Window Regulator How-to

So my window regulator went last week, and there isn't a detailed how to that I could find on whats involved in this simple fix. New regulator was £120 from Audi though you also need to order the M8 bolt to hold the back edge of the glass as this isn't part of the kit (I ended up using one I had lying around, as I didn't realise this until I had installed it).

So here goes - this is my first how-to so be gentle with me.

Tools required - T25 torx bit, 13mm socket, trim removal tools, set of allen keys (for adjusting the window after refitting, can't remember what size allen key this was.

1. First the door card needs to be removed. Theres 5 bolts to be removed, 2 of which are hidden by trims. Start by removing the door inlay strip - prise this off from the back edge of the door working forwards. Theres 4 clips which need to be released (by prising gently outwards) then pull it towards the back of the door as it clips under the door handle. The face trim next to the window switch also needs to be removed. Again this prises off, being careful not to damage the face and clips in under the handle. You will now be able to remove all the bolts - the locations are shown in Photo 1.

2. Once the screws are removed, then the door card can be released from the 9 clips which hold it in place. I managed this by simply giving a solid pull on the door pocket in the back corner. All the clips released without damaging any - might be an idea to have some spares though just incase. Once free, you need to disconnect the window switch from the controller (lift the pink tab on the blue plug and pull out. I also removed the door switch from the door card to allow me to raise and lower the window which helps greatly when it comes to adjusting the window later) and the door latch cable from the handle (pull handle, release cable then slide white tab securing the cable away from the handle. Sorry no pics of this, but its pretty straight forward. Once the door card is gone, unplug and remove the speaker.

3. Remove the black rubber panel that the door pull cable disappears into. This just pops out, and you can't snap it so don't be scared if you need to use a little force.

4. The glass needs to come out. This is held in by a bolt in each of the brackets on the runners. The clamp at the front of the window only needs to be slackened, but the rear one the bolt needs to be removed completely as it passes through a hole in the glass. With the window in the fully up position there are 2 holes in the door to allow access to these, as shown in Photo 2. Slacken / remove these bolts and the glass will lift out of the top of the door.

5. The window motor is held on with 3 screw as shown in Photo 3. Remove these and withdraw the motor. Once removed, push the 3 black plugs the motor screwed into through the door. squeeze the clips at the base of the plugs to release

6. The regulator is held on by 4 bolts - 2 on each runner - positions shown in Photo 4 (bottom rear bolt is behind the black plug under the door). Remove these bolts (13mm socket required) and the regulator is now free. It takes a little wiggling, but remove it through the large hole in the door and discard.

7. Refitting is basically the reverse of removal, but be sure that when putting the glass back in that it sits properly within the seal inside the front edge of the door. Before refitting the door card, you need to adjust the window to ensure that it closes properly. This is done using the bolts on the back runner (if you look at the head of the bolt a torx bit fits inside it). To adjust the position of the window against the seal, slacken the top bolt on the rear runner slightly and use the torx bit to adjust the glass. The position of the top of the glass is adjusted by the bottom bolt of the back runner in the same manner. Remember to tighten the bolts and recheck after adjustment. There is no adjustment in the front runner other than height.

8. The height of the window is adjusted using an allen bolt on the bracket holding the glass on each of the runners. Look for this before you install the regulator so that you know what you are looking for. Once installed it sits behind the runner, and each full turn of the bolt anti-clockwise raises the glass up approx 1mm - and clockwise moves it down the same.

The Audi adjustment instructions are provided here also, as are the clearances that they recommend for the final positioning of the window.

Its a really straightforward fix this - it took me around 15 mins to strip the old regulator out and around 25 mins to install the new one due to time taken adjusting and checking.

Hope it helps someone out in fixing this themselves - if I've missed anything then just ask