Driver's front window stuck down, even with motor removed

While driving our GLS wagon, my wife opened her window (so, front driver's-side) mid-drive and it wouldn't roll up again more than an inch -- but maybe it's notable that it does roll up about an inch, stops, and sometimes will automatically roll back down.



I've pulled the door skin and the motor, and confirmed that the motor works just fine in response to the switch, both up and down. My next step was to pull up the window, unscrew the clips, and pull the panel to access the regulator. However, I can't pull up on the window even with the motor pulled - it's really, really stuck. I've tried turning the gear on the regulator while a partner pulls up on the window, to no avail.


All the guide I've seen instruct loosening the clips and lifting the window before pulling the panel. I've pulled all the 10mm bolts holding the regulator in place, and the gasket released, but it feels pretty stuck and now I'm not sure how to proceed. We don't think there are any foreign objects dropped inside that would be blocking anything, and I don't see any obvious obstructions shining a flashlight through the gap in the top of the door.


Any suggestions? My next step is probably brute-forcing the regulator panel a bit, but I really don't like that idea and worry that dropped glass is a real possibility.

Sounds like the regulator cabling came off its tracks or bound up. You're going to have to brute force it. I'd do it with the motor disconnected to allow some movement. Just take it easy.

Thank you. I'm trying to visualize (1) where the window glass sits with respect to the regulator and the rest of the door, and the (2) worst case scenario when I pull it off.


(1) My understanding is that the glass will be "proud" of the door even if the glass is totally free from the regulator, and wouldn't drop into the door panel but would probably head straight down toward the ground.


(2) I'm planning to cushion the (concrete) ground with a moving blanket and several layers of cardboard (plus tough boots) in case the glass makes a quick vertical drop.



Just thinking out loud -- grateful for any other advice to plan for the worst!

There is two rubber circle access panels, this is normally where you would release the glass from the regulator, if the window is down/low they are basically straight down from there.

From my experience, I have a no nonsense approach sometimes, as I use my car for commuting.... I have used a mini grinder in the past to cut access to be able to loosen the window clip bolts.. Sometimes the regulator panel has to be sacrificed or you'll spend a lot of time trying to F around and loose knuckle skin. You need to get those two 10 mm bolts loosened before the glass will separate from the regulator, you may be able to pry the bottom and get in there with an arm/wrench and do it. You may also be able to get in there and cut the metal cabling to loosen things up, this may allow you to pull up on the glass to where you can loosen the 10 mm clips.

If you yank on the regulator too hard you may break the glass.. you may NEED to do this to get it apart, or destroy that metal panel to get at the bolts to loosen them. personally i'd get a new working regulator + panel(new unit link below) from a local wrecking yard or parts vw guy and wreck the panel and just install the good unit, one of the wheels has most likely failed, and caused the cable to get all in a bind anyways, or the clips failed. Personally, usually my glass is tinted so I have always saved the glass over the panel.

The glass cant really fall to the ground, it may fall into the door.. if you get the glass loosened you can pull up the glass, tilt it sideways to angle it and it just pulls out of the door to put in a safe place while you fix the regulator.

https://www.idparts.com/front-left-....html?osCsid=d10c49857ce72e330e17741c6e75f7f5

This sounds similar to what happened to me. I tried to open a frozen driver's side window and nothing moved. I did hear something inside the door. Well later on in the day the window had opened by itself. I didn't realize at the time that the window had come loose from the two clips. The window eventually fell to the bottom of the door.
I also could not remove the carrier because the window was jammed up against the carrier or so it seemed. I reattached the switch so I could raise the cable up or down to remove the carrier, thus unjamming whatever. This was in December, and trying to hold the window up while reinstalling the carrier was very tricky in the cold. My suction cups would not stick to the cold glass. An extra pair of hands would have helped.

Still working on it...


We had near-freezing rather than sub-20 temps today so I took another crack at it. I second steve6's statement that the regulator and/or panel may have to be sacrificed: if the window is stuck down, you can't get to the clips *and* in the window's lowest position the clips are below the level of the opening so you can't pull the regulator panel out from the bottom (nor at the top, as the top of the window will also be above the level of regulator panel opening.


My next plan is to identify the position of the clips and use a metal bit to drill the panel as closely as possible to those points, to free the glass from the clips without totally butchering the panel... knowing that I can always fall back on butchery...


I'm still stumped at what could get the glass so stuck. Watching youtube videos of regulator replacement show non-bodybuilders sliding the glass up and down in the frame by hand and even the glass staying put somewhat.

Something you could try, take out all of the 10mm bolts, disconnect the door latch (remove the 3 triple sqares) disconnect the lock. Try pulling the panel out slightly, and lifting, see if you can get any of the glass to poke out of the door. Then grab it and pull up. Just be careful not to pry too hard or your tempered glass will have a temper tantrum I've had to do this trick a handful of times at the pick n pull yards when they don't have batteries hooked up anymore.

Here's some photos where the glass lines up in the circular access spots, so that the glass can be removed from the clips (which often fail). Once free from the clips, the glass should be released. If you can't get to the clips, the metal door skin can be removed. There's a how-to at the vortex.

Thanks for those photos - indeed, if I could have moved the window at all I would have been glad to use the 'proper' method for evacuating the glass.


Punchline: The twisted cable that travels to raise/lower the clips had corroded, one of the strands had bunched up at the end of one of the cable housings, and the window couldn't travel more than a couple inches up from the lowest position Because the bunched-up strands would either hit the cable housing or the bottom guide pulley. So, I couldn't get the window anywhere near the ports. I could touch the bottom of edge of the window glass by prying the bottom of the regulator panel, but it's clear that when the clips are properly torqued you're not going to pry the glass out of the clips without damaging it.


Insights, such as they are: Even with the window in its lowest position, you can sort of get to the clip that's farther from the door hinge (that is, closer to the outside edge of the door). You can pry the window regulator panel out (I used my fingers, but a smarter person would use something not made out of flesh) and expose the head of the 10mm screw head just enough to slip in a wrench.


The other clip - the one closer to the hinge - can't be reached this way. However, in its lowest position the clip is behind the speaker. So, you can remove the speaker to access and loosen it.


After that, all steps match the myriad how-tos documented here and elsewhere.