Door latches often fail to open

[Enver Masud]

I'm having problems with the door latches on my 2001 z3 Coupe (about 72,000 miles) which I bought used about three years ago.

First it was the PASSENGER side door latch that would OCCASIONALLY not open from the outside. This went on for about two and a half years.

Now it's the DRIVER side door latch that was CONSISTENTLY failing to open from the outside, but the passenger side latch is doing fine. This has been going on for about four weeks.

Today the DRIVER side latch, that had consistently not worked for about four weeks, started working.

I do not have remote locking/unlocking. What is causing this erratic behavior, and what is the fix?

[joenationwide]

My 95 M3 does this as well sometimes. YOu just have to keep the door latch mechanisms on the door well lubricated. Silicone spray works well.

Another tip: When you are having trouble opening the door, push in on the door while you lift the handle, and it will open easily.

[Thoreau]

It's just the door lock actuator. It dies after a few years. It's 75 bucks or so.

bmaparts.com or bavauto.com. And yes, also lube it with graphite powder. Silicone works as well.