Have you ever realized the utility of the windows in your car? Well, I didn’t until it stopped rolling up one fine day. It might have looked harmless in the first few seconds but soon I realized it was going to be a problem for me.

What if it was raining? Or what would happen when I parked the car on the road? These are very real and practical problems and even though windows might not seem to be an important part of the car, they pretty sure are!

Are you facing such a problem now? Because some simple suggestions might help you figure out the cause behind it and with some luck, you might be able to fix it without the help of any tool or mechanics no matter what type of windows they are, manual or automatic.

How do manual and electric windows work?

Regulators are the main component through which a car window moves up and down and this is achieved through the inside channels. I am sure you have seen the regulators found in old cars where you would have to rotate the regulator to move the windows.

Here the regulators are connected directly to the crank. The regulators in an electric window are connected to a motor but they fundamentally follow the same principle as manual ones.

Causes of failure:

Manual Window: This scenario is likely to happen when a car becomes old or the windows have been used roughly. As we had mentioned earlier, the mechanical crank is responsible for the movement of the windows in the car and any fault in that might lead to the windows not rolling up which includes problems with its gear or a problem with it being distorted or plain and simple friction if the lubricant dries out.

Electric Window: A reversible motor which is connected to a generator is used to generate the power for the windows’ motion up and down in this case. Any fault in electronics, wiring or the motor might be a cause for the windows to not roll.

A few tips which can help solve the problem regarding a manual window

• The first thing would be to remove the door trim along with everything attached to it. You’ll need a couple of screwdrivers, some grease, binder clips, goop, a glass cleaner, and some cloth to rub off the grease. You will have to open a lot of parts which have been attached to the door as the armrests and speakers, etc. Finally, disconnect the crank and put it aside along with the door trim to which the base of the crank is connected.
• The window should be in an upside-down position.
• Reconnect your crank after wrapping the door in plastic and attaching it with clips. Reconnect the crank but don’t screw it.
• Carefully roll the window up and down to see if the window is connected to the track. If it is connected, then the track has broken and you’ll have to seek help from a professional. It is likely that that the window has been separated from the track. In this case, roll the window up and observe if the track puts the window mostly in place. Post this task, roll the window down and while you do that, the window leans and catches the door and the track also remains to slide down the door. The windows should be rolled up once again and if it holds up, it should stay like that.
• The moving parts must be greased now.
• Attach an adhesive to the track after it has been thoroughly cleaned.
• Now you should fix the window to the track. It is better if you could get help from someone to hold the window level with the door low enough to get a vision of the track when it is attached to the base. The second one in the job has to guide the track upwards and firmly apply pressure as the window slowly fits into the track.
• After the last step, leave the adhesive to dry for a few hours. The more, the merrier!
• Assemble the door once more in the same order as which it was disassembled.
• Once the window is set, test it.

A few tips which can help solve the problem regarding a manual window

• The ignition key should be in the accessory position. After placing the key, check if the other windows are working and the radio can be operated. If yes, then it’s in the right place.
• Press the switch of the window. The switch, in this case, has to take a depressed stance and it has to be the side that closes the window.
• While the button is depressed, you will have to slam the car door a few times. If it fails, just keep the button pressed and it is going to work in some time.
• Once it rolls up do not roll it down.

If these steps do not work then it is recommended that you go to a professional to seek help unless you know your way around. In that case, you wouldn’t have been reading this article, would you?

It might be the motor, the wiring or the switches and it would really be a wise decision to not try to fix it yourself and in turn, increase the work and burn a hole in your pocket.

Final Thoughts

It is always recommended that you go for professional help regarding issues for a car but we don’t always have the means and the resources for that. These tips might help you get a temporary or even a permanent fix in case of manual windows but power windows are complicated and if you are not sure then keep the car in for a few days until you figure out how to get your exact fix.

You can always slam them doors though!