FREAKIN door locks sonofa...

[golde30]

ok, so heres my problem with the door locks. basically, in order to lock the doors, i have to get in from the pass side, and push the pin down on the drivers side while the door is closed, b/c my drivers side key lock crapped out on me. heres the details:

on the drivers side, i cant lock or unlock the doors from outside normally, the only way it will lock is if i turn the key all the way to the right(horizontal)and it gets stuck there and is VERY HARD to get back, i mean like about to break the key hard.
on the pass side, i can only unlock the doors, not lock them.
and on the trunk, i can only unlock the trunk and pass side, but only lock the trunk...

what could be my problem here? thanks in advance for any help.
-cary

[e30Matt]

Sounds like your driver's side tumbler is shot (needs replacement), and your central locking "brain" may be on the fritz.

It's located behind the driver's side outer kickpanel, behind the speaker. Try replacing it with a known good one. If that's not the case, check your wiring, and if that's not the case, you may just have three bad tumblers.

I know my 325i's door tumblers were both screwed... I had to lock/unlock the car from the trunk.

[golde30]

can u replace the tumblers without changing the lock(key)? and are they expensive should be my first question 8)

[e30Matt]

can u replace the tumblers without changing the lock(key)? and are they expensive should be my first question 8)

That I do not know, never done it.

[Spaz]

yah there is a repair kit at the dealer...check on here

there is another article too, but i think u need this one.

http://www.unofficialbmw.com/e30/interior/e30_lock_cylinder_replacement.htm

enjoyl

[Erick]

Yes you can.

[qimis]

yup, i had the same problem couple months ago.

the driver door cylinder was shot. passenger door wont unlock (solenoid / door lock actuator was broken. take it off and you can lock/unlock it manually).

there's a repair kit for the door cylinder. really time consuming. really painstaking. work on a white paper / anything, that way you wont lose any parts :)

[golde30]

yah since the central locking unit still works, imma just go to an alarm shop and get an alarm put in with a motor on the drivers side, that way i dont have to worry about it anymore....at least not till the central locking unit goes out...

[F|2eeSTy|e]

I had a drivers side lock that was giving me problems... it would lock and unlock ok, but while locking it would turn farther that it was supposed to, kinda a pain in the butt. Anyways, I wanted keyless entry anyways, so I went to ebay and you can grab a keyless entry kit for like $20-30... really simple, cheap one, with lock and unlock. It was simple to put in and has been working fine the last 8 months to a year I think - has good range too.

Just another option you can think about.

[Spencer]

Are those keyless entry/alarm systems difficult to intstall?

-Spencer

[F|2eeSTy|e]

Are those keyless entry/alarm systems difficult to intstall?

-Spencer

Mine was just keyless entry, and it was super easy to install. One with an alarm would be quite a bit tougher I'd imagine - but dont know from experience.

[golde30]

the ones which tap into your lighting systems and ignition wiring are somewhat harder to install...especially if you have never done it before. i have done one of these installs only with experienced pros, but i wouldnt wanna try and do it myself on a DD, just in case something went wrong.