drivers side window fell ='(

[bmwracerchick]

Ok this couldnt have happened at the worst time...right before Christmas why....:sigh: my window has been rubbing for a while and I knew the regulator must have been going, well today it finally decided to take a poop on me. The window fell halfway down and lost its grip to the track to push up. I managed to pull the window up a little, in doing so now I noticed parts of the tint is completely ripped off now, so not only is the mechanical part of the window needs to be replaced so will the tint. And I was just about to order my BF present along with a few other friends and family. This happened at the worst time, I am even going to new york in less then a week. I cant drive the car to work and I am praying it doesnt rain tonight.

From past experiences and knowledge how much am I looking at? How hard is this to fix and how fast of a job is it? Please help guys, I am going to see if work will let me come in late so I can take the car to either BMW or another Mechanic praying they have the part ready and do a good job. BMW is last resort but at least I know they would do a good job....so I hope.

[bmwracerchick]

PS:

I know there have been threads on the regulator but I am not sure that is my problem and I did a search and there was nothing on prices people paid to get it fixed, and I dont have the time or resources to fix myself...

[pnosker]

My window fell in a month ago or so and it turned out to just be the plastic sliders broke. I suggest you get a friend and you both grab the window with the door open, and pull it into place while the other looks inside and makes sure it doesn't get caught on anything. Then, go to BMW and get 2 plastic sliders, and white lithium grease spray. Pop out the old broken sliders and replace them, spraying the tracks with white lithium grease. Good luck!

[upstatenybimmer]

this is a job you could probly do yourself... sounds like the identical problem i had and it was a pretty simple fix...other than the few occasional cusses.

get your glass so its all the way in the closed position. then once your sure the glass isnt going to fall again, tap on your window control and make sure your regulator still sounds like its working (youll be able to hear it). if everythings good there, just get 2 of the window slides from bavauto like pnosker said.

when this happened to me, my mechanic said id have to replace the regulator but i ended up just buying the slides, popping them on and everything was fine. just make sure you put really press hard on the regulator arm into the slide to make sure it isnt going to jump out again and snap the cotter (sp?) keys on.

btw make sure the padding in both side tracks is still where it should be or you will hear alot of rubbing when you get it all put back together.

good luck! and remember swearing helps get the job done quicker.

[bmwracerchick]

lol thanks, ill make sure I look into the slides, how do you take the door panel off to do this without breaking off clips? Is there a detailed do it yourself with pictures on what I need to be looking at? I managed to get the window almost all the way up without falling back down but truthfully anyone who bumps into the car will make it fall back down. I pray that its the sliders and not the regulator, how do you know if its the regulator that is broken? Is there anything that indicates it being broken?

Thanks for the help guys.

[L84THSKY]

Depending on how fast you need it resolved, may govern what to do immediately. If you just want to get the window closed for now, then take off the door panel, and put the plastic guides back in the rail, and close it up. Then you can temporarily disconnect the wires on the bottom of the window switch (center console) to be sure you don't accidently press the button.

That will get you started, give you a chance to look inside and see what actually is broken. The regulator arms get bend when the guides pop out, but that doesn't mean you need new ones. The clips can be pulled off by hand on the door panel. Only one screw must be removed, it is behind the side mirror control switch.

I had a warranty, so they replaced everything. But I did what I mentioned above to get the window closed and drive the car till I had time to get to the dealer.

[aceyx]

There is a write-up of sorts in my gallery on how to remove the door panel. I have pics of how to work on the regulator I will try to get up later today (I did this months ago and just forgot to upload the pics).

If the regulator arms are bent, it may need replaced. They should all be parallel like scissors, just not as close. Try using two sets of pliers to bend it into place before you purchase the new part. This is a temporary fix, but lasts if you're careful with it. I was able to get one for $96 shipped from TN including the plastic clips off ebay.

If the regulator is straight, just replace the clips. Any dealer should have them in stock.


FWIW, I cleaned out all the grease in the tracks and now use a Teflon dry lube. It will take a few applications to get it thoroughly coated, but it seems to work well.

[jkilla71]

Originally Posted by bmwracerchick

lol thanks, ill make sure I look into the slides, how do you take the door panel off to do this without breaking off clips? Is there a detailed do it yourself with pictures on what I need to be looking at? I managed to get the window almost all the way up without falling back down but truthfully anyone who bumps into the car will make it fall back down. I pray that its the sliders and not the regulator, how do you know if its the regulator that is broken? Is there anything that indicates it being broken?

Thanks for the help guys.

I am hoping this may help you.
My new regulator is coming Tuesday and I will be doing the same thing.

I have pulled apart my doors at least ten times fixing those power windows. I think this is something everybody should get use to doing if they own a e36.

- pop the power mirror switch out of the door

- remove the switch from the connector

- One torque screw where the mirror switch was (look inside)

- One torque screw in the door handle

- using a flat screw driver or something similar, carefully pry each clip open. Should be able to separate the door panel from the door enough too see where each clip is. (About 10 clips) Do not pull the panel from the door take the time and pop out each clip be hand.

-once door panel is loose then lift off the panel from the door sill.

-Remember to remove the speaker wire before totally pulling the panel away.

-remove foam insulation

- roll the window down until you can see the track of the regulator. (Hopefully the regulator isn’t bent too badly)

-First step is to make sure the window is in the track (Check the weather stripping inside door for placement)

-Remove broken slider or just pop the regulator back in the slider if it is not damaged. (If the pin is missing it should be still inside the door some where)

-Slide pin over slider once reattached to the regulator. (Repeat for second slider)

-lubricate track and sliders with white grease

Then Reassemble Door (the door clips are very delicate so make sure they are aligned before putting pressure on them)

[Phil Marx]

I thought there used to be a sticky on this topic. Here's one of the many posts I made on the subject: http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthrea...=3761#post3761

It's not a certainty that your regulator is damaged. That usually occurs when you try and roll the window up after the clips have broken and is normally accompanied by a crunching sound as the regulator arms meet the jammed window glass. The window glass usually wins that battle and the regulator arms get bent. I've replaced one regulator (driver's side) and simply straightened one (passenger side). I don't really think either repair is more permanent than the other. If it's your original regulator, the most difficult part is often drilling out the rivets that hold the regulator to the door. If it's been done already, there will be bolts and nuts there. Either way, you'll need new clips. Each door takes two, order four. And make sure the clips slid in the track easily because often the regulator arms have mangled the track the clips slide in and that's just one more thing to rectify while you're in there. Take your time. It ain't rocket science...just a bad design. And that includes the damn door panels, too.

Here's where I started; my subsequent information and posts are in addition to this good write-up: http://understeer.com/window.shtml

[pdxmotorhead]

If it broke raising the window its more likely to have
damaged the regulator than if it broke going down.
Its as easy to fix as installig the mirrors. Unless
you need to change the regulator. The plastic guides
are pretty easy.

A local body shop did one of mine for 200 bucks to
replace the regulator mechanism when it broke
on my wife and I was out of town.

Dave

[GhostRyder]

yea i had to get my regulater changed out, cost me bout 220

[Philly]

well.. your not the only one who had that luck..
i put my window down tonight, its been grinding a little but nothin major.. then it makes these effed up sounds like it was going to shatter or something.. the window fell forward...

edit : had a ? .. but figured it out by reading above.. i guess that woulda been bright

[Mallard]

if its fallen forward then most probaly, its the runner clip.

if it rattles in the frame half down, then its the regulator

[Philly]

i need to call the dealer and ask if they have this part so i can fix this ASAP..

what are the sliders/guides/runner clips official names if im asking a dealer for them?
i havn't ripped it apart yet but im presuming its the latter.

[bmwracerchick]

Originally Posted by rwd_king

i need to call the dealer and ask if they have this part so i can fix this ASAP..

what are the sliders/guides/runner clips official names if im asking a dealer for them?
i havn't ripped it apart yet but im presuming its the latter.

Im sure if you ask it like that they will know what you are asking for, im getting the car back today. costing a little over $200 and it was the regulator, completely trashed I took a look at it, and got new sliders for the window, so im going to get the car and see how it works now, thank god the motor (knock on wood) is still good lol