Firstfives.org

77 528i
My drivers side doors stay has been making a loud noise for while ( when opening /closing door) , then it got louder for a few days, then no noise at all for the last week, and no stay or door to match.
so today I removed the door cover and had a look - bugger broken.
pic attached of the bits

<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasawe ... r></table>

looks like the bracket is cast , can this be welded back together?

I noted the pin for the rollers is a bit bent, probably why it was making so much noise.

No pic...

image now attached correctly.

say does anyone know how to get Apples mobileme gallery pics to attach correctly
chow

Talked to a friend of mine who is a welder by trade, and he informed me that, YES, anything can be welded, but sometimes it's best not to except in extreme circumstances.
My guess is that this would be one of those times when sourcing a replacement part would probably be best.

Good luck with the repair, and no idea about the pic attachment.

Mine broke right at the top of the loop....tried rewelding it and it looked like it would work for a while...but then when I put it back in, the tension when the roller is all the way out made it snap again....maybe your welder can do a better job than mine did

Welding them isn't a good idea. It's spring steel, so it would require a special alloy to weld it with, then retempering it to restore it to original specs. Which may or may not be above the melting temp of the aluminium bracket it's riveted to. However, the late E12s and E28's seemed to have used the same part, which was redesigned and doesn't seem to fail like the "U" shaped one, but is interchangable. I think it uses a different strap between the "A" pillar and the door, but aside from that complication, it should work more reliably and be far easier to find too.

Mike W. wrote: but aside from that complication, it should work more reliably and be far easier to find too.

Exactly . Just replace it. No brainer.

Per Mike's reference to E28 door parts, "Adam W in MN" recently posted this on another site.
Reminded me of this OP's question.
Hope it helps.