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Cadillac Repair/window not working

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Expert: - 9/12/2010


Question
I have a 2001 Cadillac sedan Deville and my rear drivers side window broke. My
window slid down inside the door. Would I be abe to fix this. I'm not that
mechanical

Answer
Hello,

I would suggest that you take the car to a service center and have them replace the tape regulater. What happens is the plastic tape that moves the window up and down breaks and will not let the window roll up and stay in its upawrd position.

On a flat rate scale should cost .7-.1.5 hours to replace. Tape is roughly $20 for the part.

The door panel needs to be removed and the regulator needs to be removed to replace the tape. Many times a speacial rivet gun needs to be used to reinstall the window motor.

Its not a bad job for someone with the tools and knowledge. You may want to check with a glass shop or a body shop because labor rates are lower.



The drive tape is part of the window regulator. It has notches in it that the gear from the motor grabs in order for the window to go up down. The plastic tapes replaced the steel regulator assemblies common in the 80's cars to lighten weight and spend less money on production.

In your car there is a triangular frame which the window tape is guided by which relaces the big steel arms that were used in the 80's. Used to see tapes break commonly in cold weather with someone trying to force the window down.

In fire investigation it was common to see where a fire investigator would say he could determine the position of the windows
of a vehicle totally destroyed by fire. Except for the steel casing on the motor and the steel triangle that holds the drive tape everything else is made of aluminum and plastic.

This means the fire investigator has a better crystal ball than I do.

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Rob Painter

Expertise

Alarm system questions cannot be answered on this forum. These systems are not what I can answer. Without being physically at the vehicle and not knowing what kind of electrical service has been done on the vehicle, there is no possible way to give an accurate answer over the internet. My expertise is in Ignition/key based anti-theft systems. These issues include GM VATS (resistor chip in key blade) PASSLOCK (MRD)-ignition lock rotation based, no special ignition key and the PKIII Transponder (computer chip in key) systems. These systems are not alarm based and are integral with the starting of the engine. This is why I cannot diagnose alarm problems without physically looking at the vehicle: Alarm systems are a completely different annimal than ignition key/lock based anti-theft system. Many alarm questions come from vehicles 10 years old, and since older, many hands that had been involved over the years.I am an expert in all GM factory (ignition/key based)systems. Alarm system questions pose to many situations beyond my knowledge as to what has been done to the vehicle over the years. Some guy may have actually wired the stereo into the alarm system. Who knows? Over my past 30 years in vehicle wiring repair, I have seen unbelievable wiring disaters done by guys that consider themselves "mechanics." I have seen stereos and alarms intalled using surgical tape. I have seen modules burn up, un-fused circuits, wiring jambed between the doors and even lamp cord used for a starter kill. To answer alarm questions over the internet without examining the vehicle is like asking; What does it take to remove a dent?

Experience

Education/Credentials-ASE certified. 11 years with a GM dealer and 17 years with a repair facility dealing with only the repair of theft recovered vehicles.

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