Locked out

[Ross]

'89 535
It's at a friends house who isn't familiar with BMs. He says when he locked it the pass side doors didn't lock so he locked from the pass side and they locked. ??
Now it won't unlock, not by applying power at the trunk light in case the battery is down and will not unlock on either side using the emergency unlock method.
No ski bag, not that I'd fit.
The car has been out of service a while so I had used the emergency unlock before on it. While re-syncing the locks the LR door stuck in the locked position, I was assuming a frozen actuator but now am not so sure.
I'm out of tricks. Any ideas before I get mediaeval?

[shogun]

http://www.bimmerboard.com/forums/posts/366614
http://www.bmwe34.net/e34main/trouble/Locked.htm

[Ross]

Thanks Eric, I've tried all that and it will not budge.
I don't think the battery is down either.
I'm stumped. I'll try again tomorrow perhaps doing it wrong, but I've done it many times in the past. Alzheimers?

[632 Regal]

lifting the pass side handle while trying right?

Thanks Eric, I've tried all that and it will not budge.
I don't think the battery is down either.
I'm stumped. I'll try again tomorrow perhaps doing it wrong, but I've done it many times in the past. Alzheimers?

[///Sniper535]

I can't emergency unlock my car from the drivers side but i can with the pass. side.

It sucks so much when you don't know how to manually unlock it. I've been there before, luckily my sunroof was open.

[Ross]

Yep. Mine is built 4/89 so should unlock from either side also.
I'm wondering if the LR door being stuck locked prior has anything to do with this.
The car is now blocking a friends garage who was good enough to let me park my fleet's overflow there.

[Bill R.]

late 88 production i've noticed its much easier to get it to open on the passenger side than on the drivers side.http://www.bimmernut.com/%7Ebillr/images2/lockssync.jpg






Yep. Mine is built 4/89 so should unlock from either side also.
I'm wondering if the LR door being stuck locked prior has anything to do with this.
The car is now blocking a friends garage who was good enough to let me park my fleet's overflow there.

[Ross]

Bill HELP.

Nothing seems to work. It also doesn't appear it can be done from the drivers side on my car in spite of it's build date(4/89).
From the pss side when the key is turned to the 90 deg or past the lock knob moves up ever so slightly.
A friend is keeping the car at his house and he locked it by first the drivers side and then at the pass side as he claims only the drivers side locked. I don't see how this would screw things up.
I tried today with burglary tools to get in and only managed to tear a weatherstrip.
I pulled the panel in the trunk behind the seat off to see if the ski bag hole was there, only the outline of it.
It was a little funny at first but I'm inconveniencing a friend now and really need an idea.
Is there any non-destructive way to get in this thing??
Fortunately I don't need the car.

[Bill R.]

on the passenger side, keep working the door handle up and down, you'll see the knob bump up a little bit until finally it pops up.... just keep working it and eventually it will come up.





Bill HELP.

Nothing seems to work. It also doesn't appear it can be done from the drivers side on my car in spite of it's build date(4/89).
From the pss side when the key is turned to the 90 deg or past the lock knob moves up ever so slightly.
A friend is keeping the car at his house and he locked it by first the drivers side and then at the pass side as he claims only the drivers side locked. I don't see how this would screw things up.
I tried today with burglary tools to get in and only managed to tear a weatherstrip.
I pulled the panel in the trunk behind the seat off to see if the ski bag hole was there, only the outline of it.
It was a little funny at first but I'm inconveniencing a friend now and really need an idea.
Is there any non-destructive way to get in this thing??
Fortunately I don't need the car.

[Ross]

Thanks Bill,
I'll have at it again tomorrow and use a bit more force. I've done this before, on this car even. Maybe things are just very sticky.
Fingers crossed.

[Nick.Hay]

HOLY THREAD RESURRECTION, BATMAN!! :D

I just want to say a public thanks to Shogun and Timm (among others) from the 7-series board for the link regarding the 'trunk light trick' for charging the battery.

I gave my E34 enough charge to pop the locks, and once again got to sit in my prized possession for the first time in about 6 months!! She's been sitting with a dead flat battery, and no way of getting in to fix things for her imminent road return (hopefully) sometime soon!!!

Many thanks, this is what the Bimmer forums are all about!!

(guys, I'm pretty excited!!)

[infurno]

Thought id take this moment to share my "locked out" experience since i have been hesitant to start another thread just to vent. This last weekend after getting groceries i was locked out of the car, watching them rot inside in the heat while waiting for AAA to arrive. The battery was bad and had died completely.

Once they arrived i restraining myself from calling it off as the guy shoved all sorts of tools down every orifice in the car for an hour trying to get it open. Horrible sounds coming from the glass, the bending door, and damaging the chrome around the windows.

After i was finally home i did find the override on this forum and other possible remedies but there was no way for me to know this without access to the internet. The majority of the groceries i had just paid for were ruined after almost four hours sitting out.

I hope whoever designed the e34 electronic locks burns in hell.

The car is a tank. He had to look up instructions in his book and found that 1991+ models are equipped with a special locking mechanism that if its locked from the outside it is "impossible to unlock". Mine was a 1990

What is the point? Why not have a mechanical unlocking feature on all doors by default, its not like an electronic activator is going to make it any more secure.

[Ross]

FWIW Mine unlocked finally via the accepted Emergency unlock procedure.
I was not putting enough muscle into it when turning. The lock seldom sees this position so being stiff is understanable plus you are overcoming the mechanical lock. I guess there is a reason BM provides those sturdy keys.
Don't be afraid to apply some torque.