E46 Driver's Door Handle Issue (Cold Weather)

[dr_gn]

All,

'02 E46 330i, c.165,000 miles.

This morning it was -3 C, and after unlocking the doors with the remote, the drivers door handle operated with no resistance, and the door wouldn't open. After some banging, rattling and locking and unlocking, it eventually clicked and opened. I sprayed de-icer into the lock, followed by WD40 through a tube into all the accessible apertures around the handle hinge, and lock.

Closed the door several times, and it wouldn't latch. Then it did latch, and locked me out again! I went in through the passenger door, and the driver's side internal handle was also loose at that point, and had no effect on opening the door.

About 15 minutes into the journey (desperately hoping the entire door electrics wouldn't fail thereby locking me in the car and me suffocating to death), there was a click from the door, and it operated normally again. Uneventful trip home, door locks fine.

This also happened once, before Christmas - exactly the same thing, after a cold night.

It's as if the lock mechanism itself is clogged with cold, viscous grease, and the handles are having no effect until the grease warms and something - perhaps under the load of a spring - "lets go" in the lock.

Any experience of what this is before I strip the door handle? Thanks.

[d_a_n1979]

It's simply ice that's built up in the locks etc

Had it with my E39s; more so when up in The Highlands and temps have really dropped... Some of them were a sod to open and had to pour plety of warm water into the latches etc to get them to defrost and release

All I can offer is that you clear the locks thoroughly with lots of WD40 and when that dries off; reapply plenty of lithium grease to the mechs as well as the latches. That should take care of the internals

Also; either silicone spray or preferably, Gummipflege the door seals and that should stop them from sticking together:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Liqui-Moly-7182-Rubber-Ca...

It was -6ºC yesterday at 0700 when I defrosted my F31 for my wife to drive me to hospital; I'd applied Gummipflege to all the door seals just before winter and not one of them stuck (ok ice built up on the outside but a quick spray with AGs de-icer and they opened without any issue

[dr_gn]

d_a_n1979 said:

It's simply ice that's built up in the locks etc

Had it with my E39s; more so when up in The Highlands and temps have really dropped... Some of them were a sod to open and had to pour plety of warm water into the latches etc to get them to defrost and release

All I can offer is that you clear the locks thoroughly with lots of WD40 and when that dries off; reapply plenty of lithium grease to the mechs as well as the latches. That should take care of the internals

Also; either silicone spray or preferably, Gummipflege the door seals and that should stop them from sticking together:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Liqui-Moly-7182-Rubber-Ca...

It was -6ºC yesterday at 0700 when I defrosted my F31 for my wife to drive me to hospital; I'd applied Gummipflege to all the door seals just before winter and not one of them stuck (ok ice built up on the outside but a quick spray with AGs de-icer and they opened without any issue

OK thanks

[Aluminati]

Pissing on the door handles is not unknown.

Don’t use wd40 or any form of grease near locks as the resident ‘expert’ advises.

[dr_gn]

Aluminati said:

Pissing on the door handles is not unknown.

Don’t use wd40 or any form of grease near locks as the resident ‘expert’ advises.

To be honest I don't see how hot water on the handles will do any good at all either. Unless it's sprayed directly under the handles, into the door, it'll just run over the handle, down the door onto the floor. The handles aren't frozen - as I said they move freely, with no resistance from the lock, it's obviously something (I think congealed grease) inside the door that's solidified with age, and even more so when it's cold. Either that or something has cracked and is springing rather than moving rigidly. That's why I thought WD40 sprayed into the small gaps under the handle (where the hinge disappears into the door) might free something enough to get it working again.

[d_a_n1979]

dr_gn said:

Aluminati said:

Pissing on the door handles is not unknown.

Don’t use wd40 or any form of grease near locks as the resident ‘expert’ advises.

To be honest I don't see how hot water on the handles will do any good at all either. Unless it's sprayed directly under the handles, into the door, it'll just run over the handle, down the door onto the floor. The handles aren't frozen - as I said they move freely, with no resistance from the lock, it's obviously something (I think congealed grease) inside the door that's solidified with age, and even more so when it's cold. Either that or something has cracked and is springing rather than moving rigidly. That's why I thought WD40 sprayed into the small gaps under the handle (where the hinge disappears into the door) might free something enough to get it working again.

That's exactly where the WD is to be sprayed and then inside to rid any water that's got in and then to ensure the mechs keep moving freely; a spray with some lithium grease after the WD has evaporated off etc

I only used hot water when I had to, as in the Highlands with no access to tools that are back home etc - Hot water was literally to get rid of ice (snow mainly) that had frozen hard and the handles wouldn't budget etc. I learned quickly after that and never had an issue since in all my E39s, 7 series and current F31 and we've been up there is some bloody cold temps and heavy snow!

However please excuse the other poster; he seems to have a direct issue with me alone; think he has issues that he can't resolve, so he comes on here late to threadst where he can until the mods delete his tantrum posts again.. You soon get used to the too'in and fro'in