Google and NAM and AllData searches were a no go, anyone have the TSB for this? I need to see which able needs to be adjusted where to fix my doors.

Apparently, the dealer used glue (silicone) for the warranty repair last summer so in the heat the door wont open form the inside (how handy) so I'd like to fix this the RIGHT way.

 

The serivce bulliten # is
M510506
Body - Cannot Open Door From Inside

If anyone has a copy of this please let me know.

 

Funny you post this today. My driver side door won't open from the inside either. The problem just arose and I am 1,000 miles past the warranty period.

I bought a new cable for $12 from the dealership and plan to fix it myself this weekend using info from http://www.mini2.com/forum/faq.php?f...aq_faq_removal
to remove the door panel.

And from http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...88&hg=41&fg=40

to try and fix it myself.

Good luck.

Sprung

 

Bump.

Can anyone help us out?

 

Help?

The Dukes of Hazard thing starting to make me fear door dings

 

This is a response to a pm from sprung. I figured I would post it here cause it seems like theres more then one that needs some info. It seems pretty straight forward, I've done this repair on other vehicles and it wasn't that difficult.

The attachments are screen shots from the TIS service manual. If you can't read them or if you need some more info let me know and I can email you what you need.

 

Heres the Realoem picture link.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...88&hg=41&fg=40

 

Thanks!

 

Why buy a new cable?? The cables aren't broken are they, the only ones I have seen (at the dealership) have just come out of place. The bulletin just says to apply felt tape around the cable end to secure the connection.
I have yet to have any return for the saame problem on an already corrected cable. Its just that the round piece (on the cable) is not fit tightly and can come loose from the holder. by placing some sort of felt tape around the plastic piece you making the fit tighter keeping the cable from coming loose again.

 

Do you have a copy of the bulletin? This is the 4th time I had this happen to my passenger side door, I had it happen 3 times on the drivers side, then they replaced the cable, and knock on wood, it's been working fine since.

 

I bought the cable because I didn't want to open up the door panel to fix a loose cable and find out that it is broken, then have to go back to the dealer for the part.

I haven't done it yet (this weekend was busy), so I'll try it next weekend.

 

So Sprung,

how did it go?
Cable broken, loose, easy fix or hard?

mine's been broken for 2-3000 miles...drives me crazy but
the dealer here is reaally worthless, and super expensive on top of that

So I've been waiting to get into it..looking for some motivation

 

I haven't done it yet. My weekends have been busy.

When I do get to it, I'll try to take pictures for you.

 

Hey guys - I used this thread to fix this problem on our 05 MCS today. Without the info here, I guarantee I would have broken some interior pieces and probably never would have found the loose cable end. Thanks for the good info!!

 

Had the same problem in my 05 cooper. The cable for the inside handle slipped out of the housing. Had to remove the inside panel, move the window support, disconnect the outside handle cable, remove the three latch screws and remove the latch assembly so I could see how the cable is attached. As it turns out most of this activity was unneeded because I had to put it all back together and then connect the cable. There is a little plastic door that opens from the top and toward the outside door skin and allows access to the place where the slot in the end inside release cable connects. The best way to see it is with the little door open and a small mirror and flashlight. The cable end slips over the metal pull and turns to lock in place. The cable sheath then snaps into the side of the housing to keep it in place. This is most likely where the problem started as the place that is supposed to hold the sheath isn't very secure. I put a little dab of silicon GE II on the sheath to keep it in place. By the way, I also had to push the cable clamp/holders out to get enough cable free to make the connection. Also, the door lock button is somewhat in the way so it is easier to slip it out of the way, just unsnap toward the door outer skin. Be patient when trying to connect the cable. Small finger are nice for that job. I hooked it several times but had it slip off while trying to secure the sheath. Hope this helps a little bit. Not really that difficult I just had no ideawhat it looked like and had to take the hard route. (The little door can be popped open at the place where the cable enters the housing) The third picture posted by Mylittlemini above shows it the best. Wish I'd seen it before embarking on the fix. Good luck

 

I opened up the door panels yesterday. Thanks to all the tips and how to's on that. It was actually very simple. The hard part was in actually getting to the latch assembly. I could see it, but I did not want to actually remove it for fear of not being able to fit my hands back in there to put it back.

In any case, in my stumbling around in there, I realized the cable was still attached, because I could pull on it and open the latch. In the end, I made sure the cable was tight and put it all back together and it works fine.

For now, at least.

 

Ditto, I did my pass side today, this thread made is so easy. Thanks again to everyone on NAM that makes owning a MINI a joy even when fixing it.

 

I did my drivers side door tonight and it was a pain in the ***. I had to pull the whole latch assembly out to get it all fixed up. I used a tiny cable tie to secure the end so that it won't come off again.

It took two of us about an hour and a half and we left a 3D Maglite in the door. I think it would be a lot easier next time because we spent so much time working to get the latch assembly out of the door.

 

This is all great information. . .except that I can't open my driver's door at all. How can I get the door panel off with the door closed?

Help!
Ben

 

Good point, Ben! Jeeze, sounds like one heck of a jam to be in... There must be a way.
Off topic - I skied at Loveland Pass back in 1983 (Air Force days). I was stationed at Lowry AFB at the time. I love the Rockies - but there's no ocean nearby! Also skied Vail and Breckenridge. Breck was my fave.

 

I climbed in the window and took the car to a heated parking garage for about 3 hours (best $2 I've spent in a while). I walked around and got some coffee, came back to the car and the doors opened just fine. I haven't tried the doors yet this morning, but at least I have a way to get them open. I greased the latches, hopefully that helps.

Ben

 

My 04 MCS had the problem with opening the driver side door last night. I can open from the outside, but not from the inside. I cracked the door panel a few mins ago and it seems that all was in order except the tension on the cable is just too lose, not pulling on the door latching mechanism enough to open the door. There are 2 cable guides that routes the cable, between the guides there is a hole in the door. I used a spare interior trim piece plastic snap that fit perfectly in the hole, routed the cable above the snap extending the run for the cable slightly. It does not add any additional stress on the cable, but picked up enough cable slack to make the door open perfectly as new now.

It all took about 10 mins to undo the door panel, fit the snap, and reinstall the door panel.

 

thanks Mylittlemini...your posted info helped me tremendously (drivers side door cable loose)...I decreased the slack a bit and all's fine again...this forum is certainly a great resource for all !

 

Ugh. This wound up taking me about four hours, although that probably would have been cut in half if I had seen Slimmini's post (above) before I started.

Symptom: Driver door would not open from inside (pulling interior handle did nothing) -- had to roll window down and use outside handle. Locks worked fine.

Problem: Bowden cable had come loose from armature inside door lock assembly and was hanging free inside the door.

Solution:
Remove the door panel -- it is held in place by four Torx screws, two of which are exposed and two of which are hidden. One screw is behind the reflector at the top corner; pry gently from the bottom with a small screwdriver to remove the reflector. The other one is behind the armrest pad; slide a thin, rigid blade (I used a putty knife) under the front part of the armrest to release a plastic tab that holds it in place, then slide the armrest forward (toward the front of the car). DON'T try to force the armrest off directly -- the plastic tabs that hold it in place WILL break. Remove all four screws. Next, remove the protective cover around the door handle and tweeter; slide a small screwdriver up underneath the cover directly under the door handle to release one tab, and the rest will follow easily. Slide a putty knife (careful not to scratch the paint) between the panel and the bottom of the door to loosen the retaining clips, then work from that point to the top of the door. Pull the panel out at a 45-degree angle and then lift straight up to release the six retaining clips at the top of the door.

The interior door release cable should now be visible (to the point where it passes into the door about two-thirds of the way back). Reach into the door and follow the path of the cable; if you have the same problem I did then you will be able to find the end of the cable hanging freely toward the back of the door -- this is not good. The free end of the cable with the metal eyelet should be attached to an armature inside the door lock assembly. There is a plastic door that is released by a tab located at the top of the lock assembly. Once that door is open the armature should be visible using a small mirror (like the one in a cosmetic compact) and a flashlight. The armature moves freely when the exterior door handle is squeezed; I tried doing this myself (holding the exterior handle with one hand and trying to thread the cable with the other), but it's quite a stretch. I didn't succeed until I had someone hold the door handle for me so I could properly position myself to reach into the door. It is literally like threading a needle, but once you have a sense of what you are doing it doesn't take that long.

 

I had the same problem on my 2004 mini cooper, except (fortunately) the eye-loop of the bowden cable wasn't disconnected. Instead, the problem was that the blue piece of plastic (at the point in the bowden cable where the metal cable exits the rubber tube) was dislodged from its position in the lock mechanism and needed to be snapped back into place. Once you take the door panel off, you will see what I am referring to. I only wanted to add this to the thread because it took me a while to figure out what was wrong (since the cable seemed to be perfectly attached). Also, it takes a bit of force and finagling to get blue piece of plastic into place. Once it clicks, everything should work again. If anyone knows the correct term for that blue piece of plastic, feel free to add it.

Cheers,

Ben