Electric rear windows

[halek]

I've just found out that E36 coupe's were offered with electric openers for their rear windows as an option. As we essentially have the same pop out windows, I was wondering if anyone has them on their ti.

[davep-uk]

my windows dont open.

[318tibimmer]

What is the exact car that has the electric windows in the back. I have thought about doing a Mod, I didn't know that BMW had auto windows in the back. At least for the windows that we have. Let me know and I will look into it.

[bmwracerchick]

OMG I was just talking about this to my boyfriend the other day. how freaky? I would like the answer to this as well because I love those windows open but it is just to much of a pain the arse to open and close all the time.

[Platanos]

I love those windows open but it is just to much of a pain the arse to open and close all the time.


+1

[1996 328ti]

The previous of my car tried but it did not work.
If he could have installed them, he would have.
So no. The electric kit won't fit.

[halek]

part # 51 36 9 402 689 electric rear vent window retrofit

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/partxref.do?part=51369402689&showus=&showeur=on&series=E36

It appears it was only offered on E36 coupe's, I didn't think the coupe & compacts rear quarter windows were that different

[J!m]

To add insult to injury, I also believe it was not available on the US models; however quite a few M3 owners have installed them...

The ti may be lacking certain mounting locations under the headliner and/or trim in the rear.

If a re-paint is in the cards, it may be possible to retro-fit the coupe kit to the ti, by welding on the necessary bracketry to allow it to mount. This will obviously burn the paint, and need a touch-up.

[PettitWC]

I was thinking about this too but I'm not ready to put that much work into it

[318tibimmer]

I wonder if the motor could be modified so it would work for our cars? As in use the braket that we currently have.

[cali-ti]

if it wasn't $400+, i might buy it and see what i could do.

[318tibimmer]

I will call my guy at BMW and see what kind of discount I can get. Maybe if it is not that expencive, I will give it a go.

[halek]

I found a 'how to' for the coupe, http://www.geocities.com/odortiz/misc/pwrvent/zpwrvent.htm

you need different trim pieces to clear the motors as well, so you'd have to custom build those IF you could get the motors to fit.

[stormos]

hmmm, might be worth emailing the breakers on this one.....

[stormos]

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=CT31&mospid=47456&btnr=51_4479&hg=51&fg=95

BEHOLD! i am Zee Guru! 318/323 ti had the option here it seems for certain years ;)

[John Firestone]

you need different trim pieces to clear the motors as well, so you'd have to custom build those IF you could get the motors to fit.
How so? You don't need them and I didn't use them when I added them to my coupe in 1996. Actually, I was the guy who found those trim pieces and told people about them: the kit didn't come with them and probably still doesn't. Unfortunately that was a year or two after my installation.

Where was the difficulty when trying to install them on a 'ti? An incompatibility in the window swing lever and latch? No room for the motors inside the body section below the window?

If I can help out on this project, just give a yodel. Just don't ask me to pull off the side upholstery again: it is too cold now and something will probably crack.

[John Firestone]

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=CT31&mospid=47456&btnr=51_4479&hg=51&fg=95

BEHOLD! i am Zee Guru! 318/323 ti had the option here it seems for certain years ;)Dang. It doesn't look super promising. It is marked ENDED and maps to another kit (an electrochrome mirror) also marked ENDED.

[stormos]

may be worth someone calling bmw....

[J!m]

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=CT31&mospid=47456&btnr=51_4479&hg=51&fg=95

BEHOLD! i am Zee Guru! 318/323 ti had the option here it seems for certain years ;)

BUT if you read the entire note, it shows the part kit as NLA (no longer available).

Good luck!

I searched for quite some time before I located the risers for my wing... AND paid dearly for them once I found them.

[Tyler]

This was discussed on here awhile back and i think someone was attempting to do it to there ti but it was an impossible task. There was no place to mount the necceasary parts to do it,basically lack of room.

The pop out windows kind of stink imo. You can only have them open on the city,once you pull onto the highway they get shut due to higher speeds.

If someone really wants to attempt this find a wrecked e36 at the junkyard and see if it has the parts and just take em out.

[cali-ti]

i would think the motors could be installed in the hatch area, although the electrical lines might need to be lengthened.

it appears they tie into the central body control which i believe would mean that like the front windows, the rears would close when you turned the door key and all that.

[cali-ti]

How so? You don't need them and I didn't use them when I added them to my coupe in 1996. Actually, I was the guy who found those trim pieces and told people about them: the kit didn't come with them and probably still doesn't. Unfortunately that was a year or two after my installation.

If I can help out on this project, just give a yodel. Just don't ask me to pull off the side upholstery again: it is too cold now and something will probably crack.
do you still have the coupe you added them to john? once things warm up, it'd be nice to get a measurement on the required mounting depth/height/width for the motor assembly.

[cali-ti]

just doing some mild "compatibility checking" to see what i could find.

ti:
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=CG73&mospid=47506&btnr=51_2147&hg=51&fg=05

e36 coupe (i used a 328i):
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BG21&mospid=47431&btnr=51_2060&hg=51&fg=05

these mounting parts (for attaching the hinge through the window and to the body) are the same:
51-36-8-144-046 COUNTERSUNK HEAD SCREW
51-36-8-144-048 BASE
51-36-8-144-798 FLAT WASHER
51-36-8-144-980 NUT
07-11-9-913-415 HEX BOLT WITH WASHER

i think the easiest (and cheapest) way to determine if the motorized hinges would work would be to source a manual hinge and see if that could be made to work.

[adamud]

i found +110 mph on the highway closes them automatically.

My dad's friend installed them on his e36 M3, but those have bigger windows
(i think)

[1996 328ti]

This was discussed on here awhile back and i think someone was attempting to do it to there ti but it was an impossible task. There was no place to mount the necceasary parts to do it,basically lack of room. Like I said, the previous owner of my car tried to install them.

[cali-ti]

so it was the mounting of the motors where the failure occurred?

[John Firestone]

do you still have the coupe you added them to john? once things warm up, it'd be nice to get a measurement on the required mounting depth/height/width for the motor assembly.I suspect the hinge may decide the outcome of the project before then.

Compare http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=CT31&mospid=47456&btnr=51_2147&hg=51&fg=05

and http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BF71&mospid=47429&btnr=51_2060&hg=51&fg=05 again.

It looks like one might have to do some non-trivial machining to adapt the coupe hinge to the 'ti.

It might be helpful to find a BOM for the compact retrofit kit and see if its hinge part number is still good. Or perhaps not. After looking at what information I have about the 1998 German market compacts, I can't find any sign that electric vent windows were a new car option.

[cali-ti]

yeah, it would be easiest/cheapest to try to fit one of the coupe manual hinges to see if that could be made to work before doing anything else.

[HuGo]

I love those windows open but it is just to much of a pain the arse to open and close all the time.

+2

[Platanos]

lol

[John Firestone]

yeah, it would be easiest/cheapest to try to fit one of the coupe manual hinges to see if that could be made to work before doing anything else.I still have mine but the Deutsche Post would want about $15 to send one to you by surface mail (4-6 weeks).

Perhaps it would be faster and cheaper to scan or photograph one against a regular grid, and then make a template. There has to be someone in the U.S. who has their old ones kicking around.

[cali-ti]

yeah, sending it doesn't make sense. i could buy a new one for around that :) i may just do that. not that the template isn't a good idea, but i'd prefer to work with the real thing just so i can get a feel for all dimensions involved, including fully open and closed. this project will likely have to wait for awhile. at least until i get my car running and off the jack stands :)

[Panzer_M]

not worth it, in my opinion

[cali-ti]

yeah, i'm sure most people feel that way Panzer :) i see it mostly like a challenge now, especially since steven and others said it couldn't be done ;)

[halek]

yeah, i'm sure most people feel that way Panzer :) i see it mostly like a challenge now, especially since steven and others said it couldn't be done ;)

lol...I knew this would happen, saying it cant be done is like throwing down a gauntlet, run with it cali :wink: . It's just a shame that the parts cant be sourced from a breakers.

[John Firestone]

yeah, i'm sure most people feel that way Panzer :) i see it mostly like a challenge now, especially since steven and others said it couldn't be done ;)Well, if you can get electric vent windows going in your 'ti, I will be happy to tell you how to make them one touch. :cool: