Has anyone replaced their window regulator motor?

[jacqueusi]

Looked like a straightforward DIY.

I went through the inside panel. Shocking how easy it was to get the door card/interior panel off. I carefully cut the vapor barrier to access the motor. Removed one 30T torx screw and two 10mm bolts. Motor won’t budge. What step did I miss?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Sibes1984]

sonic exe

Looked like a straightforward DIY.

I went through the inside panel. Shocking how easy it was to get the door card/interior panel off. I carefully cut the vapor barrier to access the motor. Removed one 30T torx screw and two 10mm bolts. Motor won’t budge. What step did I miss?

Thanks in advance.

Sometimes, window regulator motors can become stuck due to mechanical resistance or debris. Try gently tapping or applying light pressure to the motor to see if it loosens. Avoid excessive force that could damage the motor or regulator mechanism.

 

[jacqueusi]

Quick follow-up. Swapping out the regulator motor fixed the window up and down problems I had. Initially I thought it was the switch. BIG THANK YOU to those that pointed out the window problem in prior threads.
What I learned:
1. Easier and less destructive to swap the motor from the inside panel than the outside door skin.
2. Be prepared to cut the interior membrane. MUST have a sharp knife. the motor is the bulge lower left about eight o'clock. If I had to do it all again, I would make a cut larger than planned. Start at the upper right (11 o'clock) position and cut down and to the left. Leave about 1-2 inches for when you tape everything back up.
3. The right tools are essential. A 90% ratchet type torx ($3.00 at Harbor Freight), and 10mm wrenches. A socket will work EXCEPT for one nut that happens to be the critical nut.
4. The rest is fairly straight foward. Why the motor didn't budge, it was held down by one last bolt that couldn't be accessed with ratchet. Had to be standard metric wrench. Once that critical bolt was off the assembly came right out.
5. Motor in hand, remove the remaining bolts in the back and swap the motors out.
6. Here again I got stuck. Remount the motor and plug back in. Loosely put the paneling back, etc. AND TEST. Start you i3, close/open the door and the window should move up and down approx. 1/2 inch. MINE DID NOT. I was in a panic. Looked to see if it was the usual BMW stuff like the motor needed to be coded. NOT the case. I simply did not push the connector in hard enough. I tested this by connecting the older motor that worked but did not auto up and down. That motor DID NOT work at first. Puzzled I examined where the harness clicked into the motor and noted I simply did not push the harness in deep enough. Upon testing the old motor worked fine. I redid the swap and was back in business.
7. I did a permanent remount of the motor. Loosely put the door panel back and drove around for a day just to make sure. NO ISSUES, tested everything.
8. CLEANUP, removed the door panel, sealed the membrane with Gorilla Tape, and reversed disassembly.
9. Good to go

 

[tongsli]

Quick follow-up. Swapping out the regulator motor fixed the window up and down problems I had. Initially I thought it was the switch. BIG THANK YOU to those that pointed out the window problem in prior threads.
What I learned:
1. Easier and less destructive to swap the motor from the inside panel than the outside door skin.
2. Be prepared to cut the interior membrane. MUST have a sharp knife. the motor is the bulge lower left about eight o'clock. If I had to do it all again, I would make a cut larger than planned. Start at the upper right (11 o'clock) position and cut down and to the left. Leave about 1-2 inches for when you tape everything back up.
3. The right tools are essential. A 90% ratchet type torx ($3.00 at Harbor Freight), and 10mm wrenches. A socket will work EXCEPT for one nut that happens to be the critical nut.
4. The rest is fairly straight foward. Why the motor didn't budge, it was held down by one last Bolt that couldn't be accessed with ratchet. Had to be standard metric wrench. Once that critical bolt was off the assembly came right out.
5. Motor in hand, remove the remaining bolts in the back and swap the motors out.
6. Here again I got stuck. Remount the motor and plug back in. Loosely put the paneling back, etc. AND TEST. Start you i3, close/open the door and the window should move up and down approx. 1/2 inch. MINE DID NOT. I was in a panic. Looked to see if it was the usual BMW stuff like the motor needed to be coded. NOT the case. I simply did not push the connector in hard enough. I tested this by connecting the older motor that worked but did not auto up and down. That motor DID NOT work at first. Puzzled I examined where the harness clicked into the motor and noted I simply did not push the harness in deep enough. Upon testing the old motor worked fine. I redid the swap and was back in business.
7. I did a permanent remount of the motor. Loosely put the door panel back and drove around for a day just to make sure. NO ISSUES, tested everything.
8. CLEANUP, removed the door panel, sealed the membrane with Gorilla Tape, and reversed disassembly.
9. Good to go

Hello,

I wanted to ask if you were able to access the window regulator from the inside. I think mine is loose at the top. I need to inspect it and can remove the door card and I know how to remove the outer door skin.

any info would be helpful

thanks,

Lito

 

[ddonq1412]

having the same issue i have replaced the motor and now the window is not operating at all

 

[ddonq1412]

the old motor seems to let the window go up but not down and in small movements

 

[tongsli]

having the same issue i have replaced the motor and now the window is not operating at all

Good luck with the repair, please report back on your efforts.

 

[alohart]

1. Easier and less destructive to swap the motor from the inside panel than the outside door skin.

Why would it be less destructive to swap the motor by removing the door card rather than the exterior door skin? You had to cut the vapor barrier to access the motor. Removing the exterior door skin breaks some clips. Both are somewhat destructive, but the clips are designed to break and are easily replaceable. Repairing or replacing the vapor barrier seems more involved.

Anyway, the official BMW procedure is to remove the exterior door skin. Wisely Automotive and an i3 owner have posted videos showing how to remove the door skin.