This is hands down the absolute BEST video with respect to replacing and fixing an E85 BMW Z4 window regulator. Your attention to detail is beyond the best of the best. Thank you!
Thanks so much! Really appreciate the comment 😁 Very tricky job to film, edit and explain! I’m a Z4 enthusiast owner so I’m really happy it’s helping others out there! 👍😎 Cheers, Phil
@andymohler8839 Thanks so much! Honestly, it probably doesn't look like it but this was one of the most difficult DIY vids I have ever done! Really happy it has proved useful! 👍
Thank you for making this video, the exact job I have tackled today - couldn't have done it without this tutorial - superb, logical, methodical and well filmed - you have made what would have been a tricky job for a novice very straight forward, so cheers for that fella!!. Have liked & subscribed as a thank you.
Thanks very much! Great to have you as a subscriber too 👍 Yes, it’s a tricky job, difficult to film and explain. I’m a long term Z4 owner and I made this vid specifically to help the Z4 community, so I’m glad you found it and it has helped you! Cheers, Phil
Fantastic video. I now feel confident enough to tackle this job on my z4. Your attention to detail is second to none. I’ll let you know how I get on!! Many thanks for making this tutorial. Here’s hoping I can get it done as easily as you make it look 👍
Thank you! It is a tricky job. Due to filming, which makes it take longer, I worked all weekend on it! 😂 Good luck, take your time and you’ll get there! Cheers, Phil
A huge heartfelt thanks for making this video. I had to do this to my Z4MC this weekend and no way I make it through this without your video. Honestly one of the best automotive instructional videos ever. Very much appreciated, saved me a lot of grief and $$$$!
Thanks so much for your kind comments! Super happy that the video helped you complete the job and save some money. Us E86 owners need to stick together 👍 there aren't too many of our cars kicking around!
Absolutely brilliant guide. Thank you. I replaced mine relatively quickly for a newby. Few things missing that might help others. - I closed up the panel and tucked the metal hanging thing on the right into the door then found out it was the little black latch (door panel off again) - you talked about connecting/disconnecting battery a few times but I only had to do that whenever I did something with the airbag - you showed at the end reconnection of the window mechanism but didn’t show taking that panel out. I couldn’t/didn’t as it was heavily siliconed in. I just clipped the connectors in and let the door panel sit while I did whatever I needed to with the window up/down - Finally my new regulator didn’t come with the white plastic square for the channel that is on the bottom left of the window. Whilst spares are available online from Germany. I managed to prise the old one off the regulator and attach to new Thanks again. This saved me about £300 at the garage
Hi Gareth, glad you liked the video and thanks for taking the time to send your points above, the job can be labour intensive and hence, expensive, so you've saved yourself a decent amount of cash there! Cheers, Phil
Great job and explanation. Thank you very much! Garage replaced the window mechanism but now the door is leaking. I need to check the foam cover if it is damaged.. your video helps a lot understanding how it is constructed!
Lovely! Thanks for this great instruction! Will be a big help for me to change the regulator on my E86....the passenger side started to make "crunching" noises on certain stages
@@MobileTechGaming Still raining or have you got it done? I had my window propped up with a piece of wood inside the door cavity for a while, just to keep the rain out until I got it fixed! Cheers, Phil
Thanks! @mikemcdermott4870 I'm sure you will get on ok but if you have any questions, don't hesitate to post it and I will help if I can! 👍 Thanks, Phil
Hi,cheers for your comment! 👍 Hope it goes well, can be a bit of a tricky job with the new cable and the spool but take your time and you should be ok! Thanks, Phil
Thanks for the video bro, it was very educational and perfect guide to help me work on zed 4 door. Only one question on the air bag assembley it is safe to remove as long as battery is disconnected? It won't eject and do you have to get the system reset if the airbag light comes on.
Hi @sevati6167 The reason I was a little bit cagey about the airbag in the video is because I have read on forums that you can sometimes get an airbag light come on even with the battery disconnected BUT I have done this dozens of times and never gotten an airbag light. So, my personal view is that on the E85 & E86 Beemers, as long as the battery is disconnected before you remove the airbag and you reconnect the airbag again first, then you won't have a problem. I actually had to do it quite a few times during filming for the video and never had to do a reset. If the light comes on, yes, you just need to reset it. There is just a little bit of equipment that you need to DIY it (and a bit of patience) here's a vid that I did if you need it: ruclips.net/video/Fkon2rxijs0/видео.html Thanks, Phil
Hi, amazing video very well explained. Just about 6:12 while you get the window down to access the clip and the screw. My motor died, so I can't do what you did. Anyone got advice how to result that ?
@@Chaisseloutchify Ah, sorry, I assumed that the cables in your regulator had also failed but seems like you are dealing with a dead motor only and would like to preserve the rest of the mechanism, which makes sense! 👍
Super video. I'm just changing the glass on my E86 it's its scratched on both sides. As a matter of interest, did you have to reset anything with the regulator for when it drops a bit when you open the door to allow it out of the seal or did it just do it when you fitted the new regulator? Thank you
@stephenweir1660 Thanks, glad you liked the video! Yes, I reset the regulator, maybe should have included that in the video. It’s really simple to do if you need to do it (sorry if you already know this, but just in case…): With the door closed, put the window all of the way down and when it reaches the down position keep holding the down button depressed for a further 5 seconds. Then, immediately put the window all of the way up and when it reaches the top, keep holding the up button depressed for a further 5 seconds. This should reset the system and the next time the door is opened, it should index the window down a fraction as you described. Good luck with the window! I haven’t removed one before myself but during the regulator job, it looked like the window would lift up once everything was detached from it. Thanks, Phil
Hi, why did you need to replace this? I have an e89 z4. The window for the drivers side doesn’t go down using the driver side switch but it comes down when I open the roof. How can I know if I need to replace the regulator or not? TIA
@TheRoadReview On my car, there was a load popping noise (cable on the regulator breaking) and the window would no longer go up or down, even though you could hear the motor running. From the symptoms you describe, I would say your regulator is fine, you clearly have power to the window because it operates with the roof. It sounds like the switch on that side is faulty. You could test this by swapping the driver side switch to that side, you won't be able to fully fit the drivers switch because it won't fit into the door card but there should be enough length on the cable for you to plug it in and test it. Hope that helps, Phil
I just bought one from eBay and tbh, it wasn’t the best, which is why I didn’t link to it. The spool was too big and I had to reuse the old one. Also, a few other minor alterations that I had to make. All I can recommend is search for “window regulator” on EBay and look for sellers that have good feedback. Cheers, Phil
Any chance you can elaborate on this? I was replacing my regulator today. Followed great with your video, got the old one out, the motor swqpped and the new one back in. But I can't get the white plastic pieces with the holes connected to the window and also the white plastic piece on the motor into the window channel. It's like the window needs to be shifted on way or the other a out an inch and it won't budge. Any suggestions or advice would be super helpful (changing passenger door on US Z4).
I’m really struggling getting white the plastic pieces on each side of the hole in the window lined up with the loose metal piece and the metal bracket that is attached to the regulator frame, so I can get the long torx screw in. Any tips on lining those up? And do the bottom of both plastic pieces stay inside the hook part of the fixed metal bracket? As I bring the window down into the channel the inner plastic piece keeps spinning. And what is the purpose of the loose part of the metal bracket? Is the order from inside to outside both metal pieces (fixed and loose), then plastic, then window, then plastic with metal back and threads?
H @tomaanerud Yes, the bracket part is definitely the most trikey part of the job. Make sure the bracket that holds the left side of the galss and the right side of the galss are both at the same height and then yes, as you said: The white plastic pieces go either side of the glass and one of them ahs a "boss" that sits in a hole that is in the glass. The metal plate that has the thread in it goes on the side that is nearest to the outside of the car. You kinda have to hold it all together like a sandwich with one hand and that stops the various parts from spinning. and then try to get the screw started. I'm sure you've watched it a few times but I show it as best as I can at 12:20 in the video. You'll note that both of the plastic pieces have a little "L" shape to them and that hooks around the bottom edge of the glass. Thanks, Phil
@@ReviveMyRide I got it back together, thanks! The issue I had was the loose metal wedge in front of the first plastic piece wasn’t properly seated in its channel, so it was falling out. Then when I was putting the sandwich in I had a friend standing on the other side of the door looking down, and he could see everything perfectly and help guide me to drop everything in place properly. So biggest lesson was that metal wedge, which wasn’t mentioned in your video, because yours probably never came out.
@tom aanerud Hey thanks for the update! Yeah, it sounds like something extra came off on your window mechanism. Glad you got there in the end! Cheers, Phil
This is hands down the absolute BEST video with respect to replacing and fixing an E85 BMW Z4 window regulator. Your attention to detail is beyond the best of the best. Thank you!
Thanks so much! Really appreciate the comment 😁 Very tricky job to film, edit and explain! I’m a Z4 enthusiast owner so I’m really happy it’s helping others out there! 👍😎 Cheers, Phil
this is one of the best instructional vids I have seen. No blather, very logical. Nice work
@andymohler8839 Thanks so much! Honestly, it probably doesn't look like it but this was one of the most difficult DIY vids I have ever done! Really happy it has proved useful! 👍
Thank you for making this video, the exact job I have tackled today - couldn't have done it without this tutorial - superb, logical, methodical and well filmed - you have made what would have been a tricky job for a novice very straight forward, so cheers for that fella!!. Have liked & subscribed as a thank you.
Thanks very much! Great to have you as a subscriber too 👍 Yes, it’s a tricky job, difficult to film and explain. I’m a long term Z4 owner and I made this vid specifically to help the Z4 community, so I’m glad you found it and it has helped you! Cheers, Phil
Fantastic video. I now feel confident enough to tackle this job on my z4. Your attention to detail is second to none. I’ll let you know how I get on!!
Many thanks for making this tutorial. Here’s hoping I can get it done as easily as you make it look 👍
Thank you! It is a tricky job. Due to filming, which makes it take longer, I worked all weekend on it! 😂 Good luck, take your time and you’ll get there! Cheers, Phil
A huge heartfelt thanks for making this video. I had to do this to my Z4MC this weekend and no way I make it through this without your video. Honestly one of the best automotive instructional videos ever. Very much appreciated, saved me a lot of grief and $$$$!
Thanks so much for your kind comments! Super happy that the video helped you complete the job and save some money. Us E86 owners need to stick together 👍 there aren't too many of our cars kicking around!
Superb video - so clear and to the point
Thanks so much! 😎
Absolutely brilliant guide. Thank you. I replaced mine relatively quickly for a newby. Few things missing that might help others.
- I closed up the panel and tucked the metal hanging thing on the right into the door then found out it was the little black latch (door panel off again)
- you talked about connecting/disconnecting battery a few times but I only had to do that whenever I did something with the airbag
- you showed at the end reconnection of the window mechanism but didn’t show taking that panel out. I couldn’t/didn’t as it was heavily siliconed in. I just clipped the connectors in and let the door panel sit while I did whatever I needed to with the window up/down
- Finally my new regulator didn’t come with the white plastic square for the channel that is on the bottom left of the window. Whilst spares are available online from Germany. I managed to prise the old one off the regulator and attach to new
Thanks again. This saved me about £300 at the garage
Hi Gareth, glad you liked the video and thanks for taking the time to send your points above, the job can be labour intensive and hence, expensive, so you've saved yourself a decent amount of cash there! Cheers, Phil
Thanks for making this video , very well done !
Thank you! 👍😎
Great job and explanation. Thank you very much! Garage replaced the window mechanism but now the door is leaking. I need to check the foam cover if it is damaged.. your video helps a lot understanding how it is constructed!
Great to hear! Yes, as you mentioned, the seal on the foam is super important to prevent water ingress, hope you get it sorted! 👍 cheers, Phil
Lovely! Thanks for this great instruction! Will be a big help for me to change the regulator on my E86....the passenger side started to make "crunching" noises on certain stages
@fuma87 Great! Glad you found the video useful! 👍Good luck, not the easiest car diy but take your time and you'll get there! Cheers, Phil
Best aid out there! Thank you.
Thanks very much! 🙌
I’ve got to do this over the next few days, really appreciate the video!
Thanks! Good lt's a bit of a fiddly job!
@ReviveMyRide yea looks it. Thankfully I've taken apart a motorbike or 2 so should hopefully be okay (famous last words)
@@MobileTechGaming I'm sure you got on ok, sounds like you're handy with the tools! 👍
@ReviveMyRide haha, yea.. will have to wait a bit. Been raining cats and dogs.. typical
@@MobileTechGaming Still raining or have you got it done? I had my window propped up with a piece of wood inside the door cavity for a while, just to keep the rain out until I got it fixed! Cheers, Phil
Very insightful video, gives me more confidence to fix my own!
Thanks! 👍 yeah, it’s worth giving it a try! It can be very expensive to have it repaired at the main dealer or a specialist garage! Cheers, Phil
Thank you for the video. It was realy helpful. Regards from Sweden. 😀
Nice to hear from a viewer from Sweden! Glad the video helped you 👍😀 cheers, Phil
Excellent tutorial I’ve got this job to do on my car tomorrow
Thanks! @mikemcdermott4870 I'm sure you will get on ok but if you have any questions, don't hesitate to post it and I will help if I can! 👍 Thanks, Phil
@@ReviveMyRide thanks Phil, all sorted now 👍🏻
@@mikemcdermott4870 Good stuff! 👍
thank you so much. will use that information for my case
Hi,cheers for your comment! 👍 Hope it goes well, can be a bit of a tricky job with the new cable and the spool but take your time and you should be ok! Thanks, Phil
Thanks for the video bro, it was very educational and perfect guide to help me work on zed 4 door. Only one question on the air bag assembley it is safe to remove as long as battery is disconnected? It won't eject and do you have to get the system reset if the airbag light comes on.
Hi @sevati6167 The reason I was a little bit cagey about the airbag in the video is because I have read on forums that you can sometimes get an airbag light come on even with the battery disconnected BUT I have done this dozens of times and never gotten an airbag light. So, my personal view is that on the E85 & E86 Beemers, as long as the battery is disconnected before you remove the airbag and you reconnect the airbag again first, then you won't have a problem. I actually had to do it quite a few times during filming for the video and never had to do a reset. If the light comes on, yes, you just need to reset it. There is just a little bit of equipment that you need to DIY it (and a bit of patience) here's a vid that I did if you need it: ruclips.net/video/Fkon2rxijs0/видео.html Thanks, Phil
Hi, amazing video very well explained. Just about 6:12 while you get the window down to access the clip and the screw. My motor died, so I can't do what you did. Anyone got advice how to result that ?
What a mare! Maybe you could clip the cables and that might allow you to drop the window down to the right level?
@@ReviveMyRide Clip the cables ? Only the motor is H.S so I only had to replace it, need to keep the full mecanism safe
@@Chaisseloutchify Ah, sorry, I assumed that the cables in your regulator had also failed but seems like you are dealing with a dead motor only and would like to preserve the rest of the mechanism, which makes sense! 👍
@@F1brakingnews Yes exactly ! Gonna try to remove it piece by piece or diffrently.. Should have a solution to this situation
Super video. I'm just changing the glass on my E86 it's its scratched on both sides. As a matter of interest, did you have to reset anything with the regulator for when it drops a bit when you open the door to allow it out of the seal or did it just do it when you fitted the new regulator? Thank you
@stephenweir1660 Thanks, glad you liked the video! Yes, I reset the regulator, maybe should have included that in the video. It’s really simple to do if you need to do it (sorry if you already know this, but just in case…): With the door closed, put the window all of the way down and when it reaches the down position keep holding the down button depressed for a further 5 seconds. Then, immediately put the window all of the way up and when it reaches the top, keep holding the up button depressed for a further 5 seconds. This should reset the system and the next time the door is opened, it should index the window down a fraction as you described. Good luck with the window! I haven’t removed one before myself but during the regulator job, it looked like the window would lift up once everything was detached from it. Thanks, Phil
Hi, why did you need to replace this? I have an e89 z4. The window for the drivers side doesn’t go down using the driver side switch but it comes down when I open the roof. How can I know if I need to replace the regulator or not? TIA
@TheRoadReview On my car, there was a load popping noise (cable on the regulator breaking) and the window would no longer go up or down, even though you could hear the motor running. From the symptoms you describe, I would say your regulator is fine, you clearly have power to the window because it operates with the roof. It sounds like the switch on that side is faulty. You could test this by swapping the driver side switch to that side, you won't be able to fully fit the drivers switch because it won't fit into the door card but there should be enough length on the cable for you to plug it in and test it. Hope that helps, Phil
Very well explained.
Hi @ayousaf92 thanks! It was actually a very difficult video to film and explain, good to see people like it! Cheers, Phil
Can you send a link where you bought the window regularor. Fyi i am changing left door driverside z4 US version. Thank you.
I just bought one from eBay and tbh, it wasn’t the best, which is why I didn’t link to it. The spool was too big and I had to reuse the old one. Also, a few other minor alterations that I had to make. All I can recommend is search for “window regulator” on EBay and look for sellers that have good feedback. Cheers, Phil
Any had any issues with wind noise after replacing the regulator?
Hi - is the cable meant to be moving freely up and down without the motor installed? (with hands only?)
Yes, from memory pretty sure mine mine did, it allowed me to get the mechanism in the right position prior to fitting the motor and then into the car.
Any chance you can elaborate on this? I was replacing my regulator today. Followed great with your video, got the old one out, the motor swqpped and the new one back in. But I can't get the white plastic pieces with the holes connected to the window and also the white plastic piece on the motor into the window channel. It's like the window needs to be shifted on way or the other a out an inch and it won't budge. Any suggestions or advice would be super helpful (changing passenger door on US Z4).
I’m really struggling getting white the plastic pieces on each side of the hole in the window lined up with the loose metal piece and the metal bracket that is attached to the regulator frame, so I can get the long torx screw in. Any tips on lining those up? And do the bottom of both plastic pieces stay inside the hook part of the fixed metal bracket? As I bring the window down into the channel the inner plastic piece keeps spinning. And what is the purpose of the loose part of the metal bracket? Is the order from inside to outside both metal pieces (fixed and loose), then plastic, then window, then plastic with metal back and threads?
H @tomaanerud Yes, the bracket part is definitely the most trikey part of the job. Make sure the bracket that holds the left side of the galss and the right side of the galss are both at the same height and then yes, as you said: The white plastic pieces go either side of the glass and one of them ahs a "boss" that sits in a hole that is in the glass. The metal plate that has the thread in it goes on the side that is nearest to the outside of the car. You kinda have to hold it all together like a sandwich with one hand and that stops the various parts from spinning. and then try to get the screw started. I'm sure you've watched it a few times but I show it as best as I can at 12:20 in the video. You'll note that both of the plastic pieces have a little "L" shape to them and that hooks around the bottom edge of the glass. Thanks, Phil
@@ReviveMyRide I got it back together, thanks! The issue I had was the loose metal wedge in front of the first plastic piece wasn’t properly seated in its channel, so it was falling out. Then when I was putting the sandwich in I had a friend standing on the other side of the door looking down, and he could see everything perfectly and help guide me to drop everything in place properly. So biggest lesson was that metal wedge, which wasn’t mentioned in your video, because yours probably never came out.
@tom aanerud Hey thanks for the update! Yeah, it sounds like something extra came off on your window mechanism. Glad you got there in the end! Cheers, Phil
Good video