Over the Memorial Day weekend I tackled a DIY project that had been on my list for a while. I replaced the driver side door handle on my 2006 BMW M3.
The silver coating on the handle flaked off somehow as I opened the door one day. Since this obviously didn’t affect the car performance-wise it was easy to put off, but it looked terrible as you can see below. And it didn’t seem like something that should happen on an expensive car.
I searched M3Forum and watched some videos to educate myself on my options. I got what I needed, along with some sarcasm from fellow owners. “What did you do, open your door with a screwdriver?” wasn’t very helpful. The good news was that the replacement part was affordable by BMW standards, just $60. The not so good news was I had to take the door apart to do the swap.
I was greatly assisted by two thorough YouTube videos from bimmermerchant, one on door removal and the other on handle replacement. The job went as advertised for the most part. The five screws holding the door are Torx 20, and it’s important to use plastic pry tools rather than anything metal when taking the panel off. I have a set of Torx screwdrivers, and purchased a few extra plastic door pins in case I broke any. I did end up needing one. A jewelers screwdriver was handy in getting the door handle screw cover out.
Once all the screws are out, it just takes a little time and patience to pull the inner door away from the clips and pins holding it on. There are three electrical connections – two speakers and the window – plus the door cable to disconnect. The plug for power to the window regulator is recessed, and was somewhat hard to get to. I ended up using needle nose pliers for that, and a jewelers screwdriver to pop out the screw cover inside the handle piece.
With door off and the electrical plugs disconnected, swapping out the part was simple. You need to remove the tweeter speaker first, just three screws which are also Torx 20. Then just do everything in reverse, making sure you line up the door clips. I reconnected the battery and tested the speakers and window before I put the panel piece back on. For good measure I changed the windshield wipers as well, which were ready for replacement.
Some pics below. It felt good to DIY this job, even though I question why it was necessary. It would have been a lot more irritating had I paid 2-3 hours labor for the fix. It’s also good to know how to remove the panel, since it’s necessary for speaker replacement and for repairing the window regulator, a known issue on the E46. There’s always a next time with BMW DIY!
C’mon BMW!
Replacement piece
Panel off – see clips on top of door and pins on panel piece
Old handle and tweeter speaker removed
Done