Rear Window Problem

[BHase]

Hey guys,

I have a great new problem!  I'll build it up real quick, so you know how this happened.  Several years ago, my car was keyed.  I brought it to an unnamed body shop near my house, where they kept the car for awhile and did a generally really terrible job.  One of the things they did, which I didn't notice till later, was that when you closed the rear driver's side door, it rattled.

Well a few weeks ago, I had someone in my car who isn't used to closing doors by not slamming them.  And that's just how quickly it happened: it seems the window came off of its rail.

Now, the motor seems to work; it can pull the window down just fine, it just can't pull it back up (though you can hear it working).  I have a feeling everything is functioning (though I might be wrong), and something just rattled its way out of place when the door slammed.  Now when I go over bumps (and I live in St. Louis, so there are plenty of those), my window goes down, inch by inch. After a 15 minute drive, it is as far down as it can go.  I have to manually pull the window back up every time I get out of the car.

Anybody disassemble this rear door before? I have a guide on how to do it, and I have all the right tools, but I'd like to know if you guys have done it, how hard it is to do, and really if I should get in there and replace the regulator/motor as well.

[03Indigo]

I would replace the motor as well.  IIRC, VW/Audi has an ongoing issue with their window motors and windows falling.  Believe it or not, I have 3 people that I work with that have had a similar thing happen in the last month.  One drives a new bug, one a MK4 jetta, and the other a B5.5 Passat.  All seem to be on the driver side rear....except the bug...that was just the driver side front window.

They all took them in to be fixed, but overall, from what I know and have heard from others, it is not that hard to do.  If you have Bently, it explains how to do it.

I say, get the motor, get in there, and fix everything.  Do it once, and be done with it.

hope that helps.

[Scuba2001]

Yes, You are correct... VW/Audi does have issues witht the motors failing after a few years of use.  I had the same issue on my B5 Passat where it was an intermitent issue.  It wouldn't always go down or up when hitting the drivers side switch.

Its not a hard thing to replace, and it can take less then 2-3 hours depending on your experience level, if that.  The tricky part is getting the inner door panel out without damaging the wiring harness or other misc pins and wires.  Also while its apart, it wouldnt hurt to lube things up nicely with some lithium grease.  This way the water will stay off of the cables and drain through the bottom of the door.

Hope it goes well and keep us posted on how it goes.

Steve

[shummer]

Your symptoms sound opposite of most people that lose the pin that holds the glass in the clamp - can roll up, but not down. I've had this pin work itself loose, found it inside the door, and had to re-insert it. Here is a thread w/ a pic of the offending piece, but not sure if this applies to you. There is a unique way to get the window and clamp back together w/ the pin inserted.

http://www.passatworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87363

[kraut-sled]

I have had this issue and I have also fixed a few customer cars with this problem.

Remove the door pannel and look in the access hole at the pin as Andrew said above.  If the pin is out, then have a look in the bottom of the door and see if it is there.  Then push it back in and you should be good to go.

Keep us posted.