E39 broken lock - locked out

[newberry]

Hi, some advise is badly needed.
long story short is that I have a 2001 e39 530d that was meant as a cheap fill in car but has now been my main car for over a year and has been pretty much faultless, except for yesterday when I stopped off at Halfords for some oil to help with the lock mechanism on the door that had recently got quite stiff (I only have 1 key and the buttons to lock/unlock the car have never worked while ive owned the car) came out with the oil and the key was really stiff, sprayed some oil in and nothing, sprayed lots more oil in and still nothing, now the whole barrels spins so has obviously broken.

my question before I smash the window is, if I buy a new key from a dealer, will this work to unlock the car by the press of a button or will I or they need access to the car to "set-up" the new remote?

little more info, can open the boot but this doesn't open the central locking and is no access from the boot to the inside of the car, RAC came out and tried to open the doors from the inside with the button near the hazard light switch (didn't work) and they got wire in round the frond door handles and tried that way but that didn't work either.
the local auto locksmith doesn't want to know either and says nothing they can do.

any other ideas welcome

[bmwmike]

Isn't there a lock on both front doors, one each side?

[newberry]

Unfortunately not, just the one on the drivers door and one on the boot.
Unless it’s hidden under trim or something?

[RC1]

sorry to hear it

i have a 2002 e39 touring

if the tailgate opens dont the rear seats fold down?

the new key will need to be presented into the barrel for it to be coded so unless you have the master key or can get it, i think you need to get the car recovered to a garage who can undertake the work for you.

might be cheaper than smashing the window etc given you wont claim for that on your insurance

assume the car still at halfords?

[Collectingbrass]

Real OEM confirms what I thought from my memory of mine, that the door locks are only drivers and boot. It sounds like the connection between the key barrel and the control arms has broken somehow - but hopefully not the key barrel - as the AA's normal tricks to break in aren't getting you in which should work if the control arms are connected to the latch release. Did they try any of the other doors? Is the central locking release on the key not working?

You're probably in for a mobile locksmith or recovery to an indie and a new side window.

[newberry]

Unfortunately the seats don’t fold down like most other cars 😩

[newberry]

Tried both front doors with no success and the buttons on the key haven’t ever worked since I’ve had the car. Looks like it’s hammer time haha

[RC1]

before you do anything just call a dealer and see what they say. would be shame to break anything if they can get you a key that works. youll need to show them your v5c and id docs

[nw942]

Presumably you've tried replacing the batteries in the key fob?

Do you have a ski hatch - if so maybe get someone small to squeeze through.

If not, where are the bolts holding the rear seats or parcel shelf located?

[iSore]

If it's 2001, it will have the 'diamond' key and it's a bd to replace the batteries.

A new key coded from BMW will take 2-3 days to arrive and should unlock on the button.

[newberry]

the key is a sealed unit and from what ive seen online has to be cut open and the battery unsoldered with a risk that the key needs to be recoded or damaging the circuit board. I also cant be 100% certain that its just the battery in the key.

The boot has no ski hatch either

going to try the dealers at the weekend for a new key but looks like im going in through a window today, got a replacement coming from ebay

[Chiswickboy]

Changing the battery in a diamond shape key is no big deal. I changed one without bothering to solder the replacement and it has been working without a problem for the past couple of years. You just have to be careful when cutting around the seam to ensure you do not cut too deep.

The bigger problem is replacing the window and repairing the broken lock. There are repair kits on eBay for the lock and the biggest problem was getting the parts back together and at the same time fitting the spring (which can be easy if you have three hands!). YouTube has loads of videos on BMW door lock repair. Also there are hacks for opening the door using a tennis ball, although I have never tried this method so cannot vouch for it.

[iSore]

There's also a technique (which I forget) to code the key from another old E46/E39 etc, one from a scrap car but with a good key battery. It takes a few seconds and a secondhand BMW key from a breakers will be pennies. I did this with an E46 and it worked like a charm - you retain the original key and have the 'new' one of the fob with the blade cut off as as 'blipper'.

[13aines]

Are you sure your fob has not just got dodgy buttons? If so you could replace these, you can buy replacement kits online. Or find an electronics specialist near you to do it.

That would then give you a working fob again, and get you into the car so you can investigate the door lock issues.

[helix402]

iSore said:

There's also a technique (which I forget) to code the key from another old E46/E39 etc, one from a scrap car but with a good key battery. It takes a few seconds and a secondhand BMW key from a breakers will be pennies. I did this with an E46 and it worked like a charm - you retain the original key and have the 'new' one of the fob with the blade cut off as as 'blipper'.

It works, but you need to turn the key in the ign as part of the process.

[padhinbed]

Quick search on a popular auction site shows replacement front door glass at around £30. Might be cheaper to find the nearest one available and then carefully (or not so) using a window to gain entry and then picking up replacement glazing. Not difficult to fit if your handy with some spanners.

[newberry]

Update:

used the hammer to window method in the end, as has been said, window off ebay for £30 delivered, and key ordered and ready to pick up so fingers crossed the new key operates the locks haha.

[newberry]

Just an update for anyone that's interested or has the same trouble, the new key didn't lock or unlock the car on the buttons either so its a central locking fault, BUT the new key worked fine In the lock even though I thought id snapped the barrel off the mountings as it was spinning!!
So it must have been that the old key was just worn.

[gavgavgav]

newberry said:

Just an update for anyone that's interested or has the same trouble, the new key didn't lock or unlock the car on the buttons either so its a central locking fault, BUT the new key worked fine In the lock even though I thought id snapped the barrel off the mountings as it was spinning!!
So it must have been that the old key was just worn.

Just to check - when getting a replacement key from BMW, they cut the blade to code so it will work in the locks & ignition barrel. They also have to introduce it/ reprogramme to the remote locking, and the process needs to include other keys as well - has that been done?

[naturalaspiration]

You can do it yourself.

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?...