VW Golf Mk3 electric window (regulator) fixed!
For months and months the electric window of our VW golf has been playing up. Finally, when I was visiting Fairhaven Gardens a few weeks ago, it completely gave up – very annoying.
So for the past few weeks, our driver’s side window has been neither up nor down. We’ve had fun and games trying to park the car where it won’t be broken into or stolen. We’ve had the odd wet seat and we’ve had to tape up the window with a plastic sheet. It had become a daily chore.
I took the door apart a couple of weeks ago and discovered that these electric windows are basically controlled by a pulley system using meshed metal wires. One of the wires had become un-threaded and mangled as it was pulled in and out of the winder. See photo below!
After debating whether to take it to the nearest VW garage and face a significant bill, I discovered a page on the web which talks through the process of refitting a new window regulator. See http://www.gtishrine.com/windowreg.php.
I managed to purchase a genuine new and unused part for £34 (plus £10 postage and packaging) from eBay. And after buying a few tools which I was short of (a small socket set, some Torx and Hex fittings), I set about fixing the window this morning.
The old window regulator (left) and new (right)
I’m pleased to say that it was a huge success and the replacement went very smoothly (thanks to the aforementioned web page). It took about an hour and a half.
If anyone else out there is thinking about replacing their own window regulator for a VW golf Mk3, I can honestly say that it’s not the most difficult job in the world.
Apparently, VW Golf electric windows are prone to this problem quite commonly so I bet there’s lots of other Golf drivers out there who’ll suffer the same. Our next door neighbour has the same problem and has just put up with keeping the window permanently closed for now.
Good luck to any other budding mechanics out there who want to replace their own window regulators! Go for it.
I know this isn’t the most interesting of blog posts (understatement!) but I added it just in case it gives encouragement to anyone else in a similar position.
Thanks, for your help in finding a webpage that I can easily understand and/or breakdown to understand.
I haven’t yet tried to fix the window yet as I have a few mechanical friends, I’m hoping, to tackle the problem for me. However, if they don’t do it then, I’m going to have a try myself. Unless you won’t to do it for me…….lol
All the best!
Ray
ps. having problems with my email address at the moment, lets hope that is also resolved asap.
Go for it Ray. I’m no mechanic and I found it quite straightforward. The fiddliest bit was getting the mechanism in and out.
Hi!
Good trips… Not only your “next door neighbour” has the same problem, believe… I’m in Brazil, and my Mk3 GTI have the same problem… But is so hard to find a brand new window regulator here! : )
Cheers,
Daniel
Hi Guys
My driver’s side front power window failed with a nasty crunching and mangling noise yesterday. I found the ‘gtishrine’ webpage and it gave me just enough encouragement to have a go myself. The door linings , handles, speaker and switches all came off without too much drama, and the window mechanism came out a little easier than I thought. Its best if you can manouvre the glass down to about one third open before starting, as in this position you can un-bolt the glass clamps, and lift the glass out (from above, tilt it front down, and then gently away from the car). Have a piece of carpet or old towel under the work area because there’s a real risk of dropping it..
Using Torx sockets, I undid the power winder and found a birds nest of wire around a blue plastic spool. You can have a shot at twisting the wires straight and rewinding them – I did and yes, it is working again. Again, the window lifters needs to be left at precisely the halfway point so that winding the wires back onto the spool is a 50/50 process. I found myself drilling some of the metal framing around the roller wheels, and also around the cable entry points for the winder, so that I could use cable ties like a third pair of hands. I also oiled the steel cable and greased the nylon runners. Don’t be too discouraged if bits of plastic break – the whole thing tightens up when bolted back in. Its a long process but rewarding when it all comes to life !
Cheers and ‘ never say never’ !!
I, too, suffered the grinding crunching noise. Happened yesterday morning during a downpour. It sounded like somebody chewing glass. I had to wedge a chunk of cardboard between the window and the seal to keep the window up on the way home so I didn’t get soaked.
Long story short, I took apart the door and got to the mangled innards of the regulator. Thanks for the tip on where to get the part and how to put it in.
The same thing happened to me as I went over a speed bump. The window was completely lost inside the passenger side door. I have a mk 4 golf. Just been quoted £135 to sort it. For now i have had to wedge it up with a block of wood.
Thanks for taking the time to post this, I will give it a go!
I suffer from this problem badly, both driver side windows and the rear passenger side window like to drop down when it feels like it. Its a daily driver so i dont really have the guts to try and sort it out. I cant believe how vw have messed it up so badly. This page helps me greatly i may have a go soon if it only takes 1, 1/2 hours. Cheers
I have the same window problem, only the central locking mechanism is somehow involved as well ?!
Can anyone help me?
Some parts inside the lock had brokem, meaning icouldnt lock or unlock the doors, i have just replaced the lock but now when i unlock the door, the window(s) come down, and when i lock it they come back up. This also seems to override the window cotrols- once the window is down, the only way to get it back up is to lock the doors!
Hi guys,
My regulators are working just fine but my controls for all windows just turned off.
Could it be the fuse?
Where can i find that fuse in my car?
My Golf Mk 3 has window plural problems: 3 of the 4 windows!
1) Driver door worked but occasionally failed (randomly) so we now leave it in the closed position and don’t use it – problem solved!
2) Rear off-side makes a noise as if it is trying to closing but does not move – maybe the meshed wires described above. I’ve managed to force the window closed and wedged it there.
Rear near side is stuck 1/2 open. There is no sound when attempting to close – not even a “click” to say that it is alive. It is alive though because I’ve put a meter on the connections that feed the motor and 12 volts appear on different pins when I attempt to close the window from the buttons. But there is no sign of movement and no clicks. Worse, it is 1/2 open and will not budge when I try to push/pull it up by hand, unlike opposite rear window. HELP!