03 525i Touring Window regulators

[Guam135i]

3 windows do not work and I need to buy them. OEM is quite expensive, what after market regulators work? Uro? Vdo-Siemens? bavauto? E-bay? Dorman?

Any suggestions based on experience?

[jstern]

I have always bought regulators from BMW but I know that URO, eBay, Dorman are most likely junk. You'd have to speak to Bavauto about their brand-where they are made etc. VDO-Siemens are probably OK.

[caryalon]

I have always bought regulators from BMW but I know that URO, eBay, Dorman are most likely junk. You'd have to speak to Bavauto about their brand-where they are made etc. VDO-Siemens are probably OK.

While I agree with you that Uro and eBay are suspect, Dorman is a large, established, reputable parts supplier. I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss them.

As an aside, my e46 needed a driver's door window regulator. My brother got me one from eBay, so I installed it. There was a problem, so I called the eBay merchant, and within a couple of days had a new one on my doorstep. The new one had the same problem - it was me. I installed the capture nuts backwards, causing binding. After rectifying, the regulator worked (and has been working) fine for over a year now..

[John in VA]

The Dorman regulators are working well in our E46.

[Guam135i]

What are the issues with the Uro regulators?