DIY: 2006 BMW X5 Window Clips

[cn90]

A little update re Clips and Brand of WR...

Bought 2005 X5 M54 in 2014 with 110K; it is now Jan 2020 with 134K miles.

LF window making "rao rao rao" noise when going up. At one point, it stopped halfway, I had to pull the glass up. Noise may be caused by Probably bad plastic pulleys...

Since there have been no reviews for VDO brand (which was probably good bc no review might mean no complaints lol!)...

Bought VDO Window Regulator for $95 LT warranty from eeuroparts.
Plastic connectors are blue, whatever it means.

The old WR might have been replaced by a mechanic for the P.O. Connectors were green (? Probably from Autozone etc.)

- White Plastic Clips installed in July 2017 still good (please see previous posts).

- No need to remove air bag, leave it in place.

- Watch youtube videos above re WR removal.

1- VDO WR used to be made in Taiwan, it is now made in China. Quality seems good.

2- Instead of zip tie, I used household electrical copper wire to pull the cable toward the thicker part of the white plastic, where there is more "meat" to prevent possible plastic cracks later (just a theory as I have seen the zip tie trick elsewhere).

3- Just in case anyone wants to modify it using rubber hose (instead of the plastic factory clip), the glass hole is about 13 mm.
So a fuel hose with I.D. 8 mm fits perfectly.
Maybe cutting a short section that protrudes both sides of the glass and use different bolt/nut (make sure you don't crack the glass).
Anyway, just a thought in case someone wants to modify the design.

4- Old WR (bought car in 2014, so I don't know when this was replaced). At least this aftermarket part lasted 6 years (I don't play with window glass that much)...

Anyway, some photos for you guys to see...


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[cn90]

Not sure what car is video is from, but I thought this is interesting to see a typical
window glass going down and up live...

https://twitter.com/stem_feed/status...68506262667266

[cn90]

Another update on my Left Front (Driver's side) VDO Win Reg.
Installed Nov 2019, it is now Jan 2023, more than 3 yrs, still OK,
nice and quiet.

Admittedly, I usually open it 2-3 inches in the winter/summer to get some fresh air.
Sometimes I lower the glass all the way down.

If I need to get into an office building with security card, I simply drive a bit further
and open the driver's door a few inches to insert the security card, this way I avoid
using the Win Reg lol.

The Win Reg is not a bad job, but the idea of prying the door panel, then deal with
broken clips, glue, butyl tape is what drives people nuts.


PS: Tip for cold weather: if you must do this job when temp is 5C-10C (40F-50F), the butyl tape is hard like rock and difficult to undo from the VB.

Tricks:

1. Either bring the car inside the heated garage...or

2. Use a hair dryer and heat the butyl tape a bit to soften it.
Make sure you don't burn the VB with the hair dryer.
Once the butyl tape is heated, it will soften and it will be easy to separate
from the VB.

[ToadFMB]

When reinstalling the interior door panel, do I attach the black clip in the center to the panel, or leave it on the door?

TIA

Originally Posted by cn90

DIY: 2006 BMW X5 Window Clips

OK,

This has been addressed in different places. A nice video on X5 front window regulator by bimmermerchant is below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYxh_mb7P5w

Another good link by Frankie:
Frankie's BMW :: X5 :: DIY Procedures :: Power Window Fix

Another link:
http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...ips-motor.html


- My clips are original at 115K, not broken yet but brittle and fell apart when removed.

- The LEFT FRONT glass sometimes bind and I can’t raise it. A few minutes later it would work again! Someone said in forum that when it is uneven, the glass binds, and this stops the motor from going up. So I replaced the clips.

- The RIGHT FRONT has a loud click when the glass reaches the top. After replacing the plastic clips, the noise is gone!

PARTS

- Chevrolet GMC Cadillac BMW Mercedes Benz Parts and Accessories (Lincoln, Nebraska BMW dealer)

- Glass Clips: BMW 51338254781, 2 per door. About 90 cents/each; I got 6, 4 to be used, 2 as spare.

- Door Trim Clips 51418224781, 11 clips per door. About 61 cents/each, I bought 8. You will break a few clips during panel removal.

- Grease for greasing the pulleys and tracks

- Loctite




PROCEDURE
1. Open door and hit the dome switch to turn light off. Key out of ignition for now.




2. Wrap a screwdriver in cloth and pry the trim piece from OUTER edge toward the inner door handle.




3. There are 4 Torx #20 screws, one is hidden below the “Airbag” logo.




4. Wrap a screwdriver in cloth and pry window switch upward. Then undo the connectors as shown:



- To remove trim panel: screwdriver wrapped in cloth, gently pry around the bottom and around the 11 clips until they are loose. Then lift the trim panel UPWARD.


5. D/C the latch cable where it attaches to the inner door handle. Look CAREFULLY, you will see a tiny tab, release it and the cable will fall off (small red circle). NOTE: the door panel attaches to a BLACK plastic Clip (BLUE arrow) that engages the metal V-shaped prong. Study it so you know how to re-attach it.
- You can attach it to the panel and snap it in. The problem is it tends to fall off. So a bit of glue is fine.
- The other technique is to leave the BLACK clip there and somehow engage the panel on it during installation.




6. Door panel has a total = 11 plastic clips. Note the BLUE circle is where the BLACK Plastic Clip attaches to.




7. Remove only the bottom half of the Vapor Barrier, then tape it up. No need to remove the whole Vapor Barrier because you only replace the plastic clips.
NOTE: If you ever remove the Air Bag Device, research beforehand! Remove it and install it with key out of ignition. See the youtube video by bimmermerchant above.




8. Re-attach the window switch (the bigger Black connector only), then lower the window until both 8-mm bolts appear in the holes.
- Then key out of ignition.
- Once the 8-mm bolts are removed, position the glass such that you have access to the clips. I placed a piece of wood below to support the glass.
- Make sure the plastic sits properly.
- Then I slide the nut: Loctite in the threads and a bit of grease on the outside, so it slides inside the clip better. The nut only fits one way: the flange (of the nut) faces away from you.
- Gently tighten each 8-mm bolt. Make sure both are even and sits properly in the guide rail holder. Then tighten both bolts. I don’t know the torque but finger-tight, then a twist until it stops.
- If someone knows the torque, please post.




9. I take this opportunity to grease:
- Rails
- All Pulleys
Find a photo of the Window Regulator on the internet so you know where the pulleys are located.

That is boys and girls, very easy!










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[Effduration]

You place the black clip on the inside of the door panel...It's held in by metal grooves in a bracket.

Once installed in the door panel, it snaps into the corresponding metal clip on the door