[Adam]

I don't have first hand experience with this situation in BMW so pardon if I'm wrong. Normally for the above mentioned door handle with window switches its not leather covering , Its just soft touch coating/paint. And most soft touch paints doesn't last long, after years pass, especially if in hot humid climate it will have reversal effect and get sticky or sometime it just wore off and create a patch. There are ways to remove off those coating completely and can be coated again. Not quite sure if there is any such service in India though.
This kind of issues were present in many European cars before, especially with switches, they used Rubber switches which will eventually have reversal effect and get sticky, but later was replaced with inert materials based on silicone rubber which may get yellowish eventually if exposed to UV, but will not get sticky.

[vishwasvr]

Very common issue on the BMWs. Seen plenty of them with the same issue. Even on my dad's F30. I got an art leather cover done for all 4 door handles. I can't stand the sight of the handles now

Planning to replace it soon!

[hurtem]

Had this issue in our old F30. Mainly on the driver side due to sunny conditions, the inside part melted. Got the front two handles repaired from FNG where he covered it with matching leather.

[ACM]

I faced the same issue. Replaced the front passenger and rear handles for about 3.5k eack in Authorized centre.

The front door was 50k plus so instead took a bit of time and removed the entire sticky plastic/ rubber coating using elbow grease.

[ajs85]

Originally Posted by androdev

I hate the quality of OEM material used, so I prefer to buy a very good quality non-OEM parts and preferably black instead of matching brown. Any suggestions from BMW owners who went through this issue?

Hey Androdev,
I had the same issue, this is common with All the BMW. The cause is the rubber coating used to make the handles soft-touch gets degraded with the oil release from our skin/grime from external factors. I simply got the handles wrapped by a local person in pure leather. He did a fabulous job and the door handles feels better than the OEM ones with the same soft touch. The total cost set me back by about 9k but overall it was much cheaper than the replacement and better than the Non-OEM route.

[gultajkanwal]

any update on the quality of the car craft one's available on amazon?

[goingout]

@Androdev: Any update on your experience with the replacement?

I am facing the same issue in my LCI F02. Tried to order the add on covers from AliExpress but they are still not shipping to India. Any leads on another website or vendor in India who could arrange it?

[androdev]

Update:

I am one of those car owners who rarely ventures out of A.S.S but I decided not to go with A.S.S this time even if they offered goodwill discount. OEM handles are poor by design and will start getting sticky all over again. I didn't realise this before but my perception that BMW materials to age poorly was mainly based on these door handles.



After checking few options, I have decided to get this done through team-bhp member @nirmaljustdoit (Keystone Enterprises, Bangalore) based on the photos he sent me of many BMW handle replacement jobs he has done. I used his detailing services in the past, so I know my car would be in safe hands. They have a team-bhp page here if anyone wants to look them up: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/banga...bangalore.html (Exterior & Interior Detailing : Keystone Enterprises (Bangalore))

I was very keen to replace only the plastic inner-half of the handles in black colour and retain the leather outer-half. These parts were hard to source compared to the full handles and I almost gave up and decided to go with full handle replacements but Nirmal was patient enough to find the source and it was worth the wait.



Actual replacement was done at my home and took a couple of hours. They have done many such jobs as I could make out from their familiarity with all clips, screws and connections. Important thing was to achieve perfect fit and ensure everything works after the job is done - window switch, sun screen, door lock pin being flush after locking, etc. They switched off the interior lights and switched on the engine for a bit in the middle to ensure car battery doesn't get drained, etc. It's a lot of work and not worth DYI unless you enjoy working on your car. I paid Rs16.5k for parts and shipping and Rs5.5K for labour. I am very happy with the results.

Few pics of old vs new. Happy with my decision to go with black colour.

Driver door:




Other doors:

[dealer]

Originally Posted by dealer

Seeing the condition of your door handles, I would recommend going in for an OEM replacement only. Plastic/leather quality vary significantly in the aftermarket and I personally would not like to risk having quality issues on something I touch every time I step into the car.



Well, this is what I've ordered.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/353290062736

I'll upload pictures and let you know my experience once the product arrives.

Just received the package. It's a really quick install, just snaps onto the original door handles. Plastic quality is extremely good and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an easy fix to a problem that plagues all F10s and F30s

[amit_i]

Can you pl post the photos of these and what all it took for installation, i am looking for the solution for my F30 sticky handles.

[dealer]

Originally Posted by amit_i

Can you pl post the photos of these and what all it took for installation, i am looking for the solution for my F30 sticky handles.

Hey, you can visit this link -
https://www.ebay.com/itm/353290062736

These are of excellent quality and an easy DIY install in comparison to getting new OEM door handles.

[lordtottuu]

Originally Posted by lordtottuu

Oh lord, I have the exact same issue with my F10 525 -- the same, exact level of stickiness in the handle and staining of the cup. I figured the driver had used some funky cleaning solution long back but I've heard from car accessory shops that it's an ongoing issue with other BMWs.

Local shops wanted 15-20k to fix it so I just shrugged, wrapped the handle in some leather and moved on. After 10+ years of ownership, the plastic has gotten so deteriorated that the driver side switches now have no support and rattle so I'm looking at options.

@androdev and @Mtv : Could you link me to some sources for these parts? Are Aliexpress products allowed through customs these days? Thanks in advance.

Right, so my situation has been untenable with the driver side buttons sitting on, well, nothing. Putting the window down has become a gamble of whether I'll be able to use it again.

Ideally, I'd have just gotten them though Aliexpress but given the ban, I've sourced these handles locally, for a cheapish price. Will keep the thread updated once I manage to install them.

[Maverick_4662]

Faced the same issue on my 3GT yesterday. Car was parked in the sun with windows and sunroof cracked open for about 2 hours. FYI I'm in trivandrum and yesterday's high wa 32 degC. Rubber has melted on the front left door only. Is BMW's part quality really this bad? How is the vehicle surviving in hotter areas in India? Have mailed BMW India. Will keep thread updated with their response. Heartbroken.

[Maverick_4662]

Update: BMW offered me a goodwill warranty for the handle. They in fact replaced both the front door handles. Response received was good and the goodwill warranty was offered right at the outset. Impressed by the response but disappointed that I can longer take my car out to places without covered parking even for a few hours.

[mkc15]

I thought my G30 wont hit this issue, but I was wrong. Right door handle has started to become slightly sticky. Car is still under warranty but Navnit said it can’t be replaced under warranty. SA said its due to age (car is < 5 years and 90% parked in covered parking :-)). Would like to write to BMW. Could you please share the email-id of BMW India? Many thanks.