Window Slider replacement

[White Z]

After putting it off for awhile now I figured since we are all in self quaretine and can't really leave I would replace the window sliders. I followed the steps from member, Turbobimmer posts and it was easier than I thought. Both windows were done in about 3 hours and now move with ease.
The hardest part was unclipping the plastic sliders from the metal arms. The amount of grime and dirt build up was amazing.
I will have to replace some plastic items since the parts became brittle (airbag tabs) but other than that it works. I was going to post pictures of the area but Turbobimmer has done that and mine would have looked identical. Thank you (Turbobimmer) for the original p

[IndianaRoadster]

I did mine this past winter. I thought the motor was going bad on the passenger side because the window would just barely make it down. After installing new plastic sliders and cleaning out the rails and lubing them, it goes up and down like new now. Went ahead and did the driver side even though it was not as bad but I figured why not. I don't remember whose post I used but it made it real easy. This fourm has been a real help since I got my roadie a year ago this past December. Thanks to to all you guys (and ladies if there is any)(:

[ProductUser]

Nice job! This is something I need to do at some point, too. Our winter is coming to an end so I'll add this to the winter project list

[ZGator]

the link:

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...placement-DONE!

thanks for reminding me - was on my corona to do list #1 just slightly behind a few others:

plastic cooling pipes, RSFBs.

I mean it's only been 20 years and 165k.

the sliders I have - have stainless steel clips? hopefuly not too cheap?

- another white z..

[daven]

I'm sure its something stupid on my part, but. I've had replacement sliders bought off eBay sitting in the To Do box for over a year now. I decide to tackle the job today. I started with the front slider on the driver's door. Got to the point of putting the new part in without issue. Had a b**tch of a time pushing the arm out of the way (I tried different positions thinking that maybe some part of the regulator was getting in the way, it only got harder never really easier) and getting the slider lined up with the pin. Finally with that accomplished, the ball would not snap into place. After fighting and losing a couple of finger nails, I tried the old part and it snapped right into place. Stubbornly I tried the new part again. There was no visual difference between the new and the old, but the new would not snap into place. There it sat 75% on, grease, alcohol, applied above minimal force - no joy. New one out, old back in. There was no dried grease on the tracks and the old didn't look much different wear wise than the new. A good dose of spray lithium grease on the tracks and pivot points and buttoned it up. The window motion seems smoother but I'd honestly attribute that to wishful thinking. I'm more frustrated than concerned. Although the car is 20+ years old, its had an easy life, under 100K and always garaged. The driver's window has a minor occasional thunk midway up but otherwise both sides operate smoothly. Anybody else have similar issues? Any suggestions?

[s8ilver]

Taking both windows out is only 3 more bolts per side, and you can clean a lot more than you can with the windows in place. Just my $0.02.

Just don't forget there's a shim stack (washers) placed in the factory to set the height of the triangular widows.

[pwhitt]

not to hijack the thread - but others might find this interesting...

i replaced my sliders last year after resurrecting mine - it was parked for years. they're great now, but i found a previously undocumented problem that shocked the hell out of me. after replacing the sliders, there was only minimal improvement... so i dug in to see what was wrong, ended up disassembling the whole door almost before i found it.

the rubber seals inside the window tracks had torn. one side was far worse. i have photos somewhere, but can't find them at the moment. the rail that supports the front of the window has a rubber seal that holds the window in place. the bottom of that seal on both sides had a tear, that allowed the rubber to fold over, or slide around as the window worked up and down. the added friction of dragging the seal up and down in the frame slowed the window down.

my solution was to try to tape the seal in place. that only worked for a few minutes, then made the problem worse. the nuclear strategy was to cut the seal out along the bottom of the frame and hope for the best. i did the worst door, and it worked perfectly - problem solved. i cut away part of the seal on the other door - just the flap that was binding up on the window.

they both work perfectly now - wouldn't know there was a problem.

i tried searching on RealOEM and couldn't find that rubber seal. are they available without buying the whole rail? are they even available from the factory any more?

[ZGator]

The driver's window has a minor occasional thunk midway up but otherwise both sides operate smoothly. Anybody else have similar issues? Any suggestions?

Mine too! was hoping to discover what that is all about while on this adventure. except they are not that smooth after 20yrs

[Brianfhicks]

I purchased my z3 in July, and drivers window would not hardly move. I replaced both sides. When I had the drivers door apart, was when I found out the driver's door had been replaced. Inside the door it is ice blue. I also found the vin sticker that confirmed this. Whole project on both windows was an afternoon. I watched a dozen you tubes before starting.