Not every car has electric front windows. There are more and more cars for which the classic in the form of a handle still needs to be used. If it is also your car, several problems can occur. One of these is that the handle breaks off along with the shaft. In this case, it is necessary to replace the entire retracting mechanism. And that's because the window can be used again and again and it can be pulled down or pulled out without difficulty. Replacing a window winder is not a significantly complicated procedure, as it may seem to many at first glance.
The first step is the necessary disassembly
It is necessary to get directly into the inner area of the door, which naturally also means that the door upholstery itself, or plastic, must be dismantled. In both cases, several screws are used in this direction, which we gradually dismantle and then easily remove the upholstery itself. We now have an important exposed part of the door in front of us, and therefore it is possible to proceed with the replacement.
The second step, which is related to the replacement itself, is definitely also the fact that the handle cable must also be disconnected as part of the upholstery disassembly. Without this step, we will not be able to fully extract. As soon as we have completed this step, the door is already fully prepared for the most important thing, i.e. the replacement itself.
We will provide the glass
Once we have reached the desired location, it is possible to continue the exchange. You definitely need to pay attention to the glass itself. And both so that we don't damage it, and of course also so that we don't break it. In this direction, the priority is to remove the two blanks under which the glass holders are located. Once we get to this place, we just need to loosen the nuts of the brackets. At this moment, we must secure the given glass. And that's for the reason that it doesn't fall. There is no need to look for any complexities in this step, because in the given direction, we can also use strong adhesive tape for help.
Once the windows are secured, it is possible to proceed with the replacement. In this case, it is ideal to drive down with the puller a little lower. If possible, it will make future work easier. But it can't always work, so sometimes it's necessary to expect that it won't work.
We separate the plastic filling
The next step is again related to the necessity of getting to a specific place where we need exactly. If we will be specific, it is necessary to get to the dismantling of the screws that hold the plastic filling. We will also primarily have to dismantle these screws, thanks to which we will finally be able to dismantle the plastic filling itself as such. At this stage it can already be said that we are slowly coming to the end and the exchange as such will be done very soon. We have everything ready to be able to fully replace the given mechanism.
Replacement of the retractor mechanism
We are now getting to the stage where the retractor mechanism is fully ready for replacement. In this regard, the ideal step is to replace it completely, not just its parts. This is both for the reason that we will ensure trouble-free future functionality, and also for the reason that the prices of the new mechanisms are not large. We can buy them not only new, but we can also buy them in bazaars and junkyards. And basically for prices that are in the order of several hundred crowns.
We carry out the replacement carefully, taking care to ensure that it is properly dismantled and removed, as well as ensuring that the new front window retractor mechanism is properly fitted and that there is no risk of it being incorrectly fitted, which could result in its possible worse functionality.
We will connect everything and return
As soon as the replacement is fully carried out and the entire mechanism is replaced, it is possible to gradually re-set the door itself. We are talking here about the procedure, which is connected with the fact that we re-mount both the plastic filling and of course the upholstery in a simple way, as well as the necessary loop and a whole range of other things that are essentially necessary in the given procedures. Once that happens, we are ready for the last phase, which is testing the functionality itself. This is also why it is recommended to adjust the door only slightly, bearing in mind that if any future malfunction occurs, it will be necessary to look at its solution further.
We will test everything
If the handle is in place and the glass is where it should be, the mechanism itself can be tested. More thorough testing is definitely needed, which will be related to the fact that we roll the window all the way down, literally to the stop. We proceed in the same way in the opposite case, when, on the other hand, we have to gradually slide it all the way up again. Also all the way. But we also test its different positions and whether it holds in them without difficulty and whether we can continue from the given positions both up and down.
If everything is in order, we are confident that the replacement of the mechanical front window winder went as it should have gone. So without any problems. At this moment, we can fully devote ourselves to the doors again, when we set them up with the certainty that everything will be placed very firmly in their places. At this moment, the last step is over and we can drive our car anytime and anywhere without any problems. The front window will work perfectly again, exactly as it should.
If a similar problem were to occur in the future, but on the other door, there is certainly no need to worry about any complications either, as the replacement procedure is identical, just as the mechanism itself, which can be found directly inside the dismantled door, is identical.
