Thanks for all the advice guys, I haven't had time to really get back at w/ my busy schedule, but I will later this week. I don't think the door panel can be removed w/ the door shut b/c the door jamb screws can only be accessed w/ it open. Also I was thinking about just getting a slim jim and popping the doors open w/ that since it is going to be hard to fish it up through the hole. If I borrow a slim jim, does anyone know where the latch is exactly to lift up, is it down from the hole of the door nob or is it over by the latch in the rear corner part where the door opens? Let me know, thanks!

Same thing happened to my front drivers door yesterday. I know from having had the panels off a salvage yard SD not long ago, that you cannot get the panels off with door closed. I also know that the inside handle will not open the lock in that position because the metal rod that the knob screws onto is jamming up against the panel and will not go up. Fot rhe same reason, a slim jim will not work either.

I bent a small hool into a coat hanger wire and fished less than a minute before the rod was visible in the hole. Then I turned the key to unlock the door. Then screwed on a different knob and it was fixed.

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1984 300SD 326,997 miles and counting . . . No wait, my odometer is still dead

For my 1981 240D, the rear doors have ash trays. I removed the ash tray, which provided access to the lock vacuum actuator. Pulled the plunger up, door opened.

No Slim Jim required.

Now to find a lock knob replacement.

I found a way to unlock the door with no knob or w/o using the vacumn system.

As the previous responder said, you can fish around and find the lock stem in the door, but you can not pull it up or get it to stay where it can have the knob screwed back on. I centered the knob, shoved a plastic straw on it to hold it relatively centered. Then I removed the plastic dish-like part under the inside door handle. With that removed you can use a long pair of surgical forceps to go through the vapor barrier and reach the unlock stem. You can then manuever the stem up to unlock the door. The straw keeps the stem from jamming and makes it go back through the hole properly. I hope this saves someone some grief.

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83 300SD 280K
78 240D 200K+ sold 10/07
94 BMW 740IL 220K