Removal, installation and adjustment of the door (BMW 3 Series E46)

The door can be adjusted using washers placed in the hinge from below.



The front and rear doors are installed in the same way.

Removal

1. Unscrew bolt "1" and press door stop "2" away from pillar A.



2. Remove bolt "1" at each hinge using a 10mm socket and ratchet.

To protect the paintwork on the door and front wall, tape them down

3. Remove the door from its hinges and place it on the linings (arrow on the illustration). The lining must be of such a height that the cable bundle is not under tension.



4. Unscrew the plug frame mounting bolts (arrows in the illustration). After this, remove the plug.



5. Pull the bracket up (top arrow). This will cause the connector to become disconnected.

Installation

6. Connect the consumer connector and fix it. Press the plug into the door pillar, tighten the frame mounting bolts to 5 N·m.

7. Insert the door into the hinges from the top and bottom with the help of an assistant. The door is guided by the axis "3". Using washers placed in the hinge from below, the door can be readjusted if necessary. When installing the same door, adjustment is usually not required.

8. Screw bolt "1" into each loop.

9. Attach the door stop to pillar A.

10. Close the door and check if the gap between the door and the body is uniform. If necessary, unscrew the bolts at the hinges and adjust the door height with the upper bolts.

When installing a new one, spacers are placed under the hinges to move the door outward or inward

The door is adjusted only in combination with related components, such as window lifters, glass, etc., since the position of the door depends on its weight. When adjusting the door seal, it is necessary to remove it. If the front and rear doors were removed, the rear door must be adjusted first, then the front one.



11. Loosen screw "1" securing the lock bracket to the B-pillar of the door with a Torx screwdriver and loosen screw "2" so that the bracket can move. Note: The depth adjustment "3" should not be changed.

If you need to remove the bracket, keep the following in mind. Instead of the top screw, screw in a stud to prevent the threaded strip from falling into the door pillar. Then unscrew the bottom screw and remove the bracket.

12. Open the door handle and hold it. Close the door. This sets the height "4" and the angle of the lock bracket.

13. Carefully open the door and tighten the screws to a torque of 20 Nm.

The door may not go inward more than 1 mm from the front side and protrude more than 1 mm from the back side. A worn lock bracket must be replaced first.