E46 - Central locking issue - Resolved

[paulmon]

Over the past few months I've been dogged with an problem with my central locking. The symptoms are the doors would lock OK with the key remote but occasionaly they would not unlock. I tried different keys but gradually the problem got worse and eventually the locks would not open at all. The only way to get in the car was to use the key in the drivers door. The passenger doors could not be opened. I ended up managing to open all the doors with key fob and then leaving the car unlocked.

A quick google and it turns out this is down to a faulty relay(s) that are located in a box of electronics behind the glove box. This box is called the GM5 and is a dealer only part and retails at around £300 and then labour costs on top of that. Fortunatley there are people offering to repair these boxes for a fraction of the cost.

I sent mine to a chap called Colin Abraham who charged around £50 to do the repair. I sent the box to him on Tuesday and got it back this morning. Refitted the box and everything works as it should. You need to remove/replace the box yourself but there are detailed instructions on the web on how to do this.

Just thought I would share this in case other people are suffering with the same issue.

Cheers
P