E90 BMW 328i Interior Door Handle Replacement

Written By: Ian Hagood

Comments: 0

E90 BMW 328i Interior Door Handle Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

45 minutes - 1 hour

Introduction

The interior door handles on E90 3 Series BMWs commonly fail, becoming sticky or deformed over time, but this handy guide will help the user to fix the handle themselves. The guide has every part or tool listed that you'll need. However, there are a couple of things to be mindful of during the process.

When you initially have the door opened, make sure you lock the door before starting the repair so the locking mechanism does not malfunction during your repair. Not doing so can result in having to do more work that is unnecessary. Another tip is to make sure that your electrical connections aren't disconnected. If you do decide to disconnect any electrical components, take pictures of where the connections are so you may know where to plug things back in while safely operating in the repair as well as wear gloves and use electrical tape if needed.

Turn your vehicle off before beginning.

Tools

Parts

Interior Door Handle Kit

Step 1

Lock the door.
Use the trim removal tool to pry off the silver trim, working from left to right.

Step 2

Use a 1/4 inch drive ratchet, with a Torx T20 bit attached to an extension, to remove the two bolts on the left and right side of the door, behind where the silver trim was. It is easiest to move from left to right.
The left bolt is located close to the handle and the right bolt is closest to the end of the door.

Step 3

Use the trim removal tool to pry off the outer handle piece that faces the away from the door, working from the bottom to the top.
This will require a bit of force.

Step 4

Use a trim removal tool to pry around the entire perimeter of the door panel until the panel pops out out of place.
Use a Torx T20 bit attached to a 1/4 inch ratchet to remove the single bolt.
Use a set of pliers to remove the white plastic piece.
Be sure to to keep the white plastic piece in a safe place, as it will be used later for the new handle.

Step 5

Place the door panel on a chair next to the car to prop it up. Make sure to not to disconnect any wires.
Wiring may disconnect from the door; take pictures of where the wires are located to keep track of their connections.
Use a 5/16 inch drill bit to drill four holes directly through the entire panel.
A 5/16 inch drill bit is ideal, but a 1/4 inch will also work.

Step 6

Chisel off any pieces of adhesive around the newly-drilled holes.
Remove the door handle.
The handle should pop off with very little force.

Step 7

Align the holes on the new handle with the panel holes you drilled.
Insert the four screws and washers through the back of the panel, then tighten the screws to secure the handle to the panel.