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BMW Seal Replacement, Door Handle E36 E34 E32

bimmertips — Tue, 06 Feb 2018 23:29:49 +0000

BMW E36 E34 E32 Door Handle Seal / Gasket Replacement:

BMW E36, E34 and E32 door handle seals are notorious for cracking as they age. After this seal cracks, water can get behind the door handle and cause corrosion to the handle itself as well as collect in the bottom of your door. Collection of trapped moisture will ultimately lead to rust. It is important to replace these seals to prevent these threats. Luckily, the replacement process is not as hard as you may think.

Contrary to popular belief, one does not need to remove the inner door panel to perform the replacement procedure. This is a good thing since the E36 door cards are incredibly fragile and seem to break if you look at them wrong. There are some tricks to this replacement procedure we will highlight below to make the process go smoother.

It is important to know, BMW does not offer the seal alone as a replacement part. Rather, BMW forces you to buy a new seal along with a new plastic cover together. So if you are trying to find the part number for the seal itself, stop looking. We recommend replacing this seal with OEM BMW parts to provide maximum longevity before cracking again. We have tried aftermarket seals and they ended up cracking within weeks. The OEM BMW parts are more pricey, but you get what you pay for. So save up and get the proper OEM BMW parts for your vehicle.

What are the OEM BMW seal part numbers?

51218122441 Driver Door Handle (fits E36 and E34)
51218122442 Passenger Door Handle (fits E36 and E34)
51228119076 Left / Right Rear Door Handle (fits E36 and E34)
51211938285 Driver Door Handle (fits E32)
51211938286 Passenger Door Handle (fits E32)
51221938280 Left / Right Rear Door Handle (fits E32)

** CONFIRM THESE PART NUMBER FITMENTS BEFORE ORDERING **

What is the seal cost?

OEM BMW door handle and seal replacement can be found online for around $26 (PER DOOR).

What tools are needed?

Flashlight
Hook tool
Small flat head screwdriver

How much time is needed?

About 5 min per door (once you know what you are doing).

What is the process?

** NOTE THE PICTURES BELOW TO FURTHER CLARIFY THIS PROCEDURE **
The pictures shown are from the driver side door handle assembly. The left rear passenger is the same procedure and the right-hand side is mirrored from this procedure.

1) Locate the access hole:

Open the door and peel back the rubber flap on the backside of the door as shown below. Once peeled back, there is an oval opening where you will stick the appropriate tool and activate a slider which then unlocks and locks the door handle trim. Use your flashlight to look inside the oval opening to get an idea of what is all inside. What you are looking for is a brass slider. See the pictures below for more clarification. It can be difficult to find but once you look at the entire assembly below, you can get a better layout of the door handle assembly and know where to look.

2) Removing the door handle surround:

To remove the old handle you need to use a small flat head screwdriver and push the brass slider forward, towards the front of the car. It is important to use a SMALL screwdriver such as the one shown. This allows for maximum maneuverability within the small opening. You need this maneuverability to access the slider. Using a thicker screwdriver will limit your control and reach the point where you cannot access the end of slider.

3) Pushing the slider:

Study the pictures below and really get your bearings, there is a lot going in that small area and it is easy to get confused. Do not get frustrated and start stabbing at things, you could damage the door handle assembly. Take your time. Once you find the brass slider, pushing it forward should be effortless. The slider movement is approximately a half an inch forward. Once pushed forward, you can simply pull the outer handle cover and seal off together as one.

4) Replace the bad seal:

Install the new handle and seal together as one in the reverse order of removal. Now comes for the tricky slider part. Take the hook tool and pull that slider back towards you to lock the new handle and seal in place. We recommend keeping firm pressure on the new handle and seal from the outside as you move the slider back towards you. This makes sure the locking tabs are trapped by the slider. Once you moved the slider confirm the new handle and seal are locked in place by trying to pull it off. It should be snug and secure.

Push the rubber seal on the back of the door over the oval tool opening to make sure it is watertight. This is the end of the procedure. It can be frustrating at first but once you do one door, the rest go easily. Study the pictures carefully and you should not have a problem replacing these seals.

Where can I learn more BMW tips?

Learn more BMW pro tips by clicking HERE

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DIY Custom Color BMW Steering Wheel Roundel

bimmertips — Fri, 30 Dec 2016 00:22:14 +0000

Materials Needed:

OEM BMW roundel steering wheel badge (OEM part number: 32331117279)
Painter's tape
Sand paper (220 grit & 800 or higher)
Meguiar's PlastX
Spray paint / Model brush paint

Procedure:

If the colors on your steering wheel roundel for your classic BMW are all chipped or you want to custom paint it to match your car's color scheme we have a simple mod what will really set your interior apart from others. First, remove the old badge by using a small flathead screw driver or pry tool. You might want to tape the end of the screw driver to you don't scratch the emblem or scratch the rubber on your steering wheel. If you have plastic pry tools, don't worry about taping it.

Once the emblem is removed, take the sand paper and sand the painted side of the badge. It will not take much to remove the paint if you are using 220 grit, once the paint is removed go back with a finer grit like 800 and smooth out the back to make sure large scratches do not show through. You will notice the silver is recessed in the badge and is not removed during this sanding process. This is a nice bonus as you want to keep the crisp silver OEM paint outlines. Finally, finish off the back side with a plastic rubbing compound like Meguiar's PlastX. If the front of your badge is scratched go ahead and apply the PlastX to the front of it too to give it a nice shine.

Rinse the entire badge off with water and then apply rubbing alcohol to the back surface to make sure it is entirely clean of any oils or left over paint dust. You want the cleanest surface possible when painting to ensure the highest quality. Next take painters tape and wrap it around the edge of the emblem to create a make shift stand for the badge, this will prevent overspray from landing on the front of the badge. See below images for clarification. Next tape your emblem as necessary to paint the different sections of the badge the colors you desire.

We decided to go with a red and black theme to match our red needles in our E30. The look really compliments the needles once in the driver's seat. We had to apply multiple layers of gloss paint to make a thick enough coat allowing the colors pop. We had to end up spraying some of the spray paint in a small cup and using a paint brush to touch up some small spots the spray paint missed.

Allow the freshly painted badge to completely dry over night to make sure it isn't tacky and attracts finger prints. Pop in your new roundel and you are good to go. The best part is, if you screw up or get sick of the colors you can go back and do it all over again in a different color scheme.

The post DIY Custom Color BMW Steering Wheel Roundel appeared first on BIMMERtips.com.

BMW shift knob removal procedure

bimmertips — Sat, 10 Sep 2016 16:18:59 +0000

Although it may seem elementary, we often are asked how to remove an OEM BMW shift knob. There are numerous reasons to want to remove your shift knob. To replace a worn knob, go with an aftermarket knob, upgrade to a newer OEM knob or maybe to replace the entire shift linkage for a short shifter. The process is simple and the only tool you need is your hands.

What is the removal procedure?

➊ Pull up!!

That is correct, the only process to the procedure is to pull up. OEM BMW shift knobs are simply pressed on the shift lever. Some knobs are more stubborn than others and may require a lot of force. It may seem like its fastened or bonded in place but I assure you, it is not. Some aftermarket knobs have set screws, ensure your existing shift knob is NOT aftermarket and is the original factory knob.

What is a trick for stuck shift knobs?

For stuck knobs, I like to put the lever in 4th gear, make sure to open the sunroof if you are tall for extra head clearance. Next, straddle the center console and use two hands to pull straight back.

It is not uncommon for your hand to fly in your face and give you a nice shiner as a result, so be warned. Once the knob is off, to reinstall you simply insert the new OEM knob on top of the gear lever and pound down on the knob with your fist. Make note if you are using an aftermarket knob and lever, the installation may require a set screw, the OEM BMW knobs do not.

What is the best OEM BMW shift knob?

We recommend the BMW ZHP weighted shift knob, it is by far the BEST OEM shift knob available from BMW. It is featured in our pictures above and below. The BIMMERtips team uses it in all of our manual BMWs and see no reason to change to any other knob in the future. The nappa leather wrapped knob is weighted to give the throws a nice solid, quality feel. In addition, the knob itself is shorter than the standard BMW shift knos, this allows for shorter throws. The ZHP shift knob comes both in 5 and 6-speed shift patterns.

Where can I purchase ZHP shift knob?

We sell them in our store and you can order now by clicking HERE

Where can I learn how to remove the BMW hood emblem?

Learn the hood emblem removal procedure HERE

The post BMW shift knob removal procedure appeared first on BIMMERtips.com.

Problem:	Cracked, weathered, missing door handle seal.
Application:	All BMW E36 & E34 models.
Solution:	Remove and replace.
Cost:	$26 per door
Where to buy:	Dealership, Online retailers