BMW E39 5-Series Door Latch Replacement | 1997-2003 525i, 528i, 530i and 540i

The job of the door latch is to latch the door to the body of the car.
On BMW E39 models the power door lock actuator is integrated with the latch. As well as having an actuator it also has position switches so the body computer and instrument cluster knows and can warn you when the door is open. These position sensors also inform the body control module (BCM) if the door is locked and should be unlocked or vice versa. Sometimes the outside latch handle signal is sent to the body module to let it know to wake up when the door is opened. A problem latch can lead to battery drains delaying computers from going into sleep mode. This can happen when the interior light stays illuminated because the latch is not indicating to the BCM that the door is closed.
Remove interior door panel. See our tech article on door panel removing. Since you are not removing the window regulator you should have the window positioned all the way up before you disconnect the battery.
The first step is to follow the procedure for Interior Front Door Panel Removal. The procedure here picks up after that is complete.
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