Door lock heating

[ealinn]

Any insight on this? Looks like it might have been an option, found parts through BMW Mobile Tradition. Could really get into this in NH.

[a]

uhhmn, I think your car had it. They tend to malfunction , causing an overnight battery drain, so it maybe it is disconnected. My 86 528es have it. All it is is a heating coil integrated into the retainer for the lock rigged to the door handle with a timer circuit.

[Blue Shadow]

a mentioned one failure mode, continuous on. This is obvious if the key area of the door is hot.

Another failure mode is the switch. The switch is a block mounted so that a leaf of metal will be contacted when the door handle is raised. This leaf corrodes and falls off. Without it there is no ground closure in the circuit to make the timer work.

[Shawn D.]

Note that "the" door lock in question is the driver's door lock -- none of the other locks have a heater.

[Son of a]

Note that "the" door lock in question is the driver's door lock -- none of the other locks have a heater.

And why would they? The rear doors don't even have locks. And climbing over the center console, especially when dressed for temps. that necessitate lock heaters, makes no sense.

To the OP, it sounds like your door heater is like 90% of them, inoperable for one of the two reasons previously listed.

[garageboy]

Hi.

I'm not sure if this was obvious or not. Apologies if it is redundant. In my opinion, the best way to determine whether the door lock heater is working is quite simple:

1. Do this at night or where it is relatively dark.

2. Turn on the interior light to always on.

3. Close the driver's door and lock the car, either single or dead-bolt. Doesn't matter.

4. TEST: Pull up the driver's handle and hold it up. If you see the interior lights dim a bit, it's working just fine. Try it a few times to see where the handle is when the switch is activated/deactivated.

If you don't see the lights dim, then either it's always on (bad) or always off (who cares, really?)

5. Put the interior light setting back where it was.

Hope this helps,
.steve.
NY Chapter, BMW CCA
Editor, Die Zugspitze
2001 525i, 5-spd, 96K
1987 528e, 5-spd, 259K
1983 528e, 5-spd, 317K

[Shawn D.]

Note that "the" door lock in question is the driver's door lock -- none of the other locks have a heater.

And why would they? The rear doors don't even have locks. And climbing over the center console, especially when dressed for temps. that necessitate lock heaters, makes no sense.

If you had been asked "which lock" after answering lock heater queries, as I have, you'd make the distinction too.

[ealinn]

I will try to see if it works, and hope it does because I am sick of heating my key with a lighter the morning after I wash my car.

[Son of a]

Note that "the" door lock in question is the driver's door lock -- none of the other locks have a heater.

And why would they? The rear doors don't even have locks. And climbing over the center console, especially when dressed for temps. that necessitate lock heaters, makes no sense.

If you had been asked "which lock" after answering lock heater queries, as I have, you'd make the distinction too.

Point taken. Perhaps there are no stupid questions, just stupid people asking them. Though thankfully that's not the case here. But just the smallest application of logic makes it obvious which one lock it could only be.

[MarkJVC]

Hi,
My driver side door lock overheated last night I noticed when I smelled something burning. Didn't even know it had a heater on it when I put key in it burned my finger and cylinder fell off> can someone tell me how to fix??
Thanks,

[itsbrokeagain]

I have an 85, I dont think mine even came with the option, but one of these days Im going to take the door panel off and see for myself...

[MarkJVC]

Yes I have a 528e 1985 with no lock on driverside!! hope someone can help me to fix...

[Shawn D.]

Can someone tell me how to fix??

Yes. You will need to pull the door panel to see which parts failed, but I suspect the component that contains the heater, which is a U-shaped clip that also holds the cylinder in place (see part #19 here).

[Blue Shadow]

I would think that since the power to the C-clip that holds the lock and contains the heating element is only a heater and is not thermostatically controlled it is probably just fine.

The part that failed is the more expensive (but you knew that) control module that the heater plugs into.

[MarkJVC]

Thanks guys I went to pull a part and replaced the part Shawn suggested and unplugged heater element thanks Shawn!!!

[BRRV]

You will need to pull the door panel to see which parts failed, but I suspect the component that contains the heater, which is a U-shaped clip that also holds the cylinder in place (see part #19 here).

I'm confused and need a clarification. Isn't the actual heater here, #2, and not #19 in the diagram shown in your link? It's been a while since I did this, but the car with the lock heater should use the above part, listed as "heater ring left", and not the one listed as "clamp". The part numbers are different, as well. Or am I wrong and need to be corrected?

[Shawn D.]

You will need to pull the door panel to see which parts failed, but I suspect the component that contains the heater, which is a U-shaped clip that also holds the cylinder in place (see part #19 here).

I'm confused and need a clarification. Isn't the actual heater here, #2, and not #19 in the diagram shown in your link?

No, you're not confused -- you are correct. I simply went to the door diagram and found the equivalent part to show what it looks like.