Window regulator

[Phil Marx]

Of course you all must know you're discussing this issue/repair on a "Poll" thread. If you check the archives you'll find lots of answers to your questions here:
http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2484&page=3

Most of us have BTDT.

-Phil

Admin note: My original thought was to have all polls in one place. I guess that wasn't such a good idea.

[Silver00spike]

Do our cars use unique regulators, or do we share one?

[JedzE36/5]

i think when i replaced mine i got it from a coupe

[1996 328ti]

Originally Posted by Silver00spike

Do our cars use unique regulators, or do we share one?

We share the sedan regulators and that is probably why they fail. Our windows are bigger than the sedan.

[Silver00spike]

so I'm getting different answers now.. Jedz, was it the same size? same mounting point? what about you 328ti?

[1996 328ti]

Originally Posted by Silver00spike

so I'm getting different answers now.. Jedz, was it the same size? same mounting point? what about you 328ti?

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/partxref....ur=&series=E36

It shares the regulator with the sedan. There should be no confusion.
Part Cross-reference

Part 51331977609 (ELECTR.WINDOW LIFTER FRONT LEFT) was found on the following E36 vehicles:

E36 318i SEDAN, M44, AUTO (CC03) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318i SEDAN, M42, AUTO (CA63) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318i SEDAN, M42, AUTO (CC83) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318i SEDAN, M44, AUTO (CD83) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318i SEDAN, M42, MANUAL (CA53) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318i SEDAN, M44, MANUAL (CC93) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318i SEDAN, M42, MANUAL (CC73) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318i SEDAN, M44, MANUAL (CD73) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318ti COMPACT, M44, AUTO (CG83) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318ti COMPACT, M42, AUTO (CG63) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318ti COMPACT, M44, MANUAL (CG73) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 318ti COMPACT, M42, MANUAL (CG53) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 320i SEDAN, M50, AUTO (CB23) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 320i SEDAN, M50, MANUAL (CB13) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 325i SEDAN, M50, AUTO (CB43) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 325i SEDAN, M50, MANUAL (CB33) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 328i SEDAN, M52, AUTO (CD23) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 328i SEDAN, M52, AUTO (CD43) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 328i SEDAN, M52, MANUAL (CD13) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 328i SEDAN, M52, MANUAL (CD33) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 M3 SEDAN, S52, AUTO (CD03) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT
E36 M3 SEDAN, S52, MANUAL (CD93) : DOOR WINDOW LIFTING MECHANISM FRONT

[Silver00spike]

OK, thanks for clearing that up. Now wonder I couldn't find a "318ti" regulator

[Slynke]

My driver's side went.. I tried to bend it back myself, but couldn't get it JUST right (window kept sliding off the track), so I took it to the dealership.. payed like $150 for them to bend it back and put new clips in.

Three days later it went again. Took it back to Reeves (all repairs are under their warrenty, so if it goes again, it's free) and talked to my buddy this time (hopefully trying to get the best deal possible). This time they came back and said it needed to be replaced. Best he could do for me was charge the cost of this repair and credit the first one. Ended up costing about $375 or something in the end..

However, I think I have found the true cause. The peice of weather stripping under the mirror as seen here:



Well, that overtime slowly bends inwards towards the window track. The window would then try to come up, catch the OUTside of the stripping, instead of the inside, and become jammed up against the actual body panel on the door. The electric motor would continue trying to push, causing the bracket to bend.

[Silver00spike]

Originally Posted by Slynke

My driver's side went.. I tried to bend it back myself, but couldn't get it JUST right (window kept sliding off the track), so I took it to the dealership.. payed like $150 for them to bend it back and put new clips in.

Three days later it went again. Took it back to Reeves (all repairs are under their warrenty, so if it goes again, it's free) and talked to my buddy this time (hopefully trying to get the best deal possible). This time they came back and said it needed to be replaced. Best he could do for me was charge the cost of this repair and credit the first one. Ended up costing about $375 or something in the end..

However, I think I have found the true cause. The peice of weather stripping under the mirror as seen here:

--image removed--

Well, that overtime slowly bends inwards towards the window track. The window would then try to come up, catch the OUTside of the stripping, instead of the inside, and become jammed up against the actual body panel on the door. The electric motor would continue trying to push, causing the bracket to bend.

thats very interesting, I'm gonna check mine out

[1996 328ti]

What usually happens is the rubber guide on the rear track gets loose.
I have found mine in the bottom of the door.

[halobeamin]

i recently took my door apart to fix this same problem...
driver's side door.. originally the window would go down an inch or so and stop

well i took the panel and cushioning off the door, and looked at the regulator
.. when i went to try the window with the regulator exposed, the arm closest to the engine would almost literally make a U-bend, due to the fact that the propietary bracket was bent in, so the slider in the middle could not easily go through it (got stuck in the middle)..

so i call up bmw of fairfax and ask for JUST THAT BRACKET

they don't sell it like that. they sell the whole regulator for 110$.

i told them thankyou, and today or perhaps sunday i will attempt to remove that bracket and use a vice grip and spacer to bend it back straight...

hopefully this works.. i'd rather put my car money this 2 weeks towards a tire and springs than towards a window repair

[JedzE36/5]

it should work... for a while. i bent mine back and it eventually bent again. as is the case with metal, it got weaker every time it bent. my solution? i went to the junkyard and bought a good condition regulator from a wrecked 328i.

[dartman]

The window fell in my daughters ti, and the problem was that the rear track had broken, I re-riveted the piece that bolts to the door frame and straightened out the arms that became bent when this broke and it works like a charm. It was however a biatch to get the track lined up and get thebolt back in

[antnec]

I've noticed that if I take the door panel off at least once a year. I do it in the spring where I clean the tracks and then lube them and I haven't had a problem since.

I've been doing this every year since I learned that once the regulator is bent back doesn't mean its fixed for good. But cleaning and re-lubing works, at least for me. Before doing this I bent that regulator back at least a 1/2 dozen times.

anthony
97ti sport
263,2xx miles

[3DGE]

I hope the people who had the car before me fixed it, this dosent sound fun...