this is my first write-up ever,
i couldnt find this when doing mine, so i decided to
write it myself,

hope it helps someone at somepoint
cheers,

 

Cool thanks for contributing. Welcome

 

So what was wrong with the old one?

 

the window stopped working, was permanately down.
when you try to operate it, it made a grinding noise.

when i opened it up, the cable had come off its wheel and was winding around the motor,

i was 2 months pass warranty too,

 

Great tutorial ....
gotta do this the weekend as one of my wires on regulator broke the other night when I wound window up.

just wondering if it may of been a motor fault that drove the window up too far that caused the wire to break ?????

Last thing I want to do is fit new regulator and same thing to happen !!!
What is it that stops the window on auto up that I caould test to make sure this doesn't happen whe I fit new parts ????

 

when using auto-up/down, the system knows where the top and bottom is.
this is the purpose of 'sync'ing the window.
there's no mechanical stop other than the fact that the window is fully up(or down) and
can't go anymore.
if you're not using auto-up/down, you can really just push the motor beyond
and stress out the cables if you wanted to, there's nothing to stop that.

you can test if your motor is at fault. free the motor from the regulator, and hook up its
electrical as well as the door's electrical. operate the auto-up/down. the motor should
whind and eventually stop. if it doesnt, you may have a 'sync'ing problem. which really
isnt w/ the motor, but w/ the window console that holds the 'sync' memory(this part you should verify w/ an mb mechanic).

goodluck

 

That's awesome! Great job and WELCOME.

 

Does this syncing also apply to electric sunroofs?
My sunroof no longer goes auto back (open) or auto forwards (close) I have to move it back an inch at a time by releasing switch then pushing again etc.
Although it will go all the way forward if I hold switch forward but no auto open/close any more!!
It the same with the tilt function will tilt down (close if switch is pulled) but has to be inched up (open) bit by bit !!

If not a sync problem ... anyone any ideas???

 

Your sunroof sounds like it only has to be re-synced (reset). This happened to me a few times.
If I remember correctly:
Fully open your sunroof, then fully close it. Then to the pop-up position and hold the switch in that position for approx. 6-10 seconds. Then to the closed position. After doing that, your auto open setting should work. Good luck.

 

I am a little worried with the rivets. Im not to familiar with removing them or installing them. A little more detail would help?

Also my windows are all the way down, would this make it easier or harder to remove clamps?

Thank you in advance to any reply

 

Do it my way (I posted a DIY) and you don't touch ANY rivets, and it only takes about an hour!

 

I briefly looked at all of your posts, and all the threads started by you (under your profile), but I didn't see your DIY on replacing window motor/regulator. Can you provide a direct link?

thanks!

 

i pm'd him and it was a wrong post. are u starting this project?

 

I was incorrect about what the poster was asking for and cannot edit old posts. Please disregard my second and + messages!

 

My regulator cable just broke so I am gearing up to do this --

Thanks Hktran for the great writeup! The only thing I would mention is that, regarding the airbag, what others are saying is if you disconnect the airbag cable then reconnect it BEFORE reconnecting the car battery -- otherwise you will end up with an SRS indicator issue that can only be cleared by a Star or other similar system.

• For Window regulator I just ordered part # 203-720-31-46, which the dealerships have said is the correct part for my VIN.
  
• The window mounting brackets are part # 203-720-01-14 ... amounts to a round rubber gasket and bolt/nut set to fasten the window to the regulator. $20 each online ... doesn't look like these will break easily so I am not ordering them. (I can always replace them later without removing the regulator if I ever need to.)
  
• The rivets are part # 003-990-24-97 ... they are described as "4.8x8 blind" ... assuming that means 4.8mm diameter x 8mm length ... that's a 3/16" x 5/16" rivet ... HKTran that matches what your bought ... so I'll just get some from the local hardware store instead of buying expensive "MB Genuine" ones.

Two questions for hktran, if you are still on the forum --

1) Do you think you really had to remove the door handle bracket in order to do this? Looking at the photo (from Pelican Parts) it looks like the top right rivet is not covered by the bracket ...



2) Are the aluminum rivets holding up after all these years? It looks like the originals are steel, just wanted to see if the aluminum is loosening up.

Thanks. John

I will try to remember to report back in after I do the install.

Thanks. John

 

I replaced the regulator this past weekend. A few things I noted:

1) You do not have to remove the grab handle bracket from the door! The top-right regulator mount rivet is to the right of the bracket by ~3/4" allowing you to drill it out without the bracket getting in the way. Considering this bracket is what you use to pull the door closed, I was relieved to be able to leave it intact with existing steel rivets.

2) You do not have to unplug the airbag! Just drill out the three rivets, then use a bungee cord to hang the airbag loosely from the top of the door sill. This eliminates the need to disconnect battery, potentially end up requiring a STAR reset, etc.

3) My window glass had no mounting holes in it ... the bottom simply fits in a rubber u-channel in each mounting bracket, and the tightening screws for the brackets are below the glass level.

4) I used Aluminum 3/16" short rivets. 4.8mm is 3/16" exactly ... the grab thickness of the rivet only needs to be 1/8" since you are holding together two flat pieces of sheet metal. If you can find steel rivets in that size great ... but I could not find them ... and from what I could see from the pics the MB Genuine replacement rivets also looked like aluminum. I picked up a package of 15 rivets for $2 at the local hardware store.

5) If you don't have experience drilling rivets, here's what I learned: (a) use a 3/16" drill bit ... this is the size of the rivet and of the holes. (b) get the sharpest metal drill bit you can find ... the stock rivets are steel. (c) don't start with smaller bits and work your way up ... start with the 3/16" bit so you can drill the head off the rivet without loosening it up (and then it spins in the hole making it impossible to drill it further) (d) if you can get the flange of the rivet head to pop off while you are drilling, great. But if you get to a point where the rivet spins in the hole and the head won't fall off, then you have to use a small chisel to get under the rivet head and pry it up so you can rip the head off with pliers. This took me a considerable amount of time to do. (e) once the head of the rivet is removed, just tap with a small punch or nail and hammer to pop the body of the rivet into the door cavity.

 

Could we use short nuts and bolts of similar size in place of the rivets when reassembling?

 

I almost went for bolts --

3/16" diameter holes should fit a #10 bolt ... I found some #10-32 1/2" long bolts and nylon locknut that I could use. There is well over 1/2" of space in the back of the regulator bracket holes for the bolt to stick out, so I could definitely suggest the nut goes inside the door ... makes it much easier to tighten them using a philips screwdriver in front and a ratchet with deep socket inside the door. Add washers on both sides if you want so you don't scuff up the door sheet metal paint when you tighten the bolt.

The six regular bolts are easy to reach from the backside ... however the airbag's top mounting holes are going to be a very tight fit in the back since the window will be in there and you will have maybe an inch of space to work with. Still with a 1/4" ratchet and sockets it may be doable (I didn't try).

Please let us know how it works out for you.

Thanks. John

 

John,
It was only a suggestion from me since some of our members, including me, do not feel comfortable with rivets.
Thank God, My doors are holding well for now.
Shan.

 

If by "not comfortable" you mean you aren't confident that the rivets won't loosen up over time ... I agree with you on that one. Fortunately the regulator arms have tabs in them that fit through holes in the door so they have vertical strength of their own (i.e. they don't depend on the rivets) to hold the window closed. I am slightly concerned that since these rivets are aluminum and not steel that they will loosen up over time creating lots of noise whenever I raise or lower the window. If that happens then I will replace some of them with bolts. All but the top left one are exposed once you remove the door panel and therefore can be replaced without removing the airbag again.

 

Great thread and super helpful - I may have missed it but what is the correct window regulator part number ?

i have a 2004 C240 4matic wagon and EPC says the driver front left window regulator part is A2037201546 but I also see other part numbers referenced as comparable. I don’t doubt EPC but just wanted to double check if anyone has used 2037201546 and confirmed it was correct for left front window regulator replace job.

Thx. J

 

I am thinking the difference is just the iteration of the part design/manufactoring, and maybe the geo location. A203720xx46 ... 15 seems to bring up European websites, 31 brings up more US ... and I just checked parts.com and they are up to 39 !

-- John

 

John thanks a bunch! I will call the dealer and see if their parts guys can confirm too