BMW E90 Door window lifting mechanism rear

DIY Disclaimer: I hold no responsibility should anything goes wrong when you decided to follow my guide. It’s strictly meant as a reference for knowledge sharing purposes.

2007 BMW E90 N46B20

Mileage: 92k km

Left: 51 35 7 140 589

Right: 51 35 7 140 589

My rear left lifter failed in Jun 2013 while my rear right lifter failed 3 nights ago.

Some call it Window Regulator, some call it Lifter. We seldom wind down our rear window and that’s where the problem lies. Over time, the window get stuck to the side rail and an attempt to wind it down will cause the plastic components to snap.

An irritating warning will light up on the dash board with a loud “gong” which repeats every 20 seconds. What it tried to tell is the anti-trap function deactivated:

This error can’t be reset or disabled until the lifter is replaced! Hence you will have to bear with the repetitive loud “gong” every 20 seconds.

I bought a replacement lifter and DIY the change.

These are what I did:

1. Open door card / panel as usual. Many guide available online and here’s one of the many, in fact this video is complete:

http://vimeo.com/13163932

2. Carefully peel open the moist protector or damp guard layer.

3. Open the 3 size 10mm nut holding to the lifter.

4. Unlock the window glass from the lifter holder.

5. Unplug the motor connector.

6. Slide the lifter out.

7. Apply grease to the new lifter

8. Transfer the old motor to the new lifter

9. Reconnect the motor to slowly run the motor up/down to make sure the window glass holder slides smoothly, add grease when necessary

10. Disconnects the motor and slide the lift back into the door cavity

11. Reinstall the 3 size 10mm nuts

12. Reconnect motor

13. Make the window glass sit into the holder and make sure the lock is in place

14. Test the window, up / down. You may reprogram the window at this stage or may do it after reinstall the door card.

15. Installing the door panel:

~ Make sure all the upper metal clips are on the door and not on the panel. If any still stuck on the panel, pry them off and clip them back on the door before installing the panel. Easier that way.

~ Pay attention to these black color little fabric washer. It prevent noise from a loose stud. Some are stuck on the door and when you install the panel, it will just fall on the ground without you noticing it. Pry them off using you finger nail from the door and put them onto the door studs before installing the door panel. That way you will never lose them. Below photo shows only one of the stud with the fabric washer intact. The rest are still stuck on the door.

16. Reprogram the window:

Some material I found online..

New Lifter:

New vs old:

Thank you for reading and please provide feedback or query if any..