Window coming off track

[drrty byl]

Originally Posted by pdxmotorhead

If every owner of a E36 would fill out this form......

great idea. filling it out right now

[aceyx]

I've just finished replacing the driver's side regulator (~1 hr). I will do the writeup in about two weeks, but will have the pics in the gallery by the weekend.

Anybody that's done this: is the front track (the part on the glass) more difficult for the slider to work in than the rear? Mine is noticeably different. I'm going to get in there sometime with a rat-tail file and maybe a wire wheel to see if I can smooth it out. I'm wondering if this is just me, from it breaking all the time, or from the factory (and if that, if this is the cause of the problem).

[adempster1]

My driver and pass regulator bent causing a brake on the white clips that run along the tracks; I got new clips for like $5.50 each and fixed my self. It’s been like 5 months now and no problem

[Kimmyis]

I fixed my window with a friend in under two hours. It is fairly easy... the only hard part is getting the sound proofing foam to stay in place afterwards. Good Luck!

[jimtherev]

Alright guys, here's a problem for ya: I've had to have my windows fixed 4 times since May. I'll start rolling it up, hear a popping noise, and suddenly the front half stays still while the back half rolls up. My mechanic has fixed the regulator 4 times now, and it just happened again last Friday. Any ideas for other things t could be?

[Kimmyis]

You may want to check that the pins are put back on the plactic clips and that the clips are intact. When my window came off track it was because the pins came off but the pins didn't break. You may need to replace them.

The other thing I think it might be is that your regulator is bent. We bent mine back into place but if your mechanic did this is might be not quite right causing it to pop out. Regulators are fairly inexpensive ($100) and are easy to replace.

The last thing I can think of is that there is something else in your door out of place that it is catching on... Have you tried taking the door apart yourself and looking in?

[jimtherev]

I haven't tried taking the door apart myself to look, but considering how little I know about cars it probably wouldn't do a ton of good. I'm just glad to find out i'm not the only person who's had issues with the windows.

[aceyx]

Originally Posted by jimtherev

Alright guys, here's a problem for ya: I've had to have my windows fixed 4 times since May. I'll start rolling it up, hear a popping noise, and suddenly the front half stays still while the back half rolls up. My mechanic has fixed the regulator 4 times now, and it just happened again last Friday. Any ideas for other things t could be?

Should have seen this sooner. The front part of the glass is popping out of track, and getting stuck in the door jamb. You have to adjust one of the mounting points on the regulator to change the angle of the glass to a more level position otherwise this will happen again and again (as you know). It's the arm to the bottom left (driver's side). With the glass at half position, loosen the bolt, push down on the arm (snug, not hard) and retighten.


Now to reply to my own post . . .

Originally Posted by aceyx

is the front track (the part on the glass) more difficult for the slider to work in than the rear? Mine is noticeably different.

I pulled apart nearly the entire door this morning to replace the window guide and all the rubber parts. Apparently some grub mechanic put notches in the metal of the track on the glass using a screwdriver to pry off the retaining clips. Bastard. Sanded using a dremel and all is smooth.

We'll see how this fixes the situation. Just need to grab some locking nuts and I'll give it a shot.

[L84THSKY]

I had my window regulators replaced last year under warranty. The work was done by a local BMW dealership. So shortly after they did their work, I noticed something rattling around in the door. I opened the cover and found that the passenger side window guide broke off. This caused the glass to rattle when closing the door with the window down. I removed the part, and closed the panel up.

Recently I brought the car in for some small warranty work. They fixed the right door lock actuator, and the cam sensor. The other problem I asked them to fix was the window guide. They said it wasn't covered under warranty, so I bought the part and put it in last week.

To make a long story short, I put the guide in, along with the rubber insert to protect the glass. As I played with the up/down button, and watched the actuator work, I noticed something. One of the bolts holding the motor to the door frame was missing. As the window went up, the regulator assembly was torquing off the door where the missing bolt was. I went and replaced the bolt, then checked for tightness on the three other bolts holding the assembly to the door. All three of the other bolts were loose. So after the dealer replaced the regulator assembly last year, one bolt fell out, and the remaining three were loose. What bugs me is that the mechanic didn't notice this when her recently opened the door to examine the window guide.

All is fixed, by yours truly. You can't trust anyone but yourself to do a job right.

Originally Posted by jimtherev

I haven't tried taking the door apart myself to look, but considering how little I know about cars it probably wouldn't do a ton of good. I'm just glad to find out i'm not the only person who's had issues with the windows.

[theinfiniteface]

I know this is old news for EVERYONE. But get this. The bottom bolt under the motor was literally ripped through the sheet metal on the door. How messed up is that? I don't even know what I want to do. BMW doesn't have a manual window conversion kit, and I wish they did. Does anyone know of a manual window conversion kit? Luckily I live in Hawaii, so having my Cali roof busted, and BOTH my windows out of service, I'm actually okay. I feel sorry for mainlanders in the North.

Edit: Is there any manual windows I could steal from another BMW? Like a 328i or something?

[drrty byl]

Originally Posted by theinfiniteface

I don't even know what I want to do.

Maybe just accept that the windows will never open/close properly for more than a few months at a time without having to fix them, stop trying to operate them and remove the switches, or paint them black

[newagecustoms]

OK guys i have a new problem, I replaced my regulators a few months ago. Today on the way to work, my window falls while I'm rolling it down (there's nothing like the cool morning air while your flying to work) anyways, i took the door panel off at work to pop the clips back on (i've had to do that enough times! haha) and it wasn't the clips. The metal piece that is attached to the window was pulled off completely(the rear one). Any clues on how to fix this or where I can get the parts if i need them? I can't find a break down of this on realoem.com and I honestly dont know what the part is called.

[lilblkbmw]

ive had that problem for a while and never fixed it till my ac went out and needed to roll the windows down cause it got too hot. anyway, all u need is to bend your regulator (that big thing that works like a scissor) back straight with an arch joint pliers. lower the regulator halfway until u see the white sliding plastic with a clip and pop it off with a screwdriver. replace the white plastic sliders( 2 pcs per door). grease them up real good. realign the window on the rails.
what happened with your regulator is the grease on the sliders probably dried up and started putting a lot of tension on where the plastic sliders slide on. after a while the regulator starts bending cause of all the pressure that is put on it. the window motor is real powerful and caused the regulator to bend and it gets caught in the door pannels and finally derails your window. good luck! let me know if it works. better than spending $600. worth a try!

[Kimmyis]

That was exactly what we ended up doing with my windows. Not only had they come out of the clips but the regulators were bent. I just bent them back to shape and popped them back in. Have been working perfectly for over a year now! Beats buying a new regulator... cause that is expensive!

[marko]

+1

try changing little plastic clips first.
BOTH of my windows were f-up for the duration of this past winter (left them so thinking needed to get new regualtors - $$)... so finally I just bought new clips & took it to local mechanic around the corner when it started getting HOT..

passanger window just popped of the clips and once they were changed it was fine ever since.

driver side had a bent regulator arm, so the guy just bent it back to a 'close to original' position / changed the clips & so far it has been working OK for the past 1-2 months. I'm sure it will fail sooner or later again (since it is actually been bent backwards and forwards) but for the time being its fine.
$50 for labor & $6 for clips.

any, unless you really like to tool around with cars, do not attempt to do it yourself.. it is a PAIN IN THE A$$ job (though, not very complicated).

Originally Posted by 1996 328ti

Check out
http://www.understeer.com/window.shtml .

[This message has been edited by Steven Schlossman (edited 01-31-2003).]