Door Panel problems!!

[SNOWti]

I gave up on my silver ti. I have almost all the fastener posts unglued. As long as the main handle bolt is nice and tight, Im cool. You have to be careful though as each one of the glue post things are numbered and go in a certain order to fit properly.

[MacUser]

Originally Posted by SNOWti

You have to be careful though as each one of the glue post things are numbered and go in a certain order to fit properly.

Are the clips from the driver door the same as the clips on the passenger door? Are the clips the same 1995-1999? Restated, can you take clip #1 from the left door panel and use it for clip #1 on the right?

Anyone know if other BMWs from this era use the same type clips? If so, I wonder if there may be an exact match (or a "close enough" match out there somewhere. I'm missing one on the driver side, presumably from PO's previous repair job, and I know someone has already mentioned the clips can't be ordered and are not easily found.

[pdxmotorhead]

The pedestals are mirrored you need a left door or right door piece.

Its not a big deal to re-attach them with good epoxy. Took me an hour per door.

Dave

[SNOWti]

Originally Posted by MacUser

Are the clips from the driver door the same as the clips on the passenger door? Are the clips the same 1995-1999? Restated, can you take clip #1 from the left door panel and use it for clip #1 on the right?

Anyone know if other BMWs from this era use the same type clips? If so, I wonder if there may be an exact match (or a "close enough" match out there somewhere. I'm missing one on the driver side, presumably from PO's previous repair job, and I know someone has already mentioned the clips can't be ordered and are not easily found.

I'm sorry, I dont know exactly, but I do know that the door clips are attached to the little posts and they are numbered in a certain order to glue them back. Since my car was in an accident the dumb people that fixed it didnt realize the numerical order. Just many of the very specific little details German cars have and if you dont go to someone who knows, problems, just a tip. Anyway, I organized my loose post clips in bags labeled right and left, I plan on glueing them back but it later. You may have to just search a used door panel and see pics or look at the underside that you need. Its a quest! I hope I answered your question, pdxmotorhead did very well.

[cooljess76]

The clips are numbered 1-10 and go in order around the panel starting at the mirror and ending at the door lock. If you look at the glue which should still be stuck to the door panel, you'll see the imprint of the number left from the clip.

[wolferj-RIP]

Originally Posted by MacUser

Anyone know if other BMWs from this era use the same type clips? If so, I wonder if there may be an exact match (or a "close enough" match out there somewhere. I'm missing one on the driver side, presumably from PO's previous repair job, and I know someone has already mentioned the clips can't be ordered and are not easily found.

No, the door panel posts are ti unique...

[MacUser]

Originally Posted by wolferj

No, the door panel posts are ti unique...

How are other E36 panels attached?

[wolferj-RIP]

The other e36 door panels are attached with the same little white end clips, but do not have individual posts holding them. Those panels have 2 long, black plastic pieces front and rear that hold 3 clips each. They also have door pockets that have clips on the back side of them. The tops attach differently as well, as they push onto clips at the front of the window, instead of clipping down from the top...

[MacUser]

Originally Posted by wolferj

The other e36 door panels are attached with the same little white end clips, but do not have individual posts holding them. Those panels have 2 long, black plastic pieces front and rear that hold 3 clips each. They also have door pockets that have clips on the back side of them. The tops attach differently as well, as they push onto clips at the front of the window, instead of clipping down from the top...

CRUD! Thanks for the info.

[wolferj-RIP]

If it's any consolation, the other e36 door panels are just as prone to coming apart as ours...

[MacUser]

Originally Posted by wolferj

The other e36 door panels ... also have door pockets that have clips on the back side of them.

AH-HA! I was reading about door panel removal and I saw something about the door pockets not infrequently separate from the main door panel. Looking at my door panel, I was thinking "Holy cow! How does THAT happen?". In hindsight, it must have been a generic guide, not specific to the ti. I think it was probably "101 Projects For Your BMW 3 Series 1982-2000".

[wolferj-RIP]

Exactly... On ti's the door pockets attach to the outside of the door panel with a pin/clip design, on other e36's, the pockets attach to the backside of the panels with just glue...

[SNOWti]

Have any of you guys seen this? Helped me a bit when I had my windows collapse from the guides:









I've bought my ti's with the panels loose. One of them had nearly all the posts not glued to the panels on both doors and both windows needed fine tuning on their guides and so on. I just removed all the posts for a project later on, right now, the doors are held on by the handle bolt, which is very important not to lose and just hooking them to the top of the window. Its fine for now.

I feel that why I think doors get loose are because window problems are worked on by people who didnt have the patience or knowledge of the door clips and removal, etc. ie - non BMW mechanics, etc. My other ti, has one clip on one door loose which I think it had a window problem once, anyway, watch these, they show how to glue them too in one of the vids!

[MacUser]

Hot glue is fine for other peoples' cars, but I don't think it'll last. If I did that, I bet I'd be redoing it the next time I opened up the door. I just J-B Kwik welded mine today and documented it in my blog. My new window regulator is due to arrive Tuesday. So, by next weekend, I'll get to try out my repair.

Nice videos, though ... thanks! I'll have to get me one of those panel removal tools.

[SNOWti]

I fixed my windows, one by myself after the first try of a BMW tech who found my plastic window guides, the little part that serves to hold the window and slide in the guides replaced them with fresh ones. But the window caved in again, so I looked at it closely myself, I learned the problem specific to my window and how to tackle it, but I tell ya, its work, be careful, there's a lot of gears and bars to get your hand or arm caught in as you're testing the window up and down. Take your time, have someone spot help you too if you can find it.

My problem quickly - my ti had accident damage to the driver side door, one of the bars that lifts the glass was slightly bent I think. You could hear a snappy, click sound when the window was raised and lowered. I realized after closely analyzing the problem that there's this rivet on the regulator, those flower-y rivets, I cant think of a better way to describe it, was catching(!) the arm, which I think was the left lifter arm as it went up!

So I had to use big tools and some muscle and bend the arms straight again so as the arms to not catch on that rivet. I could see marks on the arm and rivet, then I noticed on the regulator brace there was a crack that had appeared from the pressure and power of when those parts would catch. I had to have a body shop weld it strong again, but the dumbasssess didnt cover or lift the window and I got a few pits from the weld sparks. Idiots! That gets me angry, I didnt think anything like that would happen,, they should have known better. Watch non-speaking people do work, they do work with their feet.

Anyway, it was a battle of sorts. On my passenger side window, about a week later, it fell in. This time I knew what to do and opened it all up quickly. I had opened it up and realized that the window GREASE - lithium grease had become almost like cement and that from the pressure, the white plastic window guide part had broken, bought fresh ones from the dealer about 15 or so dollars. I then had to scrape the old caked stuff off, clean it all up and apply fresh grease and also work on the arm straightening a bit. I lost my door bolt, such a hard bolt to find again, I may have to dealer find it. I ask junk dismantlers, they dont know shh.

Sorry about my attitude but some of these problems are a painful reminder of the seller who sold me my first ti. On the other hand, I feel good about fixing it myself, its not perfect, both windows have a slight ping when they go up and the driver side doesnt have the inner felt guide which is something I need eventually.

Hope my experience helps diagnosing anyones problems, yours may be entirely different, but may serve as a sort of checklist reference if anything.