Window stuck n door... Busted Regulator?

[Dathaeus]

Driving along, I lower front right window, I hear a little click, thought nothing of it...

Then I raise it back up to make sure its not stuck, it struggled a little, then more clicking, then I lowered the window all the way down, heard more clicking, and now its stuck in the permanent low/in the door position. Had to tape up the door so rain wont get in, PITA.

My local mech said its most likely the regulator. He said about $170 for the part, about $100 for labor.

Its ok?

I thought I saw in my bill from those aholes down south that they replaced the actuators? I cant remember for sure but anyways, I wonder if that had anything to do with it. My car had 10 thins wrong with it after I got the car back from them. CANT be a coincidence. Thank god I am free of them.

[John in VA]

4-door E46s frequently have window regulator failures. You can find the part cheaper (actual BMW item or aftermarket) - in fact, FCPEuro.com is having a sale this weekend (up to 15% off on some parts) and they have a lifetime replacement guarantee, so it will be the last one you'll pay for - if your mechanic will let you provide your own part.
You need to remove the door panel & vapor barrier to confirm that the regulator is the issue, but you wouldn't be the first one. Good luck!

[pedro2u]

I'm all in with FCP, but the "Up to" 15% didn't cover the hood insulation that I wanted to buy, and I don't see window regulators discounted. Maybe I missed it?

Love FCP and the warranty, but not sure the 15% applies to everything

[danewilson77]

Reg is definitely the issue. I scoff at $170 for a window regulator.

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[fredo]

For window regulator replacement, I buy the part and go to my body shop. Their labor is cheaper than my Indy.

[Dathaeus]

4-door E46s frequently have window regulator failures. You can find the part cheaper (actual BMW item or aftermarket) - in fact, FCPEuro.com is having a sale this weekend (up to 15% off) and they have a lifetime replacement guarantee, so it will be the last one you'll pay for - if your mechanic will let you provide your own part.
You need to remove the door panel & vapor barrier to confirm that the regulator is the issue, but you wouldn't be the first one. Good luck!

Thanks guys...

What is the part called or are ALL window regulators the same, no variance?

Someone told me since its an older car, also get a new motor... worth it? I still hear it working but...

[John in VA]

Front regulators are different from rears; right side are different from left; sedans are different from coupes. I've never had a bad motor.
BMW Window Regulator, Front Right/Passenger's Side (E46) - 51337020660

ECSTuning has this one - https://www.ecstuning.com/b-uro-premium-parts/upgraded-front-window-regulator-right/51337020660~upr/
Others - https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-330i-M54_3.0L/Search/SiteSearch/window_regulator/

FCPEuro only carries genuine BMW regulators - https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-window-regulator-front-right-e46-sedan-51337020660

[Dathaeus]

Front regulators are different from rears; right side are different from left; sedans are different from coupes. I've never had a bad motor.
BMW Window Regulator, Front Right/Passenger's Side (E46) - 51337020660

ECSTuning has this one - https://www.ecstuning.com/b-uro-premium-parts/upgraded-front-window-regulator-right/51337020660~upr/
Others - https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E46-330i-M54_3.0L/Search/SiteSearch/window_regulator/

FCPEuro only carries genuine BMW regulators - https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-window-regulator-front-right-e46-sedan-51337020660


ECS, only $70... And they claim its better than stock?
Is this a no brainer or am I missing something? Then of course I'll just get this and have the guy put it in.

He is a mobile on-site mech (really convenient, while not charging much extra labor for coming here), so I doubt he'll care.

[JPMo]

ECS, only $70... And they claim its better than stock?
Is this a no brainer or am I missing something? Then of course I'll just get this and have the guy put it in.

He is a mobile on-site mech (really convenient, while not charging much extra labor for coming here), so I doubt he'll care.

https://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1055436 I was curious so I checked out our cousin forum and found that. Not a horribly long read, but it seems like the URO premiums may not be worth it.

[az3579]

https://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1055436 I was curious so I checked out our cousin forum and found that. Not a horribly long read, but it seems like the URO premiums may not be worth it.

I have the URO Premiums. They started creaking as soon as I put them in, and recently heard them crack here and there. They have not, however, failed yet.
I did not replace the window guides; they are way too expensive. lol

They do say in the instructions that you should replace the window guides to get the best results, and I believe they will not honor the warranty if you haven't done so. It's been a couple of years since I installed it so I don't remember the exact wording, but that's what I got out of reading that...

These are the ones with the lifetime warranty through URO.

[DeathTrap]

I installed mines in the driveway, it's really easy if you can wrench even a little. You don't need anything more than a torx driver and a 1/4" socket set...plastic prying tools do help.

[Dathaeus]

https://forum.e46fanatics.com/showthread.php?t=1055436 I was curious so I checked out our cousin forum and found that. Not a horribly long read, but it seems like the URO premiums may not be worth it.

Thats supposed to be better than the $70 ones above? Seems like they are just complaining about it more than anyone saying its great... some saying its trash.

Whats wrong with the $70 one?

If thats no good and its just marketing lies, then I will just buy stock.

[Vas]

I used the factory units from fcpeuro

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[John in VA]

Thats supposed to be better than the $70 ones above? Seems like they are just complaining about it more than anyone saying its great... some saying its trash.
Whats wrong with the $70 one?
If thats no good and its just marketing lies, then I will just buy stock.
I used the URO Premium in our 328i driver's front door one year ago - so far, so good. The factory parts also fail or we wouldn't be having this discussion. Buying through FCPEuro ensures it's the last one you'll pay for, but the factory part still might fail & you'll be more experienced replacing the next one! You have to decide whether to try URO or factory at twice the price.

[Dathaeus]

(sorry for necro but wanted continuity....)

I had my travel mechanic install the regulator I got from ECS, and it was perfect, and now one year later, I heard creaking, then one week later, bam, stuck again, and of course these days its like raining every F%$%$# day.

I assume if he did a bad job it would have broken down much earlier... so should warranty cover something like this or... and the real tricky part is, if I get this guy back over here, if its "not his fault" how do I get the replacement before I send back the bad one etc? Cant exactly leave the door un-assembled while I attempt to get the new replacement... how would you guys handle this?

[fredo]

From ECS Tuning website : "ECS Tuning offers a one year warranty against manufacturer defects unless otherwise noted, although some manufacturers offer a warranty that exceeds this one year warranty."

Sounds like you are outside of warranty by now.

[Bob1035]

Old thread, but I recently dealt with this same situation. Previous Owner installed a generic regulator, and of course it failed. I bit the bullet and bought from the local dealership, only $20 more than FCP and I had it in my hands. Install took about 2 hours total, including actually cutting out the broken, aftermarket regulator (yup).

[John in VA]

Old thread, but I recently dealt with this same situation. Previous Owner installed a generic regulator, and of course it failed. I bit the bullet and bought from the local dealership, only $20 more than FCP and I had it in my hands. Install took about 2 hours total, including actually cutting out the broken, aftermarket regulator (yup).
Buying from FCP would make your next one free when this current one fails. Hope it has a long life!