Was driving on the highway and heard some wind noise from the left rear side so I thought I would put the window down and then up. Went down fine but not up. I ended up taking it to the dealer now I am wondering if this was something simple I could have tackled myself. It is a '97 528i. Is this a common problem? Thanks.
Thanks for the DIY link. I can't find anything to get the wrench around on the top bolt. Is it the star shaped piece in the front or is it behind that I get a grip on? It seems almost impossible, maybe that's why the labor to replace this is $200!
Sorry, I can't provide any additional insight. Thankfully (knock-on-wood), I have not experienced this failure yet, but know that it looms on the horizon for all of us.
Isn't it sad that I consider not rolling down the rear windows on $50k (new) car to prolong the life of a poorly designed window regulator? I suspect that it will fail at the most inconvenient time, like a long road trip, or better yet a huge cloudburst of rain...
I have fixed both passanger and driver sides in the same month on my 97 528i. I used a box end wrench on the top bolt both times. It was pretty hard but you just need to be creative about the way you hold the bolt to put it babk in. that is the hardest part. Have fun!
Thanks to all who responded. I now have it all apart and have to wait until next week to get one ordered. Now that I know how it come apart, hopefully I will be able to get it back together.
OK, I finally finished the job today and I am a mechanical nitwit which means anyone can do this one! I had taken the car to the BMW dealer to diagonose the problem and they had removed the door panel (for a $45 diagnostic charge) which greatly simplified the job. Got the part for 144.50 from Boozak which put the total cost well below the $415 my friendly BMW dealer was going to charge. I must say one of the toughest parts was getting the door on with all the connections, clips, etc. I am happy to say that not only does the window go up and down but the door handle, speaker and lite all work as well. Thanks to kowached for posting the great DIY link. Without this, I could not have done it.
It's easier to take the window glass out. To do that, you'll have to take the outer chrome scraper seal off, remove the plastic black trim on the inside, between the window and quarter window. There, you'll take off 3 screws and the black trim comes out, and the window glass will come out no problem, unbolt it first though.
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