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      07-14-2019, 07:03 AM   #1
jammit
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2 failed electric windows

Driver-side window failed today.
Rear Passenger window also failed
-3C outside temperature
Drove 5 hours home with the driver side window fully open.
Not impressed for a 4 month old car.
Anyone else had a similar problem - maybe this is just a one-off?

Last edited by jammit; 07-18-2019 at 05:54 AM..
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      07-14-2019, 08:25 AM   #2
Marty in NY
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jammit View Post
Driver-side window failed today.
Drove 5 hours home with the driver side window fully open.
Not impressed for a 4 month old car.
Anyone else had a similar problem - maybe this is just a one-off?
Ugh, this is your winter...how was the weather on the ride home? 10C ish and rain?
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      07-14-2019, 09:45 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jammit View Post
Driver-side window failed today.
Drove 5 hours home with the driver side window fully open.
Not impressed for a 4 month old car.
Anyone else had a similar problem - maybe this is just a one-off?
Either one off or a first year quirk. You just can't buy a first year of production and expect no problems.
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      07-15-2019, 09:26 AM   #4
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I have seen a few reports of this issue a few months back during the North America winter. The poster said their dealer mentioned they were not the only one with the issue.
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      07-15-2019, 06:29 PM   #5
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I have seen a few reports of this issue a few months back during the North America winter. The poster said their dealer mentioned they were not the only one with the issue.
I had the same issue, i shut the engine, locked the car and waited 2 min and i started it up it worked fine, a fox but again shouldn't of happened to begin with
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      07-17-2019, 06:49 AM   #6
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Update - problem occurred after skiing for a week with car covered in ice and snow. (winter here in Australia)
discovered that a second window winder on the car was also making a 'crunching' mechanical sound - but still working. Believe both problems occurred on same day at -3C, with ice and snow on the car - but largely cleared from windows
Have asked dealer to provide a root cause analysis. Something strange has happened which should not at below zero temp.
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      07-18-2019, 06:01 AM   #7
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So BMW dealer told me a cog in the window drive failed in 2 windows at the same time!
Faulty component which failed in freezing conditions. Raised a Puma case to check for a systemic issue.

No apology from dealer. No way of checking if my other 2 window drives are also faulty in freezing conditions.

I think I will just avoid winding my windows down below zero to avoid another failure.
My expectations of BMW service are entirely consistent with the way I was treated. No care, no interest in real customer service......
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      07-18-2019, 09:13 AM   #8
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Not to be an ass but why would you put your windows down when it's -3 degrees and they're covered in ice?
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      07-18-2019, 06:34 PM   #9
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Had 2 failures during the winter. Dealer had 3 other '19 X5s in for the same reason. Had to wait weeks for the part to become available.
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      07-19-2019, 02:37 AM   #10
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@wrickem - windows were already cleared of ice and snow.
@BmwGk - thanks for your post - yours is the first confirmation here, that others have a manufacturing fault. Dealer had parts and fix within 48hrs - so more fortunate than you.
Other drivers beware - there is a manufacturing fault with some window winders which appears in freezing conditions
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      07-19-2019, 10:48 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wrickem View Post
Not to be an ass but why would you put your windows down when it's -3 degrees and they're covered in ice?
This could be a problem for me this winter. My work parking lot requires us to swipe our badge to access the lot. No RF ID or barcode readers for us. One possible scenario for this.
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      07-19-2019, 02:06 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by maczrool View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by wrickem View Post
Not to be an ass but why would you put your windows down when it's -3 degrees and they're covered in ice?
This could be a problem for me this winter. My work parking lot requires us to swipe our badge to access the lot. No RF ID or barcode readers for us. One possible scenario for this.
I knew there were reasons and (this time) I really wasn't trying to be an ass, but I couldn't think of a reason these days to put windows down when it's so cold, so thank you. Luckily my parking pass reads through my closed windows. I hate cold. I've had so many cars where the windows NEVER worked with cold/snow/ice so I guess it just got me used to not using them in the cold unless I've been on the road for a while.
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      07-19-2019, 05:20 PM   #13
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I bought a new 1976 Datsun 280Z and when the temps went below zero, you could open the drivers door, get in but the door would not lock in the closed position, I had to manually hold it closed with my left hand and steer and shift with my right till the cabin heat thawed the mechanism.
I just chalked it up to the car having some character!
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      07-20-2019, 01:42 AM   #14
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wound down window to talk to parking attendant.
I now have 2 windows remaining in the car that I will no longer trust in freezing conditions.
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      07-20-2019, 07:32 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jammit View Post
wound down window to talk to parking attendant.
I now have 2 windows remaining in the car that I will no longer trust in freezing conditions.
Go out of your way to test it to see if it will fail. It’s under warranty now and you won’t want/need to worry about it in the future.
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      07-20-2019, 07:50 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MystroX5 View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by jammit View Post
wound down window to talk to parking attendant.
I now have 2 windows remaining in the car that I will no longer trust in freezing conditions.
Go out of your way to test it to see if it will fail. It’s under warranty now and you won’t want/need to worry about it in the future.
I suspect there are three core concerns after-the-fact as follows:

- the replacement cog may very well still be as faulty as the original failed ones and will fail again; this could be a design problem, a materials/manufacturing problem, or both — without root cause, it's now Russian Roulette; there certainly hasn't been enough time for a redesign or a manufacturing-level improvement and, in my experience with E46M3 VANOS, BMW often chooses to make no after-the-fact/continuous improvements after release even for very expensive and core systems/parts that can destroy the engine when they fail — that top down attitude is likely part of the reason for the only average reliability of bimmers over many generations

- it is rather unpleasant and possibly highly health and pocketbook detrimental to say the least to have another window fail in the field and have to drive with it open; particularly in cold, rain, or snow ... which seem the most likely environments for another failure

- next failure will be another several weeks without the car you paid for

At least those are my concerns regardless warranty coverage.
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      07-21-2019, 07:59 AM   #17
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Is there any way to tell if these parts have been redesigned or changed? ie: new spare part SKUs?
I'm now reluctant to use my windows in below zero conditions
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      07-21-2019, 08:08 AM   #18
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Quote:
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Is there any way to tell if these parts have been redesigned or changed? ie: new spare part SKUs?
I'm now reluctant to use my windows in below zero conditions
You will first need to know exactly which part(s) it was. Then you can go to Realoem.com, plug in your serial number and then the part number of the part they replaced and see if there is a superseded part number and what its date range is. So, yes there is a way.
Did service put the part number on your service invoice?

Last edited by Marty in NY; 07-21-2019 at 08:15 AM..
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      07-21-2019, 11:32 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jammit View Post
So BMW dealer told me a cog in the window drive failed in 2 windows at the same time!
Faulty component which failed in freezing conditions. Raised a Puma case to check for a systemic issue.

No apology from dealer. No way of checking if my other 2 window drives are also faulty in freezing conditions.

I think I will just avoid winding my windows down below zero to avoid another failure.
My expectations of BMW service are entirely consistent with the way I was treated. No care, no interest in real customer service......
This is the type of thing you deal with whenever buying the first year of a new model. Not just BMW. I'm quite sure BMWAG engineers are reviewing these failures and working to determine the cause as well as a fix. As for your dealers level of customer service, I couldn't comment.

Sure it never should have occurred. One would think BMW would cycle test components during ranges of temperatures and conditions. However, nothing beats the real world to test the integrity of a design.

More than likely the window regulator supplier did something wrong from the production samples approved. Changed plastic resins for the cog, changed lubricants, etc... This is what it boils down to most times. Or it could just be a crap design they need to redesign.

In the future, if you wish to minimize your aggravation and drive relatively (more) trouble free, buy the last year production of a model, not the first.

Good luck with the replacement regulators. These might not be your last set.
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