Maybe these pictures could help

 

mine still doesnt work. i manually unlock drivers door every day. manually push the inside lock down before i drive too.

 

mine locks fine, it just wont UNLOCK and it pisses me off. only the drivers door too.

 

Now the driver's side. '03 (jan build) 87,000 miles.

 

2004 MC, 52k, Driver Side will not unlock via fob or panel switch, will lock though.
How do you get the door apart to see what's going on in there?

 

First pry off (using a small screw driver) the round reflector at the top of the door.
then remove the tweeter/ door handle rings - just pop right off
then remove the three screws around the center pocket- if you have an 05+ then the bolster will be covering the rear one, and it needs to be removed. Remove this by using a long screwdriver, or coat hanger, anything narrow and long an shove it in the front center of the bolster (between the bolster and the plastic arm rest part (lack of a better name)

That should be all the screws,

Then start at the front lower corner and pull out word to pop out the plastic keeps in the door (two in front, and a couple along the bottom. Once all those are loose pull the whole bottom of the door panel out about 45 degrees and then pull up along the window - there are clips there too that will pop free.

I hope that helps -

Sounds like the actuator is bad....

Nik

 

My door locks went out yesterday. I used the key fob to unlock and roll down the windows which required depressing the button from 5-7 seconds. I turned on the vehicle and noticed that the locks weren't responding.

The driver's-side door failed completely, passenger side unlocked only, and trunk failed completely in the unlocked position. All doors could be unlocked/locked manually. I thought is was suspect that all three doors malfunctioned at once. After reading DIY instructions I decided to just take it in to a reliable, but not so local mechanic.

A computer diagnostic revealed a cabin control error. Further investigation indicated that the actuator module on the driver's side door was faulty/non responsive. The unit was replaced and this action repaired the remaining two doors; i.e. passenger and trunk. I was told that one inoperable unit could affect the remaining units.

 

On my 02' the passenger side locks fine but will not unlock unless you pull the handle. Looks like this is very common in these cars. Oh, well! I can live with it till I can get around to fixing it.

 

I believe that the 1st Coarse of action should be a Spray Lubricant as I have studied almost all the threads on Sticky Door Locks because I had the same problem. It appaears that most times the lock/actuator/cable is NOT broken but simply needs re-connected or more inportantly the latch mechanism requires lubrication. I have spent considerable hours fixing both doors and feel I may be able to offer assistance to anyone on this subject. Please contact me if I can help.
See ya.
Roy

 

Well, just happened to me.
Dropped the car off this morning to have my pulley installed, drivers side door won't lock/unlock with the key buttons or console switch.

2003 MCS 32,000miles.

 

2003 MCS, 52k miles
Drivers side failed with a stretched cable about 6 months ago (locks/unlocks with remote, but not with inside handle), passenger side sounds like the actuator failed last week (no lock/unlock, no click). I guess that it's time to email classic auto campus for one of each. Sheesh.

 

Please, do you have instructions and legend to go with the numbers and arrows of your pics for the door lock investigate and repair procedure? Hey, thanks.

 

bump, great pictures and help for DIY.

 

Yes nice pictures thx!

 

2004 MCS 47,000 miles, passenger door.

Anyone gone to a body shop for an est to repair? It seems like they replace locks and hardware on doors all of the time.

 

Glad I saw this, Ill give it a try this weekend! Drivers door will not power UNLOCK only. Key and inside handle work fine to unlock it. Locks fine with remote, no problems with passenger side... yet. Seems like Mini should do a recall if you ask me, way too common to NOT be a design defect.

04 MCS - 50K

 

PM me if you find anything out, mine does the exact same thing, ive yet to take it apart and look if anything is loose, i still just use the key to unlock. i have an 04 as well, with only 34k miles... it went out though around 18k i believe

 

after reading through this thread, sounds like my actuator is out too. Having the same problems as above. Anyone know the aprox cost for a new actuator?

 

i checked with MINI and supposedly its like $120+ or something just for the part i think.

 

03 S 55k Miles Pass Side actuator quit. Anyone have wire diagram so I can test at the actuator connection ? There are two actuator motors and a switch to tell the window to go up /down, when the door is opened/closed.
I am a locksmith and can usually fix actuators, but on the mini it looks as though you have to dissassemble the mechanical mechanism as well, to get the actuators out.

 

I just got a new lock actuator shipped to me from a MINI dealer (I way overpaid).

Looks a little different from the ones pictured in that, it has a plastic shield with clip near the number 1(in the pics above) connection point...


As well, my part number seems to differ from those listed: 51214433804 (left/driver)
It came in the original BMW Group box which lists the same part number and says it replaces part#51200556768 (left/driver).

We shall see this weekend how the install goes... just wanted to give a heads up in case part numbers have changed. And hopefully I don't have the WRONG part.


edit: should have said that this is for a 2003 MINI Cooper S

 

Hello, I'm new to the forum and have had my 2003 mini cooper s for a little over a month. I love it. I did not realize that my driver's door lock actuator was broken until getting on to the forum. I like to think I am mechanically incline but this project took me about three hours to complete. It works great now. I will try to clear a few things that made my job easier.

1. Taking off the door panel. I used a small screw driver covered in tape so as not to scratch anything. I used that to take off the reflector.
2. Removing the short and long screws require a Torq 40 driver.
3. Releasing the door trim can be done by hand which is the method I prefer because nothing will be scratched. You can use a flat bladed object covered in tape and a screw driver covered in tape if you are having a hard time getting the panel off. Just pull it out and you will hear the clips unlocking.
4. Raise the door trim so that it clears the manual lock and then pull towards you to release the clips. The trim around the door handle will pop out on it's own.
5. Disconnecting cables #2 and #3 (from pics on this thread)was done by pulling away from actuator.
6. #4 is a Tork screw(sorry forgot the size) that you remove to release the cable.
7. #5 is release by puling down on connection.
8. #1 requires you to now release the door actuator from the 3 Tork 30 screw on the outside of the door. Hold onto the actuator so it does not fall and angle the bottom of the unit toward the outside of the door while sliding down.
9. You now have taken the unit out but I needed to unscrew the window rail from underneath the door to pull it toward the inside to give me more room to slide out. This was the hardest part because it touches the outside of the door and can leave dents if not careful.
10. Before sliding the new actuator in I found it easier to take the door handle off, disconnect the door lock cable, remove cable, and connect it to #2( the end of the cable hooks onto a hook inside of the actuator).
11. Screw #4 onto new unit.
12. Remove the plastic cable holder from the old one and put on the new one.
13. Slide the unit back in on an angle while pulling the window rail towards you.
14. Slide the unit up with the bottom angled toward the front of the door and with your hand guide #1 into position.
15. Screw actuator back onto door( not tight yet).
16. Connect cable to #4 and make sure it looks like photo on this thread.
17. Run door lock cable through the back of the window rail to the hole leading back to the handle. There is a clip for the cable next to #2 on the inside door that you want to make sure it is clipped to.
18. Reattach the door handle.
19. Connect #5.
20. Tighten door actuator.
21. Line up rail to original mark and tighten.
22. Lower window slightly to make sure it is functional.
23. Sit in driver's side and close door.
24. Use toggle switch to see if locks work.
25. Get out of vehicle and lower passenger window ( don't want to get lock out until you know it is working).
26. Use key to lock and unlock door.
27. Place key into lock to lock and unlock.
28. Success!
If anyone needs further help PM me or if your in my area I will be glad to help. I'm looking to get into a mini club in NJ.

 

Fantastic write-up mataleao !

Thanks to you and everyone else in this thread!
Just got around, finally, to getting this done and I can verify that mataleao's write-up is spot on!

One ultra-minor bit, is unless my Torx bit set is wrong (and it very well could be it is a cheap Chinese set), the Torx bits I used to get this job done were:
T-20, T-25, T-30

Took me about 2 hours (counting coffee and smoke breaks), so if you are needing to do this and putting it off outta fear...

Fear not!

It was a fairly easy task and again, mataleao's write-up walks you right through it!

Thanks again!

 

So after I parked my 2003 Mini Cooper S (110,000 miles) the other day, when I tried to open my door, it would not open. I could tell the cable was still connected, because pulling on the interior door handle would move the door unlock button slightly. I was able to roll down my window, and open it from the outside.

After reviewing this thread, I went down and bought a replacement cable, assuming that the cable needed to be replaced.

After getting back from the dealer, I took the door panel off to take a look. Since I could not see where the cable connected to the actuator, I used my camera to take a couple picks.

The following is what I found. The cable popped out of the actuator ( the photos are not as nice as Volki's, but I thought they may be useful ).








So, I reached in there, and pushed the cable back in. It didn't really snap into place, it just kind of slid in there. If it popped back out eventually, I would not be surprised. This is what it looked like after I put it back in.









I hope these photos help you visualize what is going on inside the door.


Also, for those of you that need the cable, I bought mine at Prestige Mini in Mahwah NJ, for $11.73 plus tax. Here is the info:

Part: Bowden Cable
Part number: 51-21-7-143-538

Again, this is the part number for a 2003 Mini Cooper S. I'm not sure if it's the same for all years.

After seeing the cable, I think it would be very tricky to replace it without taking the actuator out. You would have to reach in, open the little flap, release the cable, slide the new cable on, close the flap, all without seeing what you are doing (unless you have a fiber optic camera). I guess it's worth a shot though!

Here is what the cable looks like:












Good luck!

 

'03 MCS went out at 55k miles. =( passenger door. opens by pulling the handle. but not with power locks