I almost returned the door lock actuator, after watching some videos about replacing the Actuator on other BMW models. I've never been a fan of working on interior door stuff, and my previous experience on American made cars, left my arms all cut up and cursing, just like some of the videos I found.
Thanks to this video link from Jennie's Garage, it was the best inspiration, I could get to tackle this job.
• BMW 325i Door Lock Act...
My local BMW dealer called for 1.5 to 2 hours labor, with parts around $400 to $450 total. After being locked out of my passenger door on a road trip about 6 months ago, I decided it best to tackle this repair. In the last couple of weeks, 2 different times, the door would not open and the interior door lock would not come up, which is exactly what happened on the other door, before it locked up completely. Since the door cannot open, when the Actuator quits, some shops will cut into the door panel, to begin the repair, which just adds more $ to the repair bill.
With the time to stop and video, once I determined what to disconnect, it was about 1 hour tear down. I did not have to remove the window or regulator, as shown in other videos. An inspection mirror was helpful, since you can't see into the door compartment, to see what is being disconnected. Aside from the 2 torx screws (T25) which hold the door panel and the 3 (T30) torx screws on the Actuator, the only other tools absolutely necessary are an allen wrench and a door panel remover tool.
The install only took about 20 minutes, so were I to tackle this repair again, I think I could easily do it in less than an hour.
Dealer wants $150 for the regulator, but you can find new ones on Ebay for about $50.
On a scale of 1 to 10, degree of difficulty, with 10 being the hardest, I would put this at 5, on the first attempt, but would probably drop to 3, now that I know the process.
Good Luck and enjoy your BMW!