Window regulator

[negolien]

Hey All,

Not sure if this is the right area to post this. If it's not mods please feel free to move it. Sooo I had issues with my driver side front window not rolling down for about a year. I have been on disability so I couldn't afford to fix it and since it was up no biggie. Last week I got in it and went to roll down the rears to blow out the hot air and the left rear window made a clunking sound fell about halfway down and wouldn't go anywhere ... I was able to manually put it up and made an appointment at the dealership. They replaced the regulators I guess it was in both doors for a whopping grand total of $930 Almost as much in labor as it was parts.

Well what's done is done. I' am thinking at least all my window's roll down now. Sucks not being able to go thru a drive-thru or having to get out and manually enter my code for the apartment gate when it's raining. I drove home with no issues. I was blasting my tunes with the windows rolled down enjoying the breeze. Parked it and called it a day. I went to go somewhere the next day and.......FRACKING PASSENGER SIDE FRONT WON'T ROLL DOWN OMG I" AM SOOO PISSED OFF.

I called the dealer (I have used them exclusively) and he said they would trouble shoot it for free. The Door doesn't lock using the lock switch on that door but locks when I put the car in gear. I don't remember if I tried to lock it from my drivers buttons. So left front won't roll up or down with any switches and won't lock with the toggle on that door. Is this some bad karma or what lol. Any thoughts on wether it's just a burnt fuse or something? Kinda makes me nervous that it worked on the way home then quit. I can't afford a single dollar so if it's not something that was done when they changed parts out I' am screwed having to deal with another window that won't roll down. I guess I can look at it as better up than down and I can't manually push it down so no worries about thieves.

[negolien]

LOL you're gonna love this. I had not driven it since I last posted till a bit ago. I go to get some Subway for the Packers game and windows are still the same 3 work 1 doesn't. Then as I pull back up to my gated community I punch the gate code in and hit the driver side window up button....The window makes a nasty cracking sound and falls halfway down into the door. Soooooooo One of the windows I just spent hundreds of dollars to fix Doesn't even go all the way back up and the button does squat now. Can push it down without effort. Thank god I got a pager alarm, a 1911 and an appointment at the same dealership tomorrow. I know stuff happens and sometimes it's just random bad karma but Come on now that's freaking outrageous. Someone's getting a huge a** chewing tomorrow. How many of you would be going ballistic if you were me lol.

[sleepyalero]

Thats some bad luck man, and 930$ is crazy, it doesnt take that long to swap out the motor/reg. literally a 15 min job or so per door.

[03glgold]

maybe while it is annoying to you your car wants to get your money's worth out of the dealership... charging $350 for parts would be a decent markup as the most expensive I can find is about $110 for the rear and $140 for the front. At most I could see charging 2 hours of labor (1 per door) which even if you payed $100 an hour (don't know who would charge that) it shouldn't have been more than $550

[Nas Escobar]

$1000 for the window motors is ridiculous. I hope those regulators come with lifetime warranty because these regulators are prone to this. What happens is the cable goes off track with the motor and that's what causes the window to fall down. It used to do that all the time on my right rear door. Pretty annoying.

On the plus side, the window regulators (With motors) are $40-$50 each on ebay. They're really simple to change out unless your sash clips are broken too like how mine were.

[negolien]

Yeah I about choked he quoted me 185 for the diagnostic then they hit my with the big charge and actually over the phone it was $800 something they boosted it to $930 when we went to pay not sure why the difference in price. Pretty pissed off to be honest I go to the dealer expecting good work for getting the shaft money wise. Hell If I knew it was gonna be $930 and shoddy work I would have f****in zip tied some wooden blocks in the f**in door lol. I think maybe the drivers window went off track and snapped the guides this afternoon but /shrug. I tell yeah what they are fixing every g*d d*amn thing that's wrong in every door for free or I' am gonna flip out on em

Thanks for letting me vent . As a side note everything else is fine with the car. I haven't been doing to much driving since I have been on disability but no issues. Sound system still slamming. I' am still gonna upgrade the Head Unit and I guess I will have to do the stock amp and maybe the tweets and 4x6's too. Just waiting to get a new job. I took a bunch of criminal law junk, exposed firearms license and baton classes to get me Security Guard license.

[zzyzzx]

I think I paid less then $40 each shipped for rear regulators off of eBay last year. Yes, one broke a month after the other. On the front windows you can just replace a plastic piece, and I keep spares at home for that.

[negolien]

Unfortunately I didn't come here first to see what the average cost was or if this was a normal Alero thing. I have a good relationship with this particular deal and have a few cars we take to them along with the Alero. I guess that just means it's easier to screw us because we trust them my bad...

[negolien]

UPDATE:

Well seems the dumb***** didn't read the inventory note about having to replace the entire assembly.. regulator and motor or some crap /shrug. I guess they just replaced the motor or so they say anyway. I pitched a fit and they are going to replace everything in that door and give me a warranty in writing. I' am not sure if that's implied or not regularly. The other jacked up window was the right front (which was fine when I took it in and they didn't touch supposedly) was gonna be the same as the driver side front was supposed to be $600. I told them to pound sand. I'll pay some shmuck $200 + $125 for the part to replace it at some ghetto shop. Save myself $300. NEVER EVER taking it to Reliable Pontiac again. I'll go to Chevy next door if I ever need anything else done.

A s side note this is the part for the driver side front right? 2001 alero GLS sedan.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/WINDOW-REGUL...7006%26ps%3D54

[zzyzzx]

I have only replaced the back ones. For the front you might only need this part:




I.E. - except for the motor, the rear window regulators can not be fixed, but the front window regulators can be fixed if it's just this broken plastic piece.

The exception to this is the actual clips that hold the window to the regulator, which is replaceable on the both the front and rear windows:



I also keep these as spares at home.

Do some reading here:
http://www.ricksfreeautorepairadvice...ndow-regulator

[negolien]

Awesome bud thanks for the pics that really helps. Are they bolts for the alero or are any rivets?

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted by negolien

Awesome bud thanks for the pics that really helps. Are they bolts for the alero or are any rivets?

The window regulators bolt to the door frame.

[negolien]

Thanks should save me about $550