Best Window Regulator?
 

Hey guys,

So the inevitable has happened, my front right window regulator has called it quits. My girlfriend was in the X5 earlier today and rolled down the window, but then the window didn't roll back up. It moves up and down a little bit and I hear the motor still working, so it's almost certainly the regulator. Since I would really prefer my window to close, I want to order a new regulator ASAP.

That being said, have you guys found any of the aftermarket regulators to be decent? For how little some of them cost, I'm doubtful, but maybe there's a middle ground for a regulator that is decent but doesn't cost $200 or more. Or should I just suck it up and get the proper Genuine BMW regulator? I'm fine with doing that too, just wanted to explore my options first, especially since I can't order anything until Monday.

Thanks in advance :)

Can you hear any loose rattling pieces in your door when you shut it? It could be just the clip?

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Ah, good point! I'm going to open the door panel tomorrow to see what actually broke. Plus I have to close the window somehow so rain/dust doesn't get inside the cabin.

I have used both OEM and after market regulators. I have only used OEM plastic clips for the retainer bolts. So far I can see not difference in the life of the regulators except for the factory originals which lasted as long as eight years in some cases. Once they broke the replacements fail at regular infervals.
The OEM clips are junk. I have been making it a policy to replace clips as each regulator was replaced. I got two weeks out of the last set replaced and had to have the whole door card off again just to do the stupid clips.

I used an eBay clip, so far so good. Easy diy. Paid 7 bucks for 4 clips.

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I only use OEM regulators. Last time I had a regulator actually go belly up (cable was mangled), I bought a used OEM one for ~$35 if memory serves. Always install any regulator with new clips and sliders. I use OEM window clips (the black ones) and aftermarket sliders with regulator installs. I'm also sure to do the zip tie mod to all sliders before re-installation.

Haven't had a re-failure of a repaired window following the above procedure yet. *fingers crossed*

Just curious crystalworks, what is the zip tie mod to the sliders??

There is a post detailing it around here somewhere... basically you run a small zip tie around the slider that holds the cable in place so that in the eventual occurrence that small plastic nub that always breaks and causes problems does so, the regulator cable stays in place and the window is still functional.

Looks like below. That's an e46 slider, but the principle is the same.

http://www.skene.org/bmw/window/imag...indow_clip.jpg

That is a great mod crystalworks! Thanks for sharing it!

No problem.

Can't claim credit for it, but I've been employing it for years with great results so I try to pass it on when regulator failure/reliability questions come up. :thumbup:

I replaced the first regulator failure about a month ago. I could have replaced just the clips but based on price of new OE regulator and visible wear I replaced regulator and clips with BMW parts. If OE lasted well over 100,000 miles I didn't see a reason to try aftermarket parts.

So I popped open the door panel last night to see what was up, and it looks like the clips themselves are fine. I hear the motor working and the window goes up and down an inch but no more than that, so I think it is the regulator that went bad. The trouble is that I can't put the glass up at all, it's totally stuck in the full down position and it's firmly attached to the regulator. What do I do in that case, try to remove the regulator to get the glass up and out of the door? I've never had a regulator fail in the complete down position before.

I had the exact same symptom when the window was in a full down position. Is the window sagging at all?

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In this case it sounds like you will have to cut the cables and unbolt everything in order to manipulate it enough to get access to the two 8mm (maybe 10mm) bolts that hold the window to the regulator.

The above is what happened to my last regulator repair (PS front window). I ordered a used OEM one, reused my motor, new OEM clips, and aftermarket sliders, zip-tie mod, and total of ~$50 later I've been back in business ever since. Oh, I also greased the window tracks as well just for S's & G's.

Gotcha. I'll have to get a better wire cutter then, those cables look pretty solid. My motor is still good so I guess I'll order a new window regulator and new clips. Based on how stuck the vapor barrier was, it was probably all original. The fact that it lasted 215k miles is pretty impressive, I guess the X5 regulators aren't as flimsy as the E39 ones.

The biggest pain is going to be accessing the battery to disconnect it so I can remove the side airbag safely. Some genius thought it would be smart to put the battery in the trunk under the spare and under the suspension air compressor...

Yep, they are TOUGH. I destroyed a set of decent cutters going through those cables.

I doubt that is an original regulator unless you are seriously lucky. That vapor barrier can be removed and reinstalled so that you could never tell it was touched if you are careful.

Battery access is a bit of a pain, but not too bad. FYI you can remove the regulator without disconnecting the airbag. I usually zip tie it up and out of the way with it still connected. I have the ability to reset SRS lights but it's easier to just tie it up out of the way.

It's a shame they didn't provide an easy-access main ground point like in the E34. Just pop a plastic cover in the rear footwell, undo one nut, and the battery was out of circuit. Genius!

Alright so I finally got around to doing the job with a friend tonight. I bought a brand new regulator and new clips and we got to work.

The door panel came off easily, the vapor barrier came off easily with a bit of heat gun, and we got to the regulator. Not sure what was broken but the window was solidly stuck. I used a heavy duty bolt cutter to cut the cables to free the glass, which worked somewhat. I ended up removing some more trim and breaking the old clips to get the glass free and removed the window regulator in pieces. Funnily enough, I saw a little zip tie on one of the cables, so I guess somebody's messed around with the regulator before. Believe it or not, it was the original window regulator from 2002! Crazy how it lasted 215k miles, I guess it wasn't really used much.

Then we swapped the old motor onto the new regulator and the regulator went in without any problems, much to my delight. Unfortunately we did run into a problem with one of the new clips breaking upon installation. Since I only bought two clips, it brought the progress to a halt for tonight. In the meantime I slowly rolled the window up to a closed position while I find some more clips tomorrow. The window rolls up and down without any problems though, so once I get a new clip I should be good.

New regulator should have a tie that goes around both cables that should not be removed.

Called the local BMW dealer, they have a whole bunch of those clips in stock, awesome! I'm used to the dealer never having anything in stock so this is nice.

- If you search ebay and amazon for LF Window regulator, PN 51338254911, there are so many mfg's (mostly Chinese) listed on amazon, it is "good business" selling WR LOL.


- Anyway, this make Brand A-Premium Power Window Regulator Without Motor for BMW X5 E53 2000-2006 Front Left Driver Side has 5 great reviews so far and is $30. Has anyone used this particular brand?

https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Windo.../dp/B01I82XJT0

Is oem the best way to go for the fronts? My driver side although still working it clanks when I shut the door only when the windows are rolled all the way down, otherwise no noise.

But when it’s fully closed I hear a clicking rattle inside my door panel and it’s driving me nuts as it right by my side.

I hate pulling my door panels so before I do I rather have all my parts ready to go so I don’t have to do this twice.

Aftermarket regulators are more temping due to it being a 1/4 of the price of OEM.

I did replace the rear with a dorman part and looked exactly like the oem, same color gears and all.

Bavauto offers Uro brand and states it exceeds oem by 6x something and half the price.


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Did you zip tie the wire cable going (up and across) the "beam" of the door?

There is supposed to be a factory tie there that stops that rattle.

dannyzabolotny.

Been there, done that. I've removed door panels a few times, to replace different things INCLUDING window regulators. I used to be in the trade, ran my own shop and have seen the differences in finish and quality of various part alternatives.

For the E53 - a genuine one is THE way to go. They are not cheap but you'll only do this one time and be fine for 10+ years - so what is your time work vs. lower quality alternatives make in Turkey or China?

An acceptable alternative is a used genuine one. I did this for a rear door (which isn't used as frequently), cost for the regulator was the equivalent of $35 US - so the time to replace with cost of a new genuine one came into my decision. Similarly I have a good (inspected and properly lubed) left front in reserve for the day when my left front regulator fails (or to help any local friend with an E53). Why used for THIS one? It came from a UK car, so the left front isn't used as much and the equivalent of $35 US was part of the decision for a reserve part. This option naturally wouldn't help anyone in North America.

If you go new, a number of US BMW dealers will give approx 25% discount for mail order (you'll find them as advertisers in the BMW CCA Roundel magazine).

Regardless of your choice, you will want a heat gun or hair dryer to soften up the black sticky stuff to gently peel back the vapor barrier. You will DEFINITELY want to replace the window to regulator plastic clips, which become brittle over time. You will need two of BMW part number 51 33 8 254 781 (about $1-2 each, buy the genuine part at your local dealer) for each front door (if you decide to go proactive) and one for each rear door.

You don't need to disconnect the battery to avoid air bag error codes or related. Leave the car off until it goes into sleep mode (approx 15 minutes after shutting the car off), without the key in the ignition when you do the work.

If you want to lube the window slider felt parts - 3M silicone lube (you can buy in a bottle/brush setup) is a good product.

As you are opening up the door, consider adding Dynamat or similar inside the door shell, it makes a notable difference.

I had to fix mine fast. I ordered a Chinese replacement. It's slow compared to OEM. I saved the original one. The plastic window cable regulator broke. If I had looked, an $11 part would fix the OEM regulator. Once the cheapy fails, the repaired OEM one will go back in. For now, I have other things to fix.

As far as I know, for my 2001 3.0i, the original regulators were made by Brose. They have BMW roundels and Brose stamped on them.

You might want to look at a recent thread here on OE vs. OEM vs. Genuine vs. OES vs. aftermarket vs. etc. It is fairly complicated, especially when everybody seems to have different understandings of what the labels mean.

So if your new parts say BMW, they are definitely Genuine parts (well, unless they are straight-up fake, which is not yet common here). If they don't say BMW, but say Brose, they would be considered OES (since Brose originally supplied [the "S" in OES] this exact part to originally built cars), or OE (since the S is sometimes not included, and OE means the same as OES). And sometimes, I have seen Genuine parts (for BMW and other brands) that don't have the BMW logo, just the OES or OE brand, so if you have that, I would not worry. Either way, you are good to go with Brose.

I replaced three regulators and went with the URO parts brand. I didn’t take a picture side by side, the mangled one in the picture is the old one. Windows go up and down faster than the old units but that is to be expected.


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I had to replace mine yesterday (front right) and as it turns out, Autozone had the Dorman Part in stock locally. it was $123 but I HAD to get it done. Unlike some, I've actually had pretty good luck with Dorman in certain instances and other than suspension, i am not afraid to selectively experiment with (the HORROR!) a non OE part. I put in a Duralast alternator a few weeks ago and that was a bust. It made a terrible whistling noise in the electrical system. But it was an emergency again. Didn't have the choice. I was able to put the old one back in with a new regulator and was good to go. Plus, I can change that alternator in less than an hour now, lol!

A few notes:

1. I have done no fewer than 8 of these regulators over the years.

2. With the age of these cars, just about every time I remove a door panel now one of the brackets rips from cardboard. This didn't happen 6-7 years ago. Yesterday, the entire top plastic frame came off the inside of the card. I'm sure you can use just about any kind of glue, but i have had very good luck with the JB Weld Plastic bonder reattaching door panel brackets (that hold the little gray and white pegs). I'd suggest sanding the previous mounting surfaces with 80 or 100 Grit. Plenty of time to position everything it's good to go within the hour.
JBWELD

3. I've had regs fail at the clips only, the sliders, and the cables. Separately and together.

4. ODDLY, the door vapor barrier on my 2005 Xer is SIGNIFICANTLY stronger than that of my 2003 Xer, which ripped like tissue paper no matter how gingerly treated.

5. Be careful not to lose your Airbag plastic cover label thing. They are EXPENSIVE ($60 plus at FCP) to replace and there's a hole in the door panel if it's not there. Also, be careful removing it so you don't break the plastic. BTW, i NEVER remove the airbag and have been known to uhhhh...just let it hang for a sec. I know i know!

6. I keep a couple of small suction cups with my tools because they work great to hold up the window while working on the regulator.

7. I've used regulators with new motors before. I'd suggest buying the one without the motors and use your Bosch motor. It will keep the roll-up speed similar. And...real German.

8. Don't overtighten the 8mm bolt holding the window.

9. ALWAYS keep a bunch of door card pegs (white and/or gray) and 2 spare regulator clips in your BMW parts pile.

10. use a single edge razor to cut the tar strings. when pulling away the vapor barrier. makes it MUCH easier.

11. put a little bit of the vapor barrier tar on the inside of your 8mm and 10mm sockets when you are reinstalling. Stick the nuts in there prior to threading and they won't fall down in the door cavity when you are reinstalling. I actually keep a small sheet of Dynamat with my sockets for this and use it all the time to avoid crap falling onto the stiffening plate!

12. be very careful removing the wood trim piece and don't break the ridiculously delicate bracket where it clips to the door handle. REMOVING: lift up on the far end. REINSTALLING: place the bracket first and then work your way toward the door lock when pushing into the mount holes.

13. I bought the regulatorfix brackets one time and they sent me the wrong ones. but that looks like a good solution potentially. Keep regfix brackets and clips handy and if the cables don't get jacked up (only happened to me once) you're good to go repairing most reg problems.

14. if i think of a few more tips i will post them!

Speaking of #9, does anybody have a good source for the white and gray door card pegs? It's guaranteed you will break a couple every time. I bought a few from Pelican for $1 each but that's ridiculous. I would buy them by the bag if I knew a good source.


BTW great list!

I have two bags of the cheap ones from amazon and they didn't work. At least the ones I used didn't.

I have seriously only had luck with the overpriced Genuine BMW pegs. The amazon ones were cut incorrectly and wouldn't seat all the way in the holes.

I'd say make a one time investment of $25 in a bunch of OEM pegs at FCP and then save the ones that break and get them replaced under warranty.

I still don't understand the difference between white and gray.

white
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...-51411973500-1

gray
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...ip-51418224781

Regulators or other parts? I purchased a URO door handle and wasn’t happy with the fitment, wound up buying an original one. I don’t think I would go with them for any other parts.


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I installed a VDO brand window regulator ~ Nov. 2019.
About $90 or $100 online.
So far so good.

https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...ml#post1132730

So far on my E53 I've had good luck with the RegulatorFix clips. My E83 has never needed a regulator in 5ish years of ownership. My E46 went through at least a half dozen. On those, I came to the conclusion that the cheap ebay-type regulators seemed to last as long (short, actually!) as the OE ones.

AM.

I avoid URO like the plague for anything short of brackets or clips. *says the guy who is still running a URO expansion tank 3 years after installation.* :bustingup It was the only thing I could get while on a road trip, don't judge me. I have the Behr unit ready to go in here. :D

As to regulators, I like to just buy them used and pair them with new window clips, sliders, and do the zip tie mod. Hasn't failed me yet. I just checked on my DS regulator and the clip and zip tie are working perfectly. Went ahead and re-lubricated with teflon spray to aid in longevity.

Zip tie mod?

-

I bought magnet marelli for the rear window. Rarely use rear one's so it will probably last long time.

Yeah, here you go. E46 zip tie fix.

I do it preventatively with new sliders. Keeps the little metal clamp piece in the area it's supposed to sit.

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/...r/DSC_0081.jpg

I'm upgrading to double pane windows on all of the doors and it would probably be a good idea to change the clips.
I dont think I would change power window regulators and motor proactively on all doors, especially the rear one. They barely even get used. This would be too expensive especially with OEM parts.
Has anyone tried these clips from fcpeuro?

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...-51338254781-1

Oh just found the OEM ones, only 50 cents more
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...x5-51338254781
These are fronts

And these are rears
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...ip-51357011680

I replaced those clips on mine with a new regulator. There's at trick to update them for support. Basically, reverse them and install bigger plastic screw clips. The larger clips are license plate inserts. I used this guy's hack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwFFd7OJGaI

Thank you I'll watch the video.

I guess these parts are needed as well. Just ordered them

RegulatorFix.com

RegulatorFix.com

RegulatorFix.com

Link to the screws he used

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hillman-Tru...Screws/3228042

Don't forget to trim the black clips. I used wire cutters to snip off a bit.

Will do. Annoying that I can't find those screws in canada Lowes. Will have to rig up something similar

Well I guess this is not an issue this double pane windows!
https://i.ibb.co/3CxLR7m/20211110-153909.jpg https://i.ibb.co/Z6jDsg8/20211110-153450.jpg

I bought the clips from regulatorfix
Good idea to replace them at the same time as they're cracking...
https://i.ibb.co/fn21Ykk/20211110-155736.jpg

Not sure why regulstorfix didn't make it metal like OEM
The only problem with OEM is that the inside piece is plastic, not metal.

To those to replaced the window regulator clips, how did you put back the two tips with springs?
I can't seem to be able to put those tips back into the clip.

Leave the cable off of one of the pulleys, place the cable ends in their notches, then "roll" the cable back onto the pulley.

AM.

Thanks, managed to do it. So tricky!

This whole repair is trickier than it should be. If you did it very often it'd probably get easier but there are a lot of little things that can make the job easier or just as easily go wrong.

the most recent thing i have seen happening is the plastic framing and brackets ripping off the door panel when removing it. i use the tan jb weld plastic epoxy and it works great to reattach, but you have to rough up the plastic and slick old glue still on the door. adds a lot of time to the process.

and i always come out of this repair with at least one bleeder on my knuckles.

if you get it all back together and there are no rattles at the stoplight the next morning, you call that a win. but no-rattle is no easy.

I just replaced both the front and rear passenger side regulator. They both snapped (the cable) in the same week. I had replaced the front one a few years ago, I think the rear one was OEM but I am not sure.

I again got the cheapest ones from Ebay/Amazon. However this time I have added a copious amount of CV joint grease to the cable, and they seem to work better. Only time will tell.