn't take off the connector. He just attached it to the small screw (I'm not sure if that's good enough of a connection) but it only produced 556 CCA, the battery is rated at 800.

What's even weird is that the front door did open when I shut off the car and pulled the handle twice. I just can't repeat it.

Definitely sounds like the battery now.