Another tale of woe.
We set off from Cheshire to France early the other morning, cold but lovely sunny day and not too much traffic.
Imagine my surprise when after paying the M6 toll, the drivers window gave out a loud crack and wouldn't go back up.
Cue a 530 mile trip with the window stuck down. Is that a record I wonder!
Thank goodness for the heated seats and steering wheel.

The day after arriving in France I took the door panel off, followed by the inner panel. I found that one of the plastic window regulator wheels had cracked and buckled causing the cable to dismount and that another cable had bunched up and become jammed.

That would be an expensive fix via the Bentley route, £333 UK approx plus delivery.
So, I have taken a chance and ordered a cable repair kit and a new regulator for a VW Passat. The Passat part will donate a single pulley wheel which will replace the broken one. It's a bit of messing about but a lot cheaper if it works. Total cost for both parts is £46.
Wish me luck.

Also, on this topic, I found from an Audi forum that window regulator failure is a common problem and one which has been acknowledged by Audi to the extent that some folk have had them fixed for free.

The Bentley/VW/Audi regulators all look very similar in construction and only vary in shape by the look of it. So why is the Bentley part so expensive?
Yeah, I know, I'm paying for the name.

I will update you all soon.

 

Welcome to France!! Les

good luck with your window, it happens to me once in the Maserati. It was a real PITA to fix!!
I just don't understand why they don't replace that little plastic piece, the same in the Maserati, by a strong metal piece!
so much for our , so called, ''luxury cars''

 

Hi Ulstrup.

I did actually think about getting a wheel made up in metal but the cost of the complete VW regulator is so low as to make it not worthwhile.
I just hope my plan works out.

Regards. Les.

 

Well that didn't work. The cable was so chewed up at one end that it was impossible to measure correctly and that's very important with these systems.

So, I have had to bite the bullet and order a complete new regulator from Flying Spares. OUCH!

Les.

 

My passenger side front window regulator went with a loud crunching on the way back through France to Eurotunnel. A similar event to yours in the plastic wheel cracked, the spring tensioner also broke and the wire tied itself in a knot:



It really is a dreadful design for such a heavy door glass. The cruciform metal arms used by many other manufacturers would be a more robust solution.

Graham

 

....truly horrible ...designed to save pennies...the engineers know better but boss says do it cheap...how have things gone since then...JimB