Handbrake Button Has Disappeared Up Into The Handbrake

[stevep21]

Have just bought a 1988 535i Executive with 258,000 klms in generally excellent condition. It is my first BMW and it is wonderful to drive with all its brilliant Executive options. It has generally been very good having been well looked after by the previous BMW enthusiast (second owner) except for the well known fusible link problem that was easily fixed by the auto electrician. One alarming problem is that the release button on the handbrake has slowly been disappearing up into the handbrake itself and now the handbrake cannot be used at all. Is this very serious? Obviously it needs fixing and I will need to get it to a BMW repairer. Another problem is the that vinyl covering on the two front inside door panels is coming away. Can these panels be easily removed so that the covering can be re-attached? It has an in-car mobile phone system installed for a Nokia but not for my model. Is it possible to get an adapter so that the cradle can be changed without having to completely re-install a new phone system? Lastly, the car has an alarm (it went off once in the garage) but no remote system for locking the doors and setting the alarm. I have two keys for the car, one a master key, but there are no buttons to control the locks or the alarm. Is it possible to get the alarm system fully activated? Many thanks in advance for any help and sorry if any of these questions are very old hat. Cheers, Steve

[billy]

i think you will find its the handle thats moving not the button
grab the handle firmly and twist side to side whilst pushing backwards, the button should reappear as if by magic!

regards phone, no adapters, just get another kit, they are cheap
regards door covering, you can fix it to an extent but it never looks right and looks a mess, best to get a new one or one from another car that in better shape

[myles]

Hello Steve
Welcome - good to see another local on the forum.
Billy has most items covered there. I've not seen a factory alarm on an e34 so can't help with that.
Myles