i posted thei question on an older thread about removing the door panel but not gettign any feedback so ill try a new thread.

i tried to get out of the car a couple days ago & the door **** felt like it slipped. now the door is stuck closed & wont open from the inside or outside. the outside lever feels like it has no tension so i believe it simply came of the lach mechanism. i tried last night to remove the door panel but seem to get it off. i removed all 4 screws & tried to pry the inside "circle" of the panel off but it wont come off. here's the question:
1) doesnt the "circle" part of the door panel come off seperate from the rest of the panel or is it all one piece?
2) will either one of them come off with the door closed? i cant get the door open until i pull the door panel off...
any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Anyone??? All I am reading says that you have to pull the panel out at a 45 degree angle(which seems impossible with the door closed) then pull up to release the remaining clips. Has anyone removed a door panel with the door closed?

 

take a look at the beginning of this thread---
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-pictures.html

 

Thanks for the response. I have seen MANY threads on how to remove the panels, some have GREAT pic's too. The only threads/posts that I've been able to find are for removing the door panels with the doors OPEN. my door is closed & neither the inside or outside lever is working...I need to know how to pull off the door panel with the door closed, if its even possible. I have tried banging the outside lever, banging the inside where the lach mechanism is, I live in Los Angeles so its not frozen...nothing is working. Although there are a million Mini's on the road around the world, im starting to think this problem is a unique one...Lucky Me.

 

there's always the cutting torch---

 

Quick couple of questions:

1) does your door unlock when you hit the unlock button on your key/toggle switch in the car

2) if the above is no, have you attempted to put your key in the door lock and unlock that way?

If there is a problem with just the cable, you are going to be in a sticky spot. If there is a problem with the actual door lock module, then things will be much easier.

The issue with attempting to get your door panel off while the door is closed, is that you are not going to be able to get all of your door clips undone because the dash/seat will be in the way. Not to mention, it will be VERY difficult attempting to pull off the door panel by pulling on the trim ring. I'd be worried about breaking the plastic rivets, as the large ring is actually a permanent part of the door panel.

I might be tempted to take it to the dealer if I were you...

-Chase

 

I never pulled on the plastic ring when i pulled the door off. The thought of the force required to start doing that just keeps me from it. I always start by pulling pretty hard on the corner that is near your left shoulder when your sitting in the drivers seat. and then pull the rest of the clips off from there.
With any luck you may be able to get it off far enough to work on.
Good luck!.

 

I have definitely thought of that

 

Thats the weird thing. The door does unlock and lock with the key & the clicker, it just doesnt open. The lever on the outside seems to be detached, it is neither depressed nor compressed, and has no tension. When I pull on the inside lever, there is tension after about halfway, but not the same amount of tension as when it would work.
I did have some progress this morning. While warming up the car, I sat there steaming from having to climb in the pass door yet again. I grabbed the door panel by the ends of the cross bar(armrest) and pulled suddenly. The bottom of the panel, by the back seat, came loose from the door. I was leaving for work so havent been able to work on it further but I might be able to get it off, or get my hand in there, if Iremove the seat. Ill try that tonight & let yall know how it goes. Wish me luck!

 

When you remove the seat remember to disconnect the battery otherwise you will have an airbag light on.

Sounds like the panel does need to come off, and to answer your question, the entire panel is one solid peice, so you cant just remove the center 'circle' like you were hoping for.

GL to ya, and hopefully it is just the connections.

 

man, that really stinks... I was hoping that things would be a little easier for you!

The fact that the door panel came loose is a very good sign. I might suggest that you not take out your seat just yet. Get a friend to come and help you as they are sort of akward to handle in the first place, and are most easily taken out of the side of the car that they are on. You'll probably have to un-bolt the seat, put both the passenger and the driver's side in the recline position and take it out that way.

You may have to take out your window glass and window actuator out as well. I remember when I was changing my door lock actuator, those two items were in the way! As a little tip, the window is held in place by two plastic cogs, each one has an allen head screw in the center, meaning you don't have to have the BMW special tool supposedly required to loosen those cogs. You'll also want to have your window in the partially down position to work on these cogs.

I believe that the cable that is loose has to connect to a point behind a small plastic door on the door lock actuator, as you can see in the picture (click it to go to the realOEM page it is on) meaning you may have to remove the door lock actuator to be able to open this little plastic door up and re-attach the cable.



I hope that this helps you out somewhat, good luck getting the panel off, and if you have any other questions, let us know!

-Chase

 

My passenger door did this..
so my passenger had to climb over the driver seat for a bit.

Woke up the next day. working fine. and has been ever since..
weirrd.

 

of course, iI forgot to disconnect the bettery & now have the airbag light on. Anyone klnow how to reset it?

 

Any updates on this Minipitt? My passenger door won't open from the inside or the outside, so I'm contemplating trying to force the panel off somehow. The dealer wants $875 to fix this. Yeah right. There was even talk of him having to break the window to get into the door interior. Yeah, right. There's gotta be a way to get enough of the door panel pried up to reach in and unlock from the inside, right?