Window regulator failure question on BMW X5 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

JordaanDMC-12 · #1 11-24-2009, 10:14 PM

Alright, the divers window just failed AGAIN after not even 3-4 months of just being fixed...

We can't get it fixed at the moment but I'm wondering if I can just take the panel off and raise the window back up and hold it in place with something. A really awful mechanic we went to way back when didn't want to do this because he said the glass was curved and having something there to hold it would break the glass. Has anyone heard of this before?

If it's not true then I'm just going to go ahead and do this, I can believe that it went out again! WTF?!

I tried the BMW forums also and not one response, again...

mytmousemalibu · #2 11-24-2009, 11:53 PM

Thats one thing BMW could do better on! We replace window reg's all the time. E46's are the worst but pretty easy to change.

On the X5, you can block it up, curved glass is no prob. Now theres a couple of ways to do it. One is take a decent size hose clamp and undo it, that way you can place it around the reg frame. Then you can lift the glass up and slide the hose clamp up and tighten it, making a blocking device out of it to keep the glass up. Another method to use...If the cable is still hooked up to the glass slider, and around the upper pulley, you can pull down on the cable to raise the glass and then wrap some of the cable around/under a bolt/nut and tighten it down on the cable. Depending on how or what broke, will decide how you can do it. Occationaly our customers just want the glass up for the time being and we'll have to do somthing to this extent. You may have to clip the cable to allow the glass to go up and or remove the motor. The cable likes to wrap around the motor drive. Ive seen a customer job where the guy wedged a wood dowel in there to hold it up too but kinda sketchy. Unplug the window motor once your done too till it gets fixed.

Other tips. There are screws behind the wood strip, pry it off gently from the pointed end towards the handle. One screw is in a cavity where the wood meets the handle. There is a screw behind the "AIRBAG" plastic finisher. A screw down by the door pocket. You'll have to lever out the window switches, work them out by prying up a bit on the front and back edges. Kid gloves around the leather and plastic, shows scratches easy. Now to unclip it, grab the door panel by the pocket and hold the door and give a stout sharp tug to get a few to pop loose, then you can work around the panel poping the rest loose. once the rest are loose and the top edge poped loose. grab it by the door handle and give a short jerk up and out, BUT Carefuly, some X5's have a little light in the door handle, if you place tension on it pulling the panel off, it will snap the clear plastic it clips in! If yours is equipped you'll see a light in the handle pocket (clear dot). The center clips from the panel (black things) you need to pull off the door latching pins and slide them back into the door panel before reinstal. Theres a foam weather barrier under the panel sealing the door cavity, to remove it without tearing it up. Use a sharp fresh razorblade, pull it back a bit at a corner and slice the black gooey cauking. You can travel through it well by keeping tension on the barrier and pushing the razor into the caulking.

Hope that helps!

JordaanDMC-12 · #3 11-25-2009, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mytmousemalibu

Thats one thing BMW could do better on! We replace window reg's all the time. E46's are the worst but pretty easy to change.

On the X5, you can block it up, curved glass is no prob. Now theres a couple of ways to do it. One is take a decent size hose clamp and undo it, that way you can place it around the reg frame. Then you can lift the glass up and slide the hose clamp up and tighten it, making a blocking device out of it to keep the glass up. Another method to use...If the cable is still hooked up to the glass slider, and around the upper pulley, you can pull down on the cable to raise the glass and then wrap some of the cable around/under a bolt/nut and tighten it down on the cable. Depending on how or what broke, will decide how you can do it. Occationaly our customers just want the glass up for the time being and we'll have to do somthing to this extent. You may have to clip the cable to allow the glass to go up and or remove the motor. The cable likes to wrap around the motor drive. Ive seen a customer job where the guy wedged a wood dowel in there to hold it up too but kinda sketchy. Unplug the window motor once your done too till it gets fixed.

Other tips. There are screws behind the wood strip, pry it off gently from the pointed end towards the handle. One screw is in a cavity where the wood meets the handle. There is a screw behind the "AIRBAG" plastic finisher. A screw down by the door pocket. You'll have to lever out the window switches, work them out by prying up a bit on the front and back edges. Kid gloves around the leather and plastic, shows scratches easy. Now to unclip it, grab the door panel by the pocket and hold the door and give a stout sharp tug to get a few to pop loose, then you can work around the panel poping the rest loose. once the rest are loose and the top edge poped loose. grab it by the door handle and give a short jerk up and out, BUT Carefuly, some X5's have a little light in the door handle, if you place tension on it pulling the panel off, it will snap the clear plastic it clips in! If yours is equipped you'll see a light in the handle pocket (clear dot). The center clips from the panel (black things) you need to pull off the door latching pins and slide them back into the door panel before reinstal. Theres a foam weather barrier under the panel sealing the door cavity, to remove it without tearing it up. Use a sharp fresh razorblade, pull it back a bit at a corner and slice the black gooey cauking. You can travel through it well by keeping tension on the barrier and pushing the razor into the caulking.

Hope that helps!

Oh man, that helped me more than anything!!! Thank you!!!!!! Seriously, BMW should have recalled this or something... It's ridiculous how often this things go out! Our back one is out too, and no one ever sits back there to open the window! LOL

Again, thank you so much!!!!

mytmousemalibu · #4 11-25-2009, 12:18 AM

No Prob! Glad to help!

Nate · #5 11-25-2009, 01:04 AM

Is there a warranty on the window regulator?

I seem to remember a thread about this issue earlier. Wow.
~Nate