door handles

[darren no 7]

hi all the handle on my e46 cab drivers side is very hard to open but only on the out side do they need oiling up or some thing if so where thanks

[T-bagger]

You can lubricate the handle mechanism and catch, but be carefull when spraying WD-40 or similar into the catch as BMW have just released a technical bulletin stating that this can seep into the microswitches inside the catch unit and cause electrical locking faults.
The best thing to do is adjust the striker in the door shut, you'll need to pul the plastic cover off, slacken the two torx bolts (T40/45) a little and move the catch a very small amount at a time until the door opens and closes well.It's trial and error really. If you look at the striker yo'll probably find it's sitting wonky, sometimes just getting it level sorts the problem. Goodluck!

[darren no 7]

i did think about doing this but the door opens fine from the inside and is stiff on the out side even when the door is open