Driver door handle hole

[BeachsideF30]

I have no idea why or how I noticed this coming home today. But is this hole on the drivers door handle normal or am I missing a piece of something? I feel like it opens to the inside of the covering. Can someone confirm or deny if they have the same on there's? Thank you.

[Qsilver7]

Normal. It is how you get inside your car if the battery died. Note there is no visible door lock cylinder (until you insert the blade from your integrated key built into the remote fob to remove the cover with the hole in it). That little hole is where you insert the metal key blade to pop off the cover hiding the lock cylinder...so that you can gain entrance into the vehicle with no electrical power.

[BeachsideF30]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

Normal. It is how you get inside your car if the battery died. Note there is no visible door lock cylinder (until you insert the blade from your integrated key built into the remote fob). That little hole is where you start to gain manual entrance into the vehicle.

Ahh ok good call thank you! Now that I look at it again it's the size of a key. I appreciate it

[Qsilver7]

[Ascotgrun]

I've never noticed that before. Learn something new every day.

[Clifton]

That's a new one for me too, even after 7.5 years and two X5s (2014 & 2017). Had to run downstairs to see it for myself....it's there.

[mikado463]

Originally Posted by BeachsideF30

Ahh ok good call thank you! Now that I look at it again it's the size of a key. I appreciate it

Qsilver7, he's the man !!

[Qsilver7]

^^^...thanks...but what brought me to notice this feature is the many threads over the decades, on BMW forums, about being locked out of the vehicle (electrically)...so knowing how to manually get into a double-locked BMW is something that stays on my mental alert radar!

When I started looking at the f15 X5 and noticed that the interior central locking button moved from the center of the car to the doors...it made me look at the driver's door exterior handle. When I didn't see an exterior door lock cylinder it made me look further into how do you manually get into the vehicle. The little hole caught my attention and made me delve into the owners manual for some explanation.

So fear of lock out and curiosity lead me to what was up with the f15's driver's door lock handle.

BTW, my f06's driver's door handle has an exposed lock cylinder...and so does the f10 (5 series)...and they still have the comfort access option (with the CA ridges). Not sure why the f15 X5's design went with a hidden lock cylinder. I wonder if the decision to cover the cylinder was based on form or function?

[Ascotgrun]

I just figured it was a removable plastic cover to access the keyhole as is found on other makes.

[aschmidt]

Guys, anybody knows part number of that key hole cover for rear right side on F15?

[RED_Y_]

Originally Posted by aschmidt

Guys, anybody knows part number of that key hole cover for rear right side on F15?

Only drivers door has the key hole for the key. Nothing in the rear.

[aschmidt]

Originally Posted by RED_Y_

Only drivers door has the key hole for the key. Nothing in the rear.

Sorry, yes, just asking about cover - mine broke and loose, need to replace. found it - 51-21-7-396-542

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by aschmidt

Guys, anybody knows part number of that key hole cover for rear right side on F15?

Go to one of the online parts database sites like Realoem.com or bimmercat.com and pull up the diagram for the rear door handle (see #16 in pic below):

EDIT: {never mind…I see that you found it}

[aschmidt]

Got a quote for this part $37 + paint job $90. Seems a bit high for the painting itself. Gonna look around...

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by aschmidt

Got a quote for this part $37 + paint job $90. Seems a bit high for the painting itself. Gonna look around...

If you can trust yourself...you probably can find a small spray can and paint it your self since it is such a small item.

You can shop amazon & ebay (or google BMW + your color code #) to find your color. I had a scrape on the front bumper of my f15 X5 and searched for its color (Space Gray - A52). It was a perfect match.

This is still not cheap (getting the correct color coded automotive paint)...but will cut the cost down from $90 to somewhere between $30 - $60 depending on the can's size and the vendor +shipping & handling.