Carrier Preventative Maintenance Possible?

[Elvis 3.0]

OK- if you are on this forum and have owned your car for more than 3 years you either have dealt with a door carrier issue or will at some point soon (with four doors your chances just get better!)

So, BMW knowing about this and still installing inferior parts that us enthusiasts inevitably will have to replace I pose the following to the varied experiences with issue to you all:

1) Is it possible to do anything to prevent the carrier from failing and thus not having to replace it? ( i.e. cleaning, lubricating, etc...; and if so, specifically what did you use?)

2) Is there a reliable after-market part or parts that can be used so when you do replace the carrier that it can last quite a lot longer than the OEM supplied by BMW?

All thoughts and past experience welcome and thanks.