Rear door handle/latch/lock stuck shut

[ahlem]

I reviewed the thread I found in a search and pulled the top trim piece off the driver's rear door panel and pried out the door panel so I could see the plastic lock actuator component. Do I need to mangle/disconnect/break this to get the door to open? The central locking system won't open the lock and you can't pull it up manually. I opened up the other side for reference.
The car is a 1990 535i. Short of breaking this part, I could probably break the door panel if I had a sand colored replacement located ahead of time.

[Mr._Graybeard]

IIRC, it was crucial to disconnect the wiring to the actuator on my '95 -- then the door could be unlocked manually.

It isn't clear to me whether you actually have the whole door panel off or just loosened. It's a lot easier to take out if you remove the wind seal first (and the seat bottom). Just pry the little plastic sill up off the floor and you can work the seal off the flange where it fits up against the door. That'll give you enough room that you can take the whole panel off of the door without damaging it. A hook-shaped "dental" pick is a handy tool to have when popping the fasteners loose once you have the seal removed.

[ahlem]

Here's an update... I removed the seat and removed the door panel without too much carnage. I disconnected the actuator plastic end and zip tied it out of the way and was able to manually unlock the door and open it. Now I have to figure out how to get the actuator out. Realoem shows it held in by one bolt. Anyone take one of these out lately? I might have been looking right at the bolt but don't remember seeing it. There were two torx flatheads holding in the latch.

[Mr._Graybeard]

My '95 has a different actuator, but I ended up taking out the latch with the actuator attached to replace it. There are actually three screws holding the latch -- one on the inside surface of the door and two on the side facing the striker. One is visible and another is hidden behind a flap on the outer door gasket. At least, that's the layout on my car.

[Ross]

Here's an update... I removed the seat and removed the door panel without too much carnage. I disconnected the actuator plastic end and zip tied it out of the way and was able to manually unlock the door and open it. Now I have to figure out how to get the actuator out. Realoem shows it held in by one bolt. Anyone take one of these out lately? I might have been looking right at the bolt but don't remember seeing it. There were two torx flatheads holding in the latch.

The lock actuator held with two screws, 6mm heads.