Help with broken car electric windae

My driver’s window packed in today, helpfully in the fully wound down position. Just makes a grinding noise and nothing happen when you press the button, so it’s currently sitting out on the street with nae windae in place.

There’s also a way of controlling the windows from the key fob, and it’s the same story, suggesting it’s not the button or power but must be something to do with the window mechanism itself, like the motor. How easy a fix is this? I’ve a good independent mechanic down the street who I’ll take it to tomorrow – is this a sort of generic thing to sort out, or is it going to need to go to the dealer – it’s a seat leon about 6 yo.

I was just going to stick a bin bag over it to keep the rain out the noo, can’t really thing of anything better.

It’s the window regulator that’s failed. Basically the piece of cable that moves the window runners up and down has snapped. Pretty easy and not too expensive to replace.

Rgds, Dai (seat tech 😉 )

Thks Dai. I could risk a trip to the seat dealer – they’ve given me reasonable prices for parts in the past but any repair work they’ve done has absolutely milked the wallet. It’s good to have a likely diagnosis in any case.

if its anything like a golf, the wheel that winds the cable is made of cheese. replacements are made of metal and much better, bloody annoying though!

I’d definitely go with a genuine regulator. I’ve fitted non genuine ones to other cars in the past and they take so much longer to get to fit properly and are really flimsy.

Any competent mechanic should be able to swap it over in under an hour easily.

Any problems let me know, I’d be glad to help if I can.

Or DIY it with a bike gear cable for £1.50

mine went at xmas, VW so basically the same as Seat, Window regulator, £120……..be prepared if you plan to fix it yourself to swear like a docker who’s smacked his thumb with a hammer, it’s a right pain in the arse. VW/Seat/Skoda, in fact all of the VAG group doors are like trying to pull apart fort knox

it’s a seat leon about 6 yo.

Sounds like exactly like what happened to mine (8yo Leon).

Cost me about £100 or so all in at SEAT main stealers. When I mentioned it, the guy knew exactly what was wrong and what needed replacing, and got the bit in for 7am next day.
The mech is a load of cogs and steel wire, which on mine was totally mangled. I guess the golf and all VAG are same/similar? Took them less than an hour to fit, and showed me the old one. Took me longer to work out how to get the door panel off (gave up and surfed free wifi to find dealer in SLovenia – didn’t fancy a 12hour autobahn drive home in thunderstorms with a window held in place with gaffer tape!)

dogbert – Member

mine went at xmas, VW so basically the same as Seat, Window regulator, £120……..be prepared if you plan to fix it yourself to swear like a docker who’s smacked his thumb with a hammer, it’s a right pain in the arse. VW/Seat/Skoda, in fact all of the VAG group doors are like trying to pull apart fort knox

Yeah, the door panels can be quite tight.

Actually OP, if you get your mechanic down the road to do it, it’s worth ordering a bag of door panel trim clips with the window reg. They nearly always break getting the panel off.

the passenger one in my Octavia failed last year, having looked into this at the time it is usually one of the pulleys or clips that goes, plastic, and gets replaced with an alloy part.

Does leave the question, why not use the alloy in the first place! but i suppose that is a question that sits alongside why plastic water-pump impeller blades.