How to Replace the Interior Door Handle on a BMW E39

A common problem among the BMW E39 is the interior door handles are often made from plastic which causes them to wear and break easily, but luckily changing them is a quick and simple process.  Follow the steps below and the project should take you less the ten minutes.

Level of difficulty: Easy

Time: 5-10 minutes

Tools: Phillips screwdriver; small flat head screwdriver

Parts:

OE Number: Door Handle 51218226049

Screw Caps 51161949793

Method:

Step 1

Using a small flat head screw driver, insert it into the opening at the bottom of the screw cap and twist.  The cap should pop out easily.  Set this aside for later use.

Step 2

Using a Philips screwdriver, remove the screw holding the door handle to the door. Set this aside for later use.

Step 3

The door cable is attached to the handle via a hook and metal latch.  Pull out the front of the handle from the door.  Twist the handle in a counter-clockwise (driver side) or clockwise (passenger side) manner. The cable should slide out of the guide located at the back of the handle.

Step 4 
***Important***

Note if the hook is coming into the latch from the bottom or the top.  Pull the cable towards the front of the car, this will unlatch the door if it is closed.  To make this easy, remove the hook from the latch and hook it onto the door.  If the hook and cable fall into the door you will spend more time trying to fish it out than is required for the entire replacement.

Step 5

Hook the cable into the latch of the new handle.  Insert the cable guide into the door and turn clockwise (driver side) or counter-clockwise (passenger side).  The handle should now be inside the door.

Step 6
***Important***

In order for the handle to work properly the cable needs to be back in the guide located at the back of the handle.  If the cable is not in the guide it will be too loose to open.  This can be misleading because the handle itself will fit tightly.  Verify that the cable is in the guide properly by opening the door from the inside.  If it does not open, pull the handle forward (which will open the door) and move the back of the handle up and down.  You may even feel the cable slide into the guide.  Test the handle again.  Repeat if needed.

Step 7

Using a Philips screwdriver, return the screw (which was set aside in Step 2) to hold the door handle to the door.

Step 8

Reuse the screw cap (from Step 1) by inserting it on top of the screw.  There is a small dimple on one of the tabs.  This dimple is the bottom of the screw cap.

This concludes the replacement of the interior door handle for an E39 BMW.