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      04-05-2020, 09:18 PM   #1
e38740imd
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Soft Close Doors...Wont Soft Close?

2016 640i Coupe'

About 2 weeks ago, the drivers side wont soft close. so i have to close the door a little harder.
when i close the door i hear the mechanism trying to do something and 2 seconds later try again

anyone ever experience this?
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      04-06-2020, 07:51 AM   #2
Giggs11
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It is your soft close actuator they are made out of cheep plastic and they go bad frequently , I chance my 3 times twice drivers door ones passenger very poorly made shame on bmw 100k car cost of repair with labor $1160 each !!!!
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      04-06-2020, 11:28 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by e38740imd View Post
2016 640i Coupe'

About 2 weeks ago, the drivers side wont soft close. so i have to close the door a little harder.
when i close the door i hear the mechanism trying to do something and 2 seconds later try again

anyone ever experience this?
A simple google search with a few key words like (BMW soft close malfunction) should bring up some old threads that discuss this issue.

In regards to the noise you hear...that is the soft-close feature double checking that the door is actually closed. As you can see in the info below...when the door is MANUALLY closed (or slammed)...effectively bypassing the soft close feature...the system is designed to check that the door is closed:
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      04-06-2020, 01:21 PM   #4
e38740imd
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Qsilver7 View Post
A simple google search with a few key words like (BMW soft close malfunction) should bring up some old threads that discuss this issue.

In regards to the noise you hear...that is the soft-close feature double checking that the door is actually closed. As you can see in the info below...when the door is MANUALLY closed (or slammed)...effectively bypassing the soft close feature...the system is designed to check that the door is closed:
i honestly didnt expect this to be an issue when the car is still quite new

@ 1200 a repair 3 times would have made me pissed.

now i know what the issue is i will decide if this is something i will tackle or pay someone to do. i may wait a while to see if a better replacement comes along

thanks guys!
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      04-06-2020, 05:30 PM   #5
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What part have you replaced the one attached or the door locking mechanism. Curious which one goes bad.
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      04-06-2020, 07:39 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vaio23 View Post
What part have you replaced the one attached or the door locking mechanism. Curious which one goes bad.
If your car is optioned with soft close feature and the door(s) soft close feature is no longer working correctly...but the door can still be locked/unlocked without any issue...I would assume that it is the soft close drive unit that has gone bad...not the door lock mechanism. But continue to search on this topic to see exactly what others have done in the past.

Going back to the BMW TIS website to get more info and another image...you can see in the pic below how the soft close drive & door lock are connected.
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      05-06-2021, 09:29 AM   #7
e38740imd
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super bump.


so 2 weeks ago the car makes a grinding noise. when the soft close door does the extra attempt to close. i quick youtube search shows the soft close unit brakes. and i just got quoted 525 for a replacement part that has to be coded to the car. once its bought there is no cancelling or returning the part.

also seems to be a bmw only part as there is no other vendor supplier.

is there a way i can disable or cut power to the driver door mechanism until i do the DIY? there is a DIY on youtube to do this job btw.
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      05-06-2021, 01:15 PM   #8
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My question is, is it worth $1000 for the soft close function as long as the door locks and unlocks like a normal door? It wouldn't be for me.
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      05-06-2021, 02:06 PM   #9
e38740imd
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its not honestly.

I lived a good year with out it back when i made this post. but this loud gear grinding is annoying and embarrassing. if I can cut power to the mechanism ill do that. maybe just unplug it when i have a day to do work on the car
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      05-06-2021, 11:08 PM   #10
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can it not be coded out ?i know comfort access can
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      05-07-2021, 03:08 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by e38740imd View Post
I lived a good year with out it back when i made this post. but this loud gear grinding is annoying and embarrassing. if I can cut power to the mechanism ill do that. maybe just unplug it when i have a day to do work on the car
My interpretation from reading the BMW tech info...soft close is a stand alone feature. It reads as if you could unplug the electrical connection (essentially cutting power)...and just close the doors manually. See/read the info below to see if you come away with the same thinking. The text highlighted in yellow was NOT done so for this thread...it was highlighted in regards to a question asked in a thread long ago...but the pic/info was in my “stash”...so it is being reused here.
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Last edited by Qsilver7; 05-08-2021 at 10:30 AM..
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      08-30-2023, 10:59 PM   #12
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I have fixed my soft close issue as detailed

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      01-20-2024, 03:29 PM   #13
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I'm not sure if I have an issue with the power door close or just the cold. It has been very cold here in the Boston area the last few days, Wind Chill of zero this morning, so maybe it is just frozen. My car was not locked and the door opened every morning, but would not close, just bounced back open. I have used a hair dryer on the handle. while in the open position the last 4 mornings, and again this afternnon. After 4-5 minutes of hot air the power closed door kicks in and pulls the door shut. I am assuming some mechanism within the handle is freezing up or is the power close somehow causing the problem?
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      01-20-2024, 04:22 PM   #14
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I said years ago that in this thread that I wouldn't pay ~$1000 to fix it if it stopped working. Well, this summer my drivers soft close function stopped working. I think what broke it was the seat belt buckle was in the way and stopped the door from fully closing. Mine makes a little sound after I close the door but nothing that I would call "grinding". I liked the feature but it's something I can definitely live without.
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      01-20-2024, 04:49 PM   #15
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So if I understand correctly the soft close feature failing has no effect on the door continuing to operate correctly? The problem I am having when closing the door is nothing engages.
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      01-20-2024, 07:44 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpine650 View Post
I'm not sure if I have an issue with the power door close or just the cold. It has been very cold here in the Boston area the last few days, Wind Chill of zero this morning, so maybe it is just frozen. My car was not locked and the door opened every morning, but would not close, just bounced back open. I have used a hair dryer on the handle. while in the open position the last 4 mornings, and again this afternnon. After 4-5 minutes of hot air the power closed door kicks in and pulls the door shut. I am assuming some mechanism within the handle is freezing up or is the power close somehow causing the problem?
Did you get precipitation with the freezing temps? If yes, then it does sound like moisture has affected some of your door components and they may be frozen.

If you don’t have a garage where you can get temps above freezing…look for a public underground parking garage where temps are above freezing and take care of some business or do lunch/dinner…which can give the car a long enough time to thaw with temps above freezing.

If frozen components are the culprit…letting the car set for some time in higher temps should fix the problem.
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      01-21-2024, 09:25 AM   #17
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Thanks Qsilver7. No freezing rain, just snow flurries. This morning when I touched the door handle to open the car I accidentally locked it. Which tells me the locking mechanism isn’t frozen. However, I cannot unlock or open the door. Getting the hair dryer out - again!

UPDATE - Less than 10 seconds with the hair dryer on the open part of the handle and the lock popped open!

Last edited by Alpine650; 01-21-2024 at 11:19 AM..
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      01-22-2024, 02:38 PM   #18
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Vehicle specific repair/replace.

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      01-25-2024, 09:36 PM   #19
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What fuse can we pull to temporarily disable soft close?
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      01-25-2024, 10:26 PM   #20
Qsilver7
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What fuse can we pull to temporarily disable soft close?
Each soft close drive has its own fuse…so which door do you want to pull?

It would probably be better to pull the electrical connector for the soft close drive in case something else is also powered by the fuse that powers the soft close drive.
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      01-30-2024, 02:31 PM   #21
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It is possible to get a used soft close module from ebay for $150-200.
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