Window Clips!

[Amish]

So it's free, plus the cost of a VW Beetle still under warranty?

But you might be on to something if you could source the clips for members here.

-V

LOL! Well, they are free to me. 5 of my very close friends all still work at the dealer. We have a few local yards that they could be sourced from. Again, the clips aren't worth anything since they are always broken so they are easy to get.

[VX KAT]

There's a ton of threads and a few different options for fixing this very common window problem. We'll have to add yours to the list!

Most (but not all) have found the SBC brackets fix the problems.

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...window+binding

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...65&postcount=8


BUNGEE CORD FIX:
http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...63&postcount=9



THIS SHOWS THE WIDENING OF THE FRONT TRACK:






THIS IS MY SBC BRACKETS BEING INSTALLED BY SBC HIMSELF (TIM PARKER)

[tom4bren]

Amish,

I like the KISS principal & your fix has that written all over it.

But ....

Your fix only fixes one small part of a multitude of problems with our windows. I'm not 'poo-pooing' your fix, just warning you that you may see other problems in the future. Your fix took care of your immediate problem but be aware that it won't cure the ultimate bane of VX ownership: tilting windows. That is caused by the regulator not gripping the center support arm properly which allows the regulator to tip forward as the window is being raised. Lubricating the front window track weather strip helps this but does not cure the problem. Widening the front track also helps without fixing the problem. Adjusting the regulator forward on the glass helps without fixing the problem.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to fix that problem.

[Amish]

Amish,

I like the KISS principal & your fix has that written all over it.

But ....

Your fix only fixes one small part of a multitude of problems with our windows. I'm not 'poo-pooing' your fix, just warning you that you may see other problems in the future. Your fix took care of your immediate problem but be aware that it won't cure the ultimate bane of VX ownership: tilting windows. That is caused by the regulator not gripping the center support arm properly which allows the regulator to tip forward as the window is being raised. Lubricating the front window track weather strip helps this but does not cure the problem. Widening the front track also helps without fixing the problem. Adjusting the regulator forward on the glass helps without fixing the problem.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to fix that problem.

Got it. I'll work up a fix for that then.

[VXorado]

Amish,

I like the KISS principal & your fix has that written all over it.

But ....

Your fix only fixes one small part of a multitude of problems with our windows. I'm not 'poo-pooing' your fix, just warning you that you may see other problems in the future. Your fix took care of your immediate problem but be aware that it won't cure the ultimate bane of VX ownership: tilting windows. That is caused by the regulator not gripping the center support arm properly which allows the regulator to tip forward as the window is being raised. Lubricating the front window track weather strip helps this but does not cure the problem. Widening the front track also helps without fixing the problem. Adjusting the regulator forward on the glass helps without fixing the problem.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to fix that problem.

This was my issue as well. My OEM tabs were fine but my window would bind in the front track and cause the "tilt" you described. I moved the lower section of the front track forward. No binding or issues since.

The driver side front track bolts into the door frame and the passenger side does not. I was able to drill new bolt holes for the driver side to mount the track forward but couldn't do much to the passenger side because the track has a welded bracket. This worked for me because my driver side window was the issue but it's likely both windows will eventually fail.

Seems like we have a combination of issues that together cause total window failure. At the junkyard, all the Rodeo/Vehicross window regulator clips I've seen are broken. Obviously a weak part and I like the idea of replacing the clips with a VW part to eliminate one part of the problem.

[Bulldoggie]

Amish,
I think your application of the metal tabs from a VW, is a good solution for the broken plastic tabs.
I like that they clamp on and can be re-positioned on the glass.
I also like that they allow for some flex or change in the angle of the glass to the angle of the lifting arm.
Something the plastic can do but the SBC metal brackets cannot.
As noted in the links, this is only one of the problems with the power windows.
I still use the plastic tabs and my windows still work great,
after the careful adjustments to the regulator track, that I have written about.

[vt_maverick]

Sad to think VW makes something more reliable than a Japanese manufacturer...

[Vendetta]

Sad to think VW makes something more reliable than a Japanese manufacturer...

Besides commercials you mean.

[Amish]

Sad to think VW makes something more reliable than a Japanese manufacturer...

Technically this is incorrect! Remember, These are pretty easy to come by as the clips I used were "broken" at least for the VW application. It was a bad design by VW. Pretty much everytime they went to a plastic part over the years to save on production costs, it bites them in the ***. They replaced this design with a full aluminum version. They also made plastic impelars for the water pumps on the mk4's which of course all failed and was corrected by switching to a metal version. On the mk5's they used a bunch on plastic internal parts on the AC system which grenade as well. When will they learn. Haha

[vt_maverick]

The service manager at the local Infiniti dealership told me he previously worked for the VW/Audi dealership up the street. When I asked him why he left, he said he showed up for work one day and there were 10-15 Beetles and Jettas waiting in line for window clip fixes, most of them on their second or third warranty replacement. He said at that time VW refused to update the design and was content to keep charging out-of-warranty customers for the same defective fix again and again.

[Ldub]

The service manager at the local Infiniti dealership told me he previously worked for the VW/Audi dealership up the street. When I asked him why he left, he said he showed up for work one day and there were 10-15 Beetles and Jettas waiting in line for window clip fixes, most of them on their second or third warranty replacement. He said at that time VW refused to update the design and was content to keep charging out-of-warranty customers for the same defective fix again and again.

LOLO serendipitous freak'n L...

As I was reading your reply, my right ear was receiving "the power of German engineering" from a VW mersh on the TV...