No you won't be able to pull both out at the same time. When you collapse the regulator, you should be able to lift the window up, with regulator, enough to get to those bolts securing the window to it. Once you remove those, you should be able to lift the window all the way up, and tape it to the door. Then you can try to test the regulator.

Thanks; that's very helpful. But the thing that has me worried is how incredibly STUCK the window is. It's like it's somehow jammed up against something inside the door frame. I'm not sure that collapsing the regulator will help get it un-stuck, but I won't know until I try. As you say, I just need to lift it high enough to be able to get at the bolts securing the window to it. I hope I'll have enough time after work tonight to give this a shot.

I have a feeling one of your rollers, or the cable got jammed. That is why I was suggesting reaching in and cutting it.

As far as I can see, the cable looks fine. I can't see the rollers, though. I'm hoping the clips that hold the window to the regulator have broken, and somehow some of the pieces have fallen somewhere and jammed the window. But I won't know until I can get the window rasied far enough to see what's going on.

This happened to me on my 01 E53. Exact same thing. Ended up being on of the clips for the regulator, cable slipped out and bound up on the take-up pulley/roller.

Cut the cables, raise window and tape to hold in place. Replace window regulator and buy a couple of new clips for the window.

So it sounds like the chances of the regulator being OK are pretty remote.

Next question - I noticed a very wide range of prices for regulators, from as low as $30, to well north of $100. Any recommendations as to brand, and source to buy? Thanks.

This is getting massively aggravating. I removed the top two regulator nuts, but can't get the regulator to collapse more than maybe a half-inch. So I removed all the regulator nuts, and am tugging with everything I have on this cursed window, and I can only get it to rock maybe an inch or so. It's still completely stuck in the front, but I can't for the life of me see what it could be stuck on. I've followed the regulator around with a flash light as best I can, and as far as I can tell, the cable is fully intact, and doesn't seem to be wrapped around anything it shouldn't be. In fact, I can't see any evidence of any problem with the regulator, so I'm very reluctant to cut it - I still think it might just be that the clips holding the regulator to the window have broken, and a piece of one of them is wedged between the window and the door frame, or something like that. Any other ideas on how to get this wretched window loose without breaking it? Thanks.

There are 5 bolts total. Did you get all 5. There is one by the speaker too.

How can you tell if it's jammed, what are you looking for? Mine is f88ked today, couldn't see anything wrong with the plastic clip, window move a little, around 15-20mm and that it.

I personally have not had too many failures, but when I did, the cable frayed on me, and was actually stuck inside the tube thing it runs in. Two times this happened to me, I cut the cable right away.