You might not spend a whole lot of time thinking about how the windows in your car go up and down. You simply push the button for your windows when you want them to go up or down and watch them go. It’s easy to take this process for granted. But at some point in time, one of the car window regulators in your vehicle could go bad. And when it does, it’s going to make it impossible for you to use the window that’s connected to it until you have it fixed. Learn more about what car window regulators are and find out the car window regulator repair cost below.
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What Is a Car Window Regulator?
If you don’t spend a whole lot of time working on cars, there’s a good chance that you’ve never seen a car window regulator in action. That’s because car window regulators are hidden deep down in car doors where no one will ever see them unless they remove the panels from the inside of these doors. They’re positioned directly underneath your car’s windows and are in charge of helping windows move up and down based on your needs.
Although you can’t see car window regulators, that doesn’t mean that they’re not vitally important to your car. Without them working the way they’re supposed to, you aren’t going to be able to move a window up or down. You might even end up with a window that is stuck in between being all the way and all the way down, which is just about the worst place for it to be. In these cases, you won’t have a choice but to pay the car window regulator repair cost to get a regulator fixed.
How Does a Car Window Regulator Work?
There are actually two different types of car window regulators that you’ll find in vehicles. The first type is a scissor-type regulator that’s often found in a lot of older cars. This kind of regulator is usually made almost entirely out of metal and is very heavy. It features two intersecting metal arms that move up or down depending on what you want to do with a window in your car. Since they’re most often in older cars, they’re usually powered by window cranks, but there are also some that are driven by a motor.
The second type of car window regulator is a cable-type regulator that is a heck of a lot lighter than the scissor-type regulator. It’s the kind of regulator that you’ll find in most of the cars that are being put out onto the road today. It moves a window up and down through the use of a metal track and a cable that is connected directly to a drive mechanism. While it can be operated by a window crank in some cases, it’s more often operated by a motor.
How Long Do Car Window Regulators Last?
It’s easy to tell how long most of the parts inside of a car are going to last. But it’s not easy to tell how long car window regulators will last since everyone uses the windows in their cars a little bit differently. If you rarely put your windows up and down, you might never have to worry about repairing or replacing your car window regulators at any point. The car window regulator repair cost is going to be a complete non-issue for you.
But if you use your car windows on a regular basis, there is going to come a point when you’ll start to face issues with your car window regulators. It’s not that out of the ordinary for car owners to have to repair or replace their car window regulators within the first 100,000 miles of owning a vehicle. Car window regulators will wear out over time and give people problems if they don’t get around to fixing them.
Generally speaking, you’re probably not going to need to be too concerned about your car window regulators unless you spot specific issues with them. But you should at the very least keep your car window regulators on your radar and understand that they will likely need to be repaired or replaced at some point in time. It makes knowing the car window regulator repair cost important.
How Will I Know If One of My Car Window Regulators Is Bad?
As we just alluded to, you don’t have to stress out too much about your car window regulators. But it is a good idea to know what signs to look out for when it comes to your car window regulators going bad. The sooner that you spot issues with car window regulators, the sooner that you can take your car in for repairs to get the problems fixed so that you can get back out on the road.
If your windows will not open and close the way they’re supposed to, this is usually a pretty surefire sign that you have a bad car window regulator on your hands. When a car window regulator dies on you, it won’t let you move your window up and down like you would under normal circumstances. It’s also a bad sign if your window only works intermittently. It’s going to be a matter of time before it gives out on you completely.
Additionally, you might want to show some level of concern if you hear strange sounds that seem to be emanating from your window. If you hear any clicking or grinding noises coming from the direction of one of your car windows, this is often an indication that your car window regulator is on its way out. You’ll need to find out the car window regulator repair cost immediately to get fixed.
And in a worst-case scenario, you might see your entire window fall into your door and refuse to come back up. This is easily the most clear-cut sign that your car window regulator needs to be repaired, if not replaced entirely. It illustrates the fact that your car window regulator is so badly damaged that it’s no longer capable of holding your window up in place.
Can I Continue to Drive Around With a Bad Car Window Regulator?
If you suspect that you might be having problems with one or more of your car window regulators, you might be wondering whether or not you can continue to drive your car around. There are many instances in which you should not drive a car around when it’s in need of repairs.
In a perfect world, you would avoid driving your vehicle when you’re in desperate need of car window regulator repair. But if you’re in a bind, you can usually get away with driving around in a car that has a bad window regulator. Your car window regulator shouldn’t give you too many issues if your window is stuck in the up position. But it might cause some chaos if it’s all the way, especially if there is rain in the forecast or if you have to park it somewhere and leave it exposed since your bad car window regulator could turn into a security risk.
You shouldn’t drive around in a car with a bad car window regulator for too long, though. Since your window won’t be secured, there is an increased chance of it breaking either inside your car door or even when it’s all the way up. It’ll rattle around more than usual in many cases, and it could cause serious injuries if you’re involved in an accident at any point. It’s why you should pay the car window regulator repair cost to have it fixed sooner rather than later.
Where Can I Have a Bad Car Window Regulator Fixed?
If you decide that you’re going to shoulder the car window regulator repair cost and have your car window regulator fixed, you should forget trying to do it yourself. It’s not a job that’s going to be good for someone who doesn’t know exactly what they’re doing. You could end up hurting yourself or doing additional damage to your car window if you try to avoid the car window regulator repair cost by making repairs to your car window regulator on your own.
Rather than going the DIY route, you should take your car to a mechanic who specializes in repairing car window regulators. Most mechanics should be up for the challenge of taking a look at your car window regulator and either repairing it or replacing it if it’s shot. It’s a fairly straightforward repair for them and shouldn’t take them too long to do.
One thing you might want to do is shop around to see which mechanic in your area will provide you with the lowest car window regulator repair cost. You could very well save yourself $100 or more by choosing one mechanic over another.
What Is the Average Car Window Regulator Repair Cost?
By now, you should be well aware of what a car window regulator is, how it works, and why it’s so important to the overall well-being to your car. You should also be familiar with when you’ll need to have a car window regulator looked at and replaced. The only thing that you might not know is how much car window regulator repair costs. You should find this out prior to taking your car down to your mechanic for service.
The average car window regulator repair cost tends to vary based on a variety of factors. The price that you pay to have a car window regulator fixed might change depending on the make and model of your car, the year your car was made, the type of car window regulators in your car, your specific location, and what other issues might exist with your car windows. As you might imagine, all of these factors can alter the car window regulator repair cost quite a bit.
But when everything is all said and done, you’re likely going to be looking at paying somewhere between $375 and $450 as far as the car window regulator repair cost is concerned. That price could also go up if you need to have anything else involved with one of your car windows fixed or replaced.
Is Car Window Regulator Repair Worth It?
Now that you know the average car window regulator repair cost, there might be another question suddenly coming to your mind. That question is: “Is the car window regulator repair cost actually worth it?” It’s a valid question to ask, especially if you have an older car that isn’t worth a ton of money.
If your car is on the newer side, paying the car window regulator repair cost is pretty much a no-brainer. You don’t want to ruin a nice car by driving around with one or more windows that won’t work properly. But if your car is only worth a couple thousand dollars, if that, the thought of spending upwards of $400 or more for the car window regulator repair cost is probably not going to make sense.
You should weigh all your options before you start thinking about doing car window regulator repair. You might not want to throw a bunch of money into an older car and have it continue to break down on you time and time again, costing more and more money. You could be better off selling your car and buying something new that is more reliable.
Is It Possible to Sell a Car With a Bad Car Window Regulator?
Do you think it would make more sense to sell a car with a bad car window regulator as opposed to paying the car window regulator repair cost? If so, you’re in luck. Private buyers might not be all that interested in purchasing a car that needs a $400 repair. But junk car buyers would be happy to take it off your hands in exchange for cash.
Cash Cars Buyer has been buying old cars for a long time now and can help you avoid the car window regulator repair cost by paying you top dollar for your car. Contact us now to find out how simple it is to sell us a car, even if one or more of the car window regulators in it has gone bad.