Greetings. Complete noob to Bimmer cars here, long time Bimmer cycle (K1100LT, R100RT, K100RS) owner. I recently took possesion of a 1995 740iL. It has been sitting for over a year and I'm sure the battery is dead. I replaced the batteries in the key fob as I'm sure they were kaput as well.

Here is the problem. When I insert the key into the lock it only goes in half way then stops, same with the trunk lock. I've read about lifting the door handle and turning the key but when I lift the door handle the key will still only go half way and stop. Turning it is impossible. Short of jacking the front end up and attaching a cable to the starter and a cable to the frame, is there anything I can do?

Any help would be greatly appreciated as I have to move this car ASAP as the previous owner is moving and the car is currently in her garage.

Did you replace the key in the battery BEFORE trying it to see if it would unlock the doors & trunk? If so, you might have made the situation worse...because if you took over 60 seconds to swap the battery...the remote probably lost its programming. And to reprogram the key...it must be inserted into the ignition...but it sounds like you're locked out of the car...ooooooo (I really hope the key didn't lose its programming) :(

Which brings up a 2nd concern...the key should go all the way into the door lock and trunk cylinder WITHOUT having to lift the handle (that procedure is for the older BMWs like the e32/e34/e36/e28/e30/e24.

If the key is NOT going into the door & trunk lock cylinder...it could be that a previous owner replaced the ignition or lock cylinders and that could be the reason why the key doesn't work. Have you tried lubricating the door & trunk locks with either silicon, WD40, graphite, etc....maybe they are fudged up with something after sitting for so long.

Third...are you absolutely sure that you were given the correct keys to this car? Did the previous owner have multiple BMWs and perhaps gave you the wrong key?

If you have the correct key for the car, and you do get it to slip into the door/trunk lock cylinder...all you have to do on the e38 is TURN the key COUNTER CLOCKWISE to the left...past the detent to open either the door or trunk. There's NO NEED to lift the handle on the e38. ;)

http://www.bimmerboard.com/members/q/original/manual_door_lock.jpg http://www.bimmerboard.com/members/q/original/manual_trunk_lock.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/7/web/739000-739999/739005_49_full.jpg

Thanks for the response. It is greatly appreciated. I have 2 keys for the car. I tried them both before replacing the batteries in one fob. I did it rather quicky as i was aware of programming issues. Neither key will insert. They stop half way into the cylinders as if there was a solid obstruction in said cylinders. Owner has one one Bimmer so the keys are correct. I will attempt teh WD 40 but am not optimistic of the outcome.

If the door handle protocol does not work for the e38 what options do I have? Will getting a hot cable to the starter work?

Thanks in Advance

If you can't get the keys into the lock cylinder...then any thing you can do to get power to the car will be a big help.

Don't forget that the trunk cylinder...because if you can get the trunk open...you'll have direct access to the car's battery...which you can then either jump, recharge, or replace.

And once enough power is restored to the car...if the keys did not lose their programming, you can at least roll down the windows by pressing & holding the unlock button on the key...which will allow you to open the hood. It may also give enough power to unlock the doors with the remote as well.

Good luck.