The window motor, or power window motor, in your vehicle is in charge of lowering and raising windows when the user presses the power button. This window motor works in tandem with the window motor regulator to change the position of the window and enhance the ease of use of these power window mechanisms. In today’s most popular cars and trucks, the assembly has a combination of both a window motor and regulator assembly that needs to be replaced in tandem if one of the parts is not working correctly.
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The average time to replace a power window is around 2 hours, with the total labor cost being between $120 and $150, while the cost of the parts is between $80 and $150, making the total job of the window repair cost coming in around $20 and $300 in total.
What is a Window Motor Regulator?
Almost every modern car that is on the road today features power windows instead of the old, mechanical crank windows. The benefit of having power windows in your vehicle is the ease of use, the ability to lower and raise any door window in your vehicle from the driver’s seat, and the quickness of being able to both raise and lower the windows.
Since these power windows and the window motors are certainly more convenient than the traditional manual windows that required you to use your hands to crank up and down, this mechanism of the window motor allows power windows to work properly and efficiently. Keeping this part is crucial to the efficiency of your car, with the window motor repair cost being a key statistic to know.
Every door with a power window has an electric window motor built inside of the window mechanism, with the motor being connected to the window by the regulator. When the driver or the passenger pushes the button on the door to change the position of the window, this turns on the electric motor. This electric window motor then uses the regulator in order to perform the correct action on the window.
Some car owners may be surprised to know that even manual door windows had window motor regulators, but these were less advanced and a bit different than the power window motors and regulators we have now on the modern cars, which have a higher window motor repair cost.
Manual door windows have regulators that contain two, intersecting metal arms. When the user cranks the window to change the position, they are cranking the gear that moves the regulator, which in turns moves the window. These old, traditional regulators were very heavy because of their metal parts.
However, with cars that are modern today that have power door windows that contain a window motor, the regulators are lightweight cable that is connected directly to the driving mechanism. The window motor repair cost can vary depending on what type of power of now you have in your vehicle.
Failing Window Motor Regulator Symptoms
The function of the window motor and the window regulator are key in the proper working of the windows, with both of these parts affecting the overall window motor repair cost. Any one of these following symptoms would cause a power window to no longer work correctly and cause further damage, enhancing the window motor repair cost.
Window Button Does Not Work
If you cannot properly raise or lower any of the windows in your vehicle by pressing the electronic button that would otherwise turn on the window motor, then you most likely have a bad power window regulator. This is the most obvious symptom for this kind of repair and problem, and can influence the overall window motor repair cost.
Stuck Window
There might be a certain situation in your vehicle when the window could rise or lower a little bit, but then get stuck before it gets where you wanted it to go. This could result in the window getting stuck halfway up, and not being able to raise or lower fully. When you have a stuck window, then you most likely have a window motor regulator that is broken, with the improperly working regulator increasing the overall window motor repair cost.
Strange Noises
If your window is not stuck and you are able to move the windows either up and down, then the problem might not be the stuck window, but rather that you begin hearing strange noise from the mechanism. This could be a clear sign of a failing regulator and a damaged window motor. These noises could sound like various things, like a squeaking, grinding, or clunking, that can show the need to pay a higher window motor repair cost.
Window Drops
In less likely situations in your vehicle, you could have a severely damaged window motor regulator. In this case, the window might literally fall out of place, and dislodge inside of your door when you go to press the button to raise or lower the glass to the desired position. This is usually seen when a car has been in an accident and the vehicle’s door has been damaged by another car. If the vehicle’s door has been damaged, this can damage the window motor regulator and the window motor, causing a high window motor repair cost.
My Car Window Won’t Go Up?
Another common problem that you might see with power windows and the car window motor repair cost is that the car windows in some cars will not go up – why is that? If your car window does not go up with your power windows, there are certain steps you can take to find the root cause of this issue.
First, make sure you check the fuse. If you are unsure of where the fuse box is in your vehicle, you can use the car’s manual to see where the fuse box is located and which one is responsible for the window switch. It is important to find the correct box, since there are multiple ones with different functions.
If the fuse looks like it is blown out, then it will need to be replaced. If the fuse box does not seem damaged, then you will want to look at the manual to see if you can find the reset button. If resetting the fuse box does not fix the issue, then you should bring your car to the mechanic to see if this can affect the overall window motor repair cost.
Once you determine the cause of why your window might not go up and why the window motor repair might help the issue, you can figure out ways to fix the car window. There are many parts involved in the window assembly and system, meaning there could be various reasons why your window might not go up.
First, you will want to see if the window gasket is faulty or damaged. Your gasket could be not shutting properly due to a buildup of debris and grease, with dirt particles getting stuck in the gaskets and causing them to stop functioning correctly. If you notice this issue, try and clean the gasket to see if this is part of the reason why your window is not going up and the window motor repair needs to occur.
Lastly, check the actual switch of the window itself, seeing if the faulty switch can affect the function of the window. If you have a faulty switch that needs to be replaced, then you can add this repair to the overall window motor repair cost.
How To Replace a Window Motor Regulator
In order to complete the car window motor repair, then you might want to know the steps of the fix so that you can save overall window motor repair costs and do the repair yourself. Make sure before starting the process, you check the fuse initially. If the fuse is working correctly, then the problem is then either a bad switch, a bad window motor, or a broken regulator that is not working correctly. Instead of taking your vehicle to a shop that will cost you a few hundred dollars, you can try to do this car window motor repair yourself.
In order to get started, you will need sockets, screwdrivers, drills, and an online service manual or set of instructions from your manufacturer or mechanic to let you know what to do. This way, you can use the instructions and properly follow the steps to ensure you do not damage the windows more and raise the overall window motor repair cost.
Start the window motor repair by removing the trim panel fasteners in order to gain access to the switch for further testing. Remove the trim panel and peel off the vapor barrier. Then, get into the door panel and disconnect the power connector to the window motor, connecting the leads of your voltmeter to the two terminals on the connector.
After you have done this correctly, connect the leads of the voltmeter to the two terminals. Turn the key to the on position on the ignition and toggle the window switch both up and down. If the window switch is working correctly, then you might see the voltage reading change, and indicating the problem is with the motor or regulator, showing you need to determine the overall window motor repair cost.
If your voltmeter does not analyze or show these readings, then this means you have most likely gotten a bad motor switch or a broken power or ground wire in your window. To complete this window repair and replacement, replace the entire regulator assembly, including the window motor repair.
Window Regulator Repair Cost
The car window regulator that works in tandem with the car window motor is a key part of the assembly of a power window. This car window regulator, known as the door window regulator, is the mechanical part that plays a part in moving your window up and down when the power is given to the electric motor that moves the window.
Window regulators are usually positioned inside of the door panel and kept out of sight and out of mind until something goes wrong, and the window motor repair is needed or a window motor regulator replacement is required. This means you need to determine the overall price of a window regulator repair cost.
The average car window regulator repair cost for this fix in your car is usually around $270 to $370 for the window regulator repair, with the labor costs coming in at around $80 to $100, and the overall parts cost averaging around $190 and $270. Keep in mind that the car window regulator repair can affect the overall price of a car window motor repair cost.
How Much Is The Window Motor Repair Cost?
The total price of the window motor repair will depend on what exact parts will need to be replaced or fixed in your window assembly. If you are lucky, then you just need to replace or repair the window motor. However, to determine this cost, the first thing you will need to look at is the window that is no longer working. When most window motors fail, they will just freeze in one position, or get stuck.
Sometimes, though, there are occasions when the window regulator can fail along with the window motor, or the window motor can shoot upwards or downwards excessively fast, causing the enhanced potential for the window to fall out and break. This can lead to the replacement of the window motor regulator, along with the window repair cost.
The average time to replace a power window motor in most cars on the market today is just above 2 hours. This comes out to around $120 to $150 in labor costs for the mechanic, while the cost of the window motor itself will be between $80 and $150, meaning the entire job total for the window repair cost will range between $200 and $300, depending on the make, model, and year of the vehicle.