03 E85 Window Regulator

[Lil_g_1234]

Hi All,

I am having problems with my passenger window on my 03 Conv. It seems to go down fine, albeit making a few scratchy and squealy noises. But it doesn't not go up all the way. It stops about 3 inches short. I have been told by a garage that it is the window regulator that has gone. Has anyone had any experience of these? Also are they an easy fix? I'm always up for giving things a bash so how hard is this job? I always get worried when it comes to playing about with windows and alignment....

Also it seems the regulator is about £150 but there are regulator refurb kits on eBay for £40. Has anyone had any experience with either. Would it be worth trying to do a refurb of it or am I best just putting a new regulator in?

Thanks in advance

 

[sk93]

yup.. definately window regulator

search is your friend here - lots of posts and a couple of how to's (even one by myself)

however, as quick brief:
buy a replacement cable from ebay for around £30.
remove the regulator frame and motor from the door
remove the old cable from the regulator framework (need to drill out about four rivets holding the spindle to the motor - not hard)
thread new cable though the framework and into the spindle the same way the old cable went (again, not a hard job)
reattach spindle to motor using small nuts and bolts to replace drilled rivets (not hard in theory, but can be infuriating when the cable spins off the spindle!)
re-install the regulator framework into the door and slide window glass into the sliders on the framework.
hook up the motor and make sure it works.


The common cause of failure here is that the cable actually seems to get rusty and then wear out / snap as it goes through the regulator framework rollers and in/out of the spindle.
the scratching / squeely noises are a sure sign of cable failure and I'll be a quid on you finding the cable wrapped up in the spindle, or it having "jumped" in the spindle, causing it to wrap around itself.


Referb is the way for sure unless your motor has given up the ghost (EXTREMELY unlikely).
It's not a hard job by any means, but it can be tedious, and is best acheived with a mate to give you a helping thumb or two when inserting the new cable into the spindle / spindle back onto the motor.

EDIT: If you do referb, pay attention to the layout and routing of the original cable. particularly how the central "X" is formed (you'll get what I mean when you take it out).
Not taking a photo / sketching / making reliable mental notes of this will result in you putting it together, getting it back in the door, then finding that the window sliders dont line up, or the cable wont actually move when you attempt to use the motor.
It's caught me out. it's caught others out too. save yourself the swear words and heed the warning

 

[sk93]

timewise, I get this done in under an hour now (done it three times - twice on the passenger, once on the driver).
First time took about 3-4 hours including removal and refitting.

Both of these times are excluding the realignment of the window glass.
This can take seconds, minutes, or an eternity...
if you're lucky, you wont need to adjust it at all, and you'll get perfect seals all round.
If, like me, you're perpetually unlucky, you'll discover you've now got wind noise from various edges of the glass at various speeds.

I posted a pretty decent how to on here somewhere on how to adjust the window glass in all directions, without the need of BMW's special tools.
I'd suggest replacing the regulator, and before re-installing the door lining and card, take it for a spin and check for noise..
if you get noise, follow my guide and adjust it, THEN re-install the door

 

[Timbles]

Sirs, I realise that this is an oldish post, I have just received a replacement cable for my passenger window regulator after having a clunketty snap moment last week. I'm fully prepared to have a go myself but I just need to make sure I have everything in stock before I commence. Can anybody define the nut and bolt sizes needed to replace the drilled out rivets, and has anybody posted any pictures of the process please?