You probably don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about what happens when you press the button in your car to put a window up or down. As long as the window moves in the way that you want it to, you’re content to live without knowing how it works and what makes it possible for it to go up and down. But if a window in your car stops working the way it should, that could be a huge cause for concern. It typically indicates that you have a bad window motor on your hands. Find out more about what a window motor is and what the window motor replacement cost will be below.
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What Is a Window Motor?
Many years ago, the vast majority of cars didn’t have window motors in them. Instead, they had mechanisms that allowed for people to roll their windows up and down by hand. But eventually, car manufacturers started to incorporate window motors into their vehicles, and nowadays, it’s incredibly rare to find a car that doesn’t have window motors in it.
Window motors are great features in cars. They provide people with an opportunity to put their windows up and down by pushing a button. When they push the button to put a window up or down, the window motor connected to it springs into action and moves the windows in the desired direction. But one thing worth noting that is the addition of window motors to cars did provide people with one more part that they might need to replace at some point in time.
There is a chance that the window motors in your car may go bad over the years. When this happens, you’ll have to pay the window motor replacement cost to have them fixed. If you don’t, you could have a big problem on your hands since your window could very well stay in the same position or only work from time to time.
How Does a Window Motor Work?
As we mentioned earlier, most people don’t devote a whole lot of brainpower to thinking about how window motors work. All they know is that they push the button for a window in their car and the window goes up or down accordingly. But it’s not quite that simple when it comes to how your window motors work.
When you push the button in your car to put a window up or down, it’s designed to let your car’s onboard computer know that you want to move the window. The computer will then send an electronic signal out to the window motor that’s connected to the window to let it know that it needs to get to work. The window motor will then turn on and move your window up or down for you. The whole process plays out in just a second or two when everything is working the way it should.
If you ever find that your window isn’t moving up or down when you push the button for it, it could indicate that you have a problem with your window motor. You may need to work the window motor replacement cost into your budget so that you’re able to get your window working like normal again.
How Often Will a Window Motor Need to Be Replaced?
Generally speaking, the window motors found in most cars are very reliable. As a result, you shouldn’t really need to worry about replacing window motors and paying the window motor replacement cost at any point. You could very well get away with not ever replacing a window motor for as long as you own your car.
But by the same token, there are some people who end up having to replace one or more window motors throughout the life of their cars. Some window motors will fail without much warning and need to be replaced. This makes it impossible to plan for window motor replacement. You should cross your fingers and hope you never find yourself in this position while also being aware of the fact that you could have to replace a window motor every now and then.
What Are the Signs of a Bad Window Motor?
It’s not going to be all that difficult to tell when you have a bad window motor on your hands. When you go to push the button in your car to put a window with a bad window motor up or down, it’s usually not going to move at all. It’ll stay in the same position that it was in prior to pushing the button.
Something that you should keep in mind, though, is that there are times when a window motor will work intermittently even though it has gone bad. It won’t go up and down for you every time you push the button for it in your car, but it will go up and down every now and then. This might lull you into a false sense of security and prevent you from scheduling window motor replacement, which is almost never a good idea.
It’s smart to arrange to have window motor replacement done right away when you suspect there is an issue with a window motor in your car. The problem is not going to go away on its own, and it could put your car at risk in some cases if you’re not careful. You might not love paying the window motor replacement cost, but the cost will be well worth it in the end when you have a fully-functioning window motor in your car.
Can You Continue Driving With a Bad Window Motor in Your Car?
If you know for a fact that you have a bad window motor in your car but you don’t want to take your car in for repairs right away, you might be tempted to continue to drive it around for the time being. It’s not all that uncommon for people to keep on driving a car with a bad window motor in it. This won’t be the worst thing in the world, but it’s also not super smart to drive a car when it has a bad window motor in it.
If a window ends up stuck in the up position, it could result in a car getting very warm inside in the summertime. This could be unhealthy for you and your fellow passengers. And if a window ends up stuck in the down position—or even the partially down position—it could lead to rain, snow, sleet, hail, and more getting into a car. It could also leave a car open to theft and vandalism.
Your best bet is going to be to suck it up and pay the window motor replacement cost to have a new window motor installed in your car. It’ll keep you and others who drive around in your car safe while also stopping the weather from having a negative impact on your car.
Who Can Perform Window Motor Replacement for You?
The good news for those who need to have window motor replacement done is that just about any mechanic can handle this job for you. Replacing a window motor is often as simple as removing the paneling from a door and then taking a bad window motor out before installing a new one in its place. It’s not a job that is going to take all day or require you to hand your keys to a mechanic for an extended period of time.
That being said, you should always make sure that you’re tossing the keys to your car to an ASE-certified mechanic who knows what they’re doing. There are some other parts situated around a window motor that could potentially break and need to be replaced if a mechanic isn’t careful. Look around for the best mechanic in your immediate area so that you know your window motor job is done right for the best possible window motor replacement cost.
Should You Attempt to Do Window Motor Replacement Yourself?
If you consider yourself to be pretty handy when it comes to cars, you might kick around the idea of replacing a window motor on your own. This might work out well for you if, as we just mentioned, you’re someone who knows your way around the inside and outside of a car. But if you don’t know the first thing about how to replace a window motor, it’s not going to be something that you should try to tackle on your own.
If you don’t install a window motor in the right way, it might not put your car’s window up and down in the right way. It might also do damage to other parts that surround your window. It’s why you should always call on a professional for help when doing window motor replacement. This will, of course, increase the window motor replacement cost that you’ll pay. But you’ll sleep better at night knowing that the job was done properly.
How Much Does Window Motor Replacement Cost?
While it is going to cost you more money to pay someone to do window motor replacement for you versus doing it on your own, you’ll be happy to know that the window motor replacement cost isn’t that high. You should be able to have a window motor in your car replaced for well under $500 in most cases.
On average, vehicle owners pay somewhere between $280 and $390 for window motor replacement in this day and age. That includes parts that will run you between $180 and $260 and labor costs that will amount to a little over $100. You can expect a mechanic to be all finished with your car within about two hours, if that, which is a big part of the reason why the window motor replacement cost isn’t higher.
The window motor replacement cost may fluctuate based on a number of factors. Everything from the make and model of your car to your location can have an impact on the price you pay for a new window motor. But overall, it shouldn’t be that costly to have a new window motor installed in the place of your old one.
Is the Window Motor Replacement Cost Worth It?
For most vehicle owners, the window motor replacement cost is going to be worth every penny in the end. It’s hard to drive around in a car with one window that won’t go up and down. If you plan on keeping your car for the foreseeable future, it would be smart for you to have a bad window motor replaced.
The only time when you might want to consider not replacing a bad window motor is when you have a car that’s on the older side and not worth much at all. In these instances, you may be better off selling your car and replacing it with a new one as opposed to spending several hundred dollars to replace a single window motor. It might not be long before you have more bad window motors in your car, and at that point, you’ll wish you would have pulled the plug on it sooner.
Can You Sell a Car With a Bad Window Motor in It?
Are you someone who might not be able to benefit much from installing a new window motor in your car? If so, you can get around paying the window motor replacement cost by selling your car, bad window motor and all. There are junk car buyers who will pay cash for your old car and take it off your hands despite the obvious window motor issues.
Cash Cars Buyer can make you an offer for your old car today and eliminate the need for window motor replacement. We’ll help you avoid the window motor replacement cost by giving you cash in exchange for your car. Reach out to us to discover what your car could be worth even though it has a bad window motor in it right now.