my mini has made me spoiled. i love the feature of being able to pull the door handle inside have the door unlock and then pull it again and have the door open.
sadly this feature seems to have broken, and i now have to open the door using the unlock toggle and then opening the door
personally this sounds like a job that i can do and fig out on my own, but i dont want to screw up and mess up something else within my door (windows, poor windows, power locks) and have another problem on my hands in my new baby so i was wondering if anyone else has had this problem and can guide me in adjusting the inner door release. it clearly is the problem and just probably needs to be readjusted to hit the (semi) manual lock tab

i hope this makes sense :impatient

 

It makes perfect sense as I just discovered this *cough* feature *cough* last thursday, but I have regular service coming so I was just planning on letting the dealer take care of it for me. Also that same day I realized that even though the passenger side still has the unlock, in order to open it one must use the extireoir handle.

 

well its officially become a problem becasue the enitre interior door release has pretty much shut down, the only way i cna get out of my car through the drivers side door is to open the window reach out and open the door using the exterior door handle

i tried fiddling with the door, but theres only one little slat that gets you tp any of the inner door machanisms, and all you can easily reach is the physical door lock, the cable/pulleyt sytem that is connected to the interior door handle cant be reached easily.

i was wondering if anyone had a graphic of some sort or directions of how to get more into the door (which i would assume would be by taking of some interior panels maybe.

also do you think this job might be abit too serious and maybe i should take it to my mini dealer and let them deal with it (hopefully theyll give me a loaner, but i doubt it since im under 18 theyll prob have some BS clause saying i cant get a loaner)

 

This happened to me, my SA said it was know problem, a slipped cable or some such. The fixed it in no time at all and works fine now. I'd vote for having them fix it.
Good luck.

 

I had this problem with my car last summer. The clip that they used for a while to hold the cable that opens the door was apparently rather easy to break. The dealer can put in a new clip, or i think I've read about people that have taken off their interior door card and basically zip-tied the cable to the clip. I haven't seen the actual inside of the door without the door card on, but i would think that once you get the door card off, it should make more sense. But, if you are relatively close to a dealer, they should be able to fix it in a couple hours and it will be covered under warranty

 

well id hope this covered under warranty, and/or the free maintanence, but was it insignificant enough of a problem for them to fix that you think i could just drop by my mini service center, appointment-less and get the deed done

 

This would be a warranty fix and a known problem. They shouldn't take too long if thats all you need done, but I'd give my SA a call before leaving the house as a courtesy to them and also to make sure there isn't a line of people waiting to have oil changes and the like done. Let us know how it turns out

Here is the TSB:
http://www.alldata.com/tsb/BMW/11387...506/index.html

I purchased my MINI on the last day allowable by the TSB*giant sigh of relif*!

 

04 MCS, take it to the dealer! You still have the warranty!

Goodluck,
William

PS, I couldnt live without that feature!

 

thanks for the info.
fortunately my mini is covered, unfortunately the mini dealer thats on my way home i generally dislike, theyve always copped an attitude toward me and my dad (when he owned a BMW he used to get serviced from them)
hopefully a printout of this TSB should ensure me a generally hassle free tiem with them again thanks and ill give the report of how it turns out probably tomorrow night, though i may wait for the weekedn and drive out to my mini dealer of choice

 

well i know its been like what almost ten days since i last posted on this subject, but i said id keep you updated (though im not sure how many of you really care) so yesterday i went to the local dealer whom i hate to get it fixed. well it turns out that although there showroom personel are @$$h0le$ the service center guys are very nice. i had a very pleasant experience and within an hour (maybe an hour and a half iw asnt really paying tha tmuch attention to the time) i had my door fixed, along with my brakes flushed. i have to say i am very happy though i still disliek the fact that this certain dealer has the service center blocks away form the showroom so while your waiting you cant eye new BMW's and mini's (if you live in SFL around ft lauderdale beach youll know which one im talking about).

well the saga has ended and let me end by saying its nice to be able to get out of my car without having to open the window and grab at the exterior door handle form the inside of the car

 

this has happened to me 3 times: once on the pass. side and twice on the driver's side. The "repaired" driver's side lasted about a year before it broke again

 

well my "repaired driver side" has lasted me about a week and is already out again, let me say im very disspointed now with the service center i went to, i specified that they put in a whole new unit, and like an idiot i just assumed they did, but after the interior door latch stopped working again i looked back at the repair sheet and it saysthey rapped a piece of felt tape around the bowden cable to fix the problem.

now after seeing this i really have no desire to go back to this dealer, but since they dealt with me before would it make more sense for me to go back to this dealer and complain, or just head out to another mini dealer and make sure they replace the hwole bowden cable system?

 

So if they know this is a manufacturing flaw and I have 52K miles, you think they'll take care of me or tell me to fvck off?

Motor City Mini charged me for a brake job under 36K even though I'd complained of squeaking/grinding pads since 8K.

I think they'll be charging me.

 

I had the issue reappear, just before tow full weeks of the untial fix, I have an apointment for tues. I was told to expect to wait the whole day, so they'll schedule me a loaner, part of me wants to sit in the service bay as the tech does the work.

 

I have had this break 3 or 4 times now. I had it "fixed" by a dealer 3 weeks ago, and it is already broke again. My closets dealer is 90 miles away, so this is a huge pain. Anyone know how to fix it without the dealer?

 

-V-: That sucks! But don't blame your dealers service department too much. It says right in the TSB "Don't replace the mechanisim". I bet they get it right the next time.

Still a big hassle though. :(

 

I just got back from Motor City Mini.

Total bill was $375.
OUCH

 

yes, ouch.

 

Motor City Mini sucks......

 

okay, i'm having this same problem but i can't open my door from the outside either. i had to crawl out thru the passenger side to get out! HOW EMBARRASSING!!!! How can i talk up a car whose doors wont open?? - unless it's the General Lee - it's not okay!!!! AS MUCH AS I PAID FOR THIS CAR EVERYTHING BETTER FVCKING WORK WHEN I FVCKING WANT IT TOO DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love my MINI - BUT SIX TIRES LATTER i'm getting REALLY frustrated with the maintenance! as you can tell.. GRrrrrrrrr dare is say ~ I WANT MY CAMARY BACK!!!!!!!!! GOD LOVE THE TOYOTA'S

So what do i do - short of driving it off a fvcking cliff?? My dealer is nearly two hours away and since visiblity is down to like five feet this is NOT an option... i need to get in and out of my car! like now - Today.

and the door isn't frozen shut - i got in it just fine, and it's happend before when there wasn't any snow and about 50 out