E30 Zone

A couple of months ago one of the rear electric windows on my touring conked out - it'll go down but not up.

Today the front passenger window has suffered the same fate

Is there some way of getting the damn things to go up? With the rear one I took the motor off the door and just wedged the window shut but if they're all going to go the same way I need a longer term solution.

Please help before it starts raining

I know it probably ISN'T this, but have you tried swopping the switches over (to the drivers side one)? It'll rule out the possibility, and the switches can get gooped-up.....

Have a look at the gearbox on the lift motor,the cable on the lift can jam,in the front the quadrant can jam,the switches can be dismantled and cleaned.(fiddly but worked yesterday for me...)once they all work,keep using them!!

double check the window glass hasn't got jammed inbetween the door frame and the window seal...

Thankfully the front window has started working again

However with the rear one I tried the switch on the centre console as well as on the door and neither worked, so I'm guessing it's motor related rather than to do with the switches. The weird thing is it'll still go down but not up so I'm pretty sure it's not jammed. Can motors break in one direction but not the other?

it would be best to physically swop the switches with ones you know work - if the switches are in series, then one failing will mean the other one can't operate the window either.

But a clever system would have the switches in parallel? Which is it chaps?

There won't be anything wrong with the motor - the polarity of the electricity will be reversed to send it in the other direction... which is why I'm saying check those switches.... but I don't have windows like yours - someone here will though...........

Switches are in series for the rear windows. Whatever is wrong with your windows, I very much doubt if it is the motors, if they are the factory fitted ones, rather than the dealer retrofit ones.
E30 electric windows are usualy very reliable. Most faults are the switches (console switches through collecting muck, rear door switches through lack of use), and occasionaly (front windows only), trouble with the door pillar sockets.

Brianmoooore wrote:Switches are in series for the rear windows.

and I thought BMW did everything right - that's almost French in design

orangecurry wrote:

Brianmoooore wrote:Switches are in series for the rear windows.

and I thought BMW did everything right - that's almost Italian in design

Italian? Easy Orangecurry you dont want to go saying things you dont mean and cant take back

ha - I can take it back.... hang on... I've made things worse

Thanks for your help guys. The old girl has nearly done a quarter of a million miles now, so I can excuse it acting a bit mediterranean now and again

Jeff_200 wrote:Thanks for your help guys. The old girl has nearly done a quarter of a million miles now, so I can excuse it acting a bit mediterranean now and again

Wife's touring has done also nearly done a quarter of a million miles.
Everything works just as it left the factory; all switches and controls operate and feel as new, it's recently returned from hauling a tonne of caravan at illegal speeds all over France, and in a few weeks it'll be going for an MOT, which it will pass, as ever, with no advisories or preparation whatsoever, except for a wiper blade.