Power windows - they can be fixed!

[gldgti]

So, has your power window cable broken?

It seems that among mk3's and seats, there are commonly issues with the power window regulators. I have seen when the plastic pulleys in the mechanisms fail, but I have also seen the cables snap - as happened on my brothers GTI's drivers door.

After pulling out the regulator, we realised it would be possible to actually disassemble the regulator and totally replace the cable. So we did.

All we bought was 10m of 2mm galvanised wire rope ($12) and a $2 packet of chrome plated copper cable swages.

Basically, after you dis-assemble the whole mechanism, you will find that the cable has 4 little swaged steel lugs along its length separating the various cable outers.

You must take a measurement of the total length of cable and the precise distances between each swage.

Once you are sure how it will all need to go back together, you simply cut the assembly apart at each swage, so that you can seperate all the outers. then, swage the first new lug onto the new cable, slide the first section of outer onto the cable, and keep working along using your measurements from the original cable to set the distances between each set of adjacent swages.

Once you have replicated the whole thing with new cable and swages, you can reassemble the whole regulator.

If you dont quite get the spacing right, you will be able to adjust it once its all back together by cutting some of the cable outer away, however you dont want to be adjusting it like this by mroe than about 10mm, so you need to be quite accurate when you are 'rebuilding' the cable.

Swages
The factory swages are steel and hexagonal, about 5mm across the flats and 6mm long. we replicated this with the hardened, chrome plated copper swages from bunnings by cutting their 2mm single swage into quarters.

<TBC...>

[CPITUNING]

I replaced my electric windows with flawless manual winders.. best thing i ever did! Love it.