If one of the caps/buttons on your window switches is worn or has other cosmetic issues, you can replace it pretty easily. It shouldn't take more than 20-30 minutes. I purchased my replacement cap/button off of eBay for a little over $10. I would have preferred to buy from a trusted retailer like ECS Tuning, Turner Motorsport, or FCP Euro, but it does not appear that the button/cap has an official BMW part number so it is not sold directly. It should also be noted that the whole switch assembly (either the driver's side or the passenger's side) are about $50 each so if you have to replace both buttons on one side, you're about half way there in cost for a whole new assembly. If you prefer replacing the whole switch, that's a perfectly acceptable alternative. Now, onto the swap!
1. Remove the shifter boot. Simply push inward on one side until you can pull that side up and out.
2. Lift the boot up over the shift knob so it is out of the way.
3. Remove two screws at the base of the console trim with a medium sized philips head screw driver.
4. Lift the console trim up and back to free it from the console itself.
5. Locate the window switch you wish to remove. I'm working on the driver's side, pictured here (note: I have a coupe so the driver's side does not have the "all up/down" button of a convertible or the "window lock" button of a sedan). To release it from the console trim, push the two tabs away from the console's brackets and gently pull the assembly downward, pivoting where the assembly meets the trim on the far side (where my finger is in the picture).
6. Detach the window switch assembly from the electric plug by pushing on tabs located on both sides of the plug (indicated by arrow) and pulling it gently away from the switch assembly.
7. Separate the lower/inner assembly from the upper/outer assembly by prying apart the six (6) tabs on the inner assembly away from the outer assembly. There are three tabs per side. I worked on one side at a time and used a small flathead screw driver to wedge it in between each tab and then put some pressure on the male part of the electrical plug to provide some torque to keep the tabs from snapping back into place. This is the most difficult part and can be frustrating but it shouldn't be too hard once you figure it out. (Note: This step may not be completely necessary but was helpful to me. It is also a good time to dremel out the upper assembly for one touch close functionality of the rear windows in coupes. A good guide by Pip [Sean] can be found here on how to do that, as well as in my maintenance thread here)
8. Remove the button/cap. Take a very narrow/small flathead screw driver and pry between the upper switch assembly and the button (indicated by arrows). It shouldn't take too much force if you do it right. Pry out the cap from the pin holding it in on one side, and do the same on the other side and the cap should pop right out.
9. Your cap is free and you're ready to install a new cap! Simply push the new cap into place with a little bit of force. It should slide over the pins on either side fairly easily since the top half of the pins is already shaved down for this purpose. Make sure the new cap/button moves relatively freely.
10. Reassemble the upper and lower switch assemblies by snapping them into place. Be sure that the caps are in a neutral position (i.e. not too high or too low. Basically how they sit when they're in the car). Otherwise they can get stuck in a down position or an up position and you'll have to disassemble it again. I let the upper assembly rest on its side and adjust the buttons to their proper neutral height and then snap in the lower assembly.
11. Reinstall the window switch assembly and the console trim in reverse order of these instructions and you'll be set! Check to make sure that your buttons work properly.
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Originally Posted by az3579
