All of a sudden the driver side window does not slide down when the door is opened nor close when the door is closed. Coincidentally, when it first happened the alarm went off. I'm guessing this is not something new. Can anyone help me on this.

 

When the inside or outside door handle is pulled out the window should drop. If the handle is released without opening the door the window should raise. The door latch switch signals the door is (still) closed and the window should be raised.

If door handle is pulled and the window drops and the door is opened and the window goes back up the door latch switch is bad. It is signaling the door is still closed (latched) when in fact it is not.

If the window goes up and down when it should but not very well the window regulator is bad.

If door lock or window activity causes the alarm to sound this can be -- my experience -- the door lock system acting up. Another symptom is the doors lock on their own or the horn beeps when locking the car with nothing open, not even the center console.

A tech can connect the diagnostics computer to the car and query the security system for any error codes which can help him identify the bad part. The door lock assembly is rather expensive, several hundred dollars (a few years ago and for my Boxster) so one doesn't want to replace it if it is not bad.

Another possible explanation is the cabin got wet. Water overflowing from a backed up water drain or a leaking door/window seal can let water get in the cabin and flood/soak the floor of the cabin where the car's security module resides.

If water gets in the door it can cause all sorts of door/window related gremlins which if ignored can start to migrate to more distant areas of the car which can really make the diagnosis more difficult.

 

Thanks for your thoughts. The problem fits your description where when the door handle is pulled from the outside or inside nothing happens. All other window functions seem to be ok.

I did run a diagnostic check with my Actron reader but got no codes returned. I did not originally post that the key lock opening is grimy greasee, if there is such a description. I had not noticed that before. However, I rarely used the key lock, usually opening and locking with RF remote. Could something happen to the locking mechanism where some type of lubricant containment burst thus rendering the mechanism inactive and releasing oil that gets grimy. This condition is not huge, just slight around the key entry point.

Secondly, this is a garage queen and is rarely driven in any kind of wet conditions. I haven't washed it in a while so I don't think I have gotten any water into the door.

 

The Actron code reader is not intended to interact with the car's security system. The Actron is an OBD2 (emissions related) tool and the security system is not even on the same bus as the DME.

It is unlikely any lock lube is the source of the symptom unless you know someone shot a big old aerosol can of the stuff into the lock.

More likely the door handle switch is bad.

 

I think you are probably right. I will take it to German Auto for an estimate.

 

If the door handles operate without making a double beep sound and the sole symptom is that the window doesn't drop, then you most likely have a broken window regulator. When they break, the cable has too much slack to drop the window when you open the handles.

If a mechanic has a diagnostic tool that is capable of reading central locking system codes, he/she can confirm this. No codes would make the regulator a more likely cause. If you open the door and push gently down on the window, the window will drop slightly until the slack is taken out of the cable. In my car, this was about a 1/4"