Electric windows (automotive)

[cfz2882]

Woman at work has a 2004 Buick,About the only thing she doesn,t like about it is window motors are constantly going bad...Only 3 of my cars have electric windows and i'll rate them from least fave to most fave :
- 1981 Porsche 928: noisy and slow,but reliable.
-2003 Land Rover: very decent,but dust can get in switches.
-1985 Ford f150: fast,quiet,reliable

 

[fan-of-fans]

On my old 2001 Malibu, the windows all worked when I got it. During the time I owned it, though the rear window mechanisms failed and wouldn't go up or down anymore. I didn't bother having them fixed since I only ever used the front windows, so we put shims to keep the glass up. The front windows never failed, but the passenger side got a bit slow.

Our 98 Grand Caravan I think both front windows failed when it was about 6-7 years old and had to have the regulators replaced.

The 88 Licoln Town Car, had bigger motor mechanisms that seemed better built. Sometimes the motors would bind though.

The windows on my 16 Taurus go very fast. But I don't open them unless necessary because I'm hoping they will last much longer that way. Plus this car has power everything - seats, steering column, pedals, sunroof. I don't really like that idea as far as when the car gets older. Didn't really want a sunroof since I'm afraid it'll leak. But I do like having the shade open sometimes.

 

[sfh074]

My Dad .......

used to yell at us kids when we would use the power windows for no reason. He'd say, "those windows will only go up and down just so many times! Don't make that number come up sooner than later!" In a way he was right. There is a finite number of operations .... if only we knew that number to begin with. However, my 99 f150 with 300k miles .... and the windows have always been really fast with no problems. Ok, I now have just talked it up.

 

[goatfarmer]

My BIL had a 53 Cadillac, that had hydraulic power windows.

 

[petek]

Every car I've had since 1972 has had them. I've never had a car with crank windows.. Only repair was on my 07 Mazda 3,, after about 6 years the switch for the drivers window needed replacing.

 

[oliger]

I have a 1972 Chrysler with every factory option you could get back then. It has power windows that are double the speed of any that ive ever seen. They are fairly quiet too.

 

[abcomatic]

My '59 Continental has electric windows; all move quickly and quietly.
My 2007 Town car has great windows too.

 

[norgeway]

I had a

53 Imperial that had the quietest fastest power windows I ever saw, BIG electric motors on them. 6 volt.

 

[yogitunes]

my partners 2007 Durango driver window gave some problems for a while....

first it has an all-in-one motor track system...and the track broke apart....

replaced the unit myself....for only 6 months later, the motor stopped....replaced again

fortunately the unit has a lifetime replacement warranty....has been working good ever since...

just a pain to remove and replace, definitely a two man job...

 

[DADoES]

 
Power windows on the four cars from 1986 to current (Buick, Mazda, Infiniti, Ford).  No trouble with any.

RJ had one go bad on his previous Jag, which IIRC he got 2000 or 2001.

 

[askolover]

Late 90's to mid 2000's VW's had problems with window regulators.  The plastic pieces that attach to the cables to the tracks would get brittle, break, and the window would no longer go up or down.  The new design replaced the plastic pieces with metal ones.  Both of mine on the 01 Bug have been changed out by me as they broke. 

Ford had some problems with regulators on the early Crown Vics/Grand Marquis.  My grandmother had a 92 (really 91 1/2) when they changed over to the new curvy design from the square body.  She bought it new and kept it til she had a stroke in 2007.  I bought it in 2008 to use as a work car.  BOTH of the front window regulators went out within a few weeks of each other.  Easy change out after using a Dremel to remove the factory rivets that held them in place.

Tony's old 97 Deville had to have the master switch replaced.  Other than these issues I've not had any major problems.

 

[countryford]

My 89 Thunderbird, I bought back in December, has power windows. When I first bought the car both windows were slow. About a month in the driver's side window gave up. Replaced the motor and the switch with a NOS switch. About a month later the passenger window gave up. Did the same with that one. Both now work great and are pretty fast.

Not to bad for a 30 year old car.

 

[lordkenmore]

I've only had one car with power windows, and I have to admit a certain bias against power windows--it's just one more thing to break! Although one car with crank windows had the window mechanism break.

I ride in cars that have power windows, and it seems almost exotic--even though I know these days they are more of a standard feature than expensive optional extra.

 

[ea56]

The first car I owned with power windows was a 55’ Cadillac Coupe Deville that I bought used in 1974. They ran off of hydraulics and were very fast going down, but slower going up. Like all cars then that had power windows the drivers side door had a bank of four switches to control all the windows. I could take the four fingers of my left hand and put all four windows down at once, but putting all four back up at once was painfully slow. Now in fairness, this Caddie was already 19 years old when I got it and had 180,000 miles on the odometer, so the hydraulics were already tired when I got the car. Once the left rear window hydraulic line sprung a leak, and hydraulic fluid dripped from the left wheel well until I had it repaired.

I didn’t get another car with power windows until 1990, and every car I’ve owned since has had them. Now that I’m older, and more safety conscious, I would rather have manual windows, in case the car ever goes into the drink. With power windows, if you can’t get them open before the water hits the electrical system you are SOL as far as making an escape.

Two years ago, within a two week period of time there were two instances in Sonoma Co. of children drowning in cars that went into the water because the windows couldn’t be lowered and trapping the kids and their parents. And you can’t hardly find a new car anymore without power windows as standard equipment, with no option of deleting them for manual windup control window.

Eddie

 

[paulg]

2003 DeVille window woes

On my 2003 DeVille, three out of the four window regulators failed during its life of 167K miles. Failure always the same. Roll the window down, and it never comes back up.
Years ago I had a 1974 Dodge Coronet wagon. Car full of friends out to see a movie with passengers the rear-facing back seat.
I went to roll up the electric rear window and it exploded into a thousand pieces. All I could hear was my friend in the back saying, " I DIDN'T DO IT !! I DIDN'T DO IT !! "

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

At this point, I've had more cars with them than without... Is there really that likelihood of cars being submerged that you'd be really more-likely trapped by them not working, in that it's that hard to avoid that happening altogether? Well, they'd all worked, other than my first 4 door, a Honda Civic, which got hit on that rear driver-side door, so then, I'd lived without opening/closing it, even after getting the dent there pounded out...

 

Oh, messing with the cable containing the wiring to it maybe cured it, (yes, got it working again, but I think it later shorted out) but the car was getting old and longest kept, going from Lease to Buy, so along with living without air conditioning that quit working, then heat, which I do need, going kaput, and even hood components which required going to a colission center, or somewhere outside even the dealer's body shop, I got $200 worth of Twenties, and let the person I'd sold her to, once I'd finally found the title, drive her away...

 

 

 

-- Dave

[this post was last edited: 3/29/2019-06:54]

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

I'm quite surprised how hard I have to press the window switches on my Jeep to get the windows down, compared to my Chrysler and Honda, which each had a one-touch-auto... It seems as though the automakers don't want their power windows to that easily open...

I haven't had to press a window switch that firmly to get it to open since my first cars that had them...

-- Dave

 

[tolivac]

Figure that must be for child safety-adults have to push the door buttons hard to work them-guess a child wouldn't be strong enough to push the window buttons.

 

[retro-man]

I have a Jeep Grand Cherokee and the window buttons don't seem any harder than any other car/truck I have had. Have also a Volvo S80 and the buttons seem about the same. They are not feather touch but not that much effort to pushing down or pulling up. Actually the door lock/unlock feature is feather touch compared to the windows on both vehicles.
Jon