Window regulator

Morning all, My 987.1 Cayman S driver side window regulator broke yesterday, but the strange thing is that the window still drops and closes when I open the door. I can hear the regulator crunching if I try to put the window down, but it makes no noise when I open and close the door. Anyone come across this before?

I've had to replace the passenger side regulator in both my 987's (damn passengers!) and both times it's been one of the plastic wheels that the cable runs over has cracked and started to fall apart, the longer you leave it, the more bits will break off and eventually derail the cable. The replacement one I got was an aftermarket (possibly URO Parts ?) and is perfectly fine. replacement is certainly DIYable if you want to. Cheers, Julian

Cheers for the response. I will have a look At purchasing a replacement asap.

My experience has been similar to apexhunter987 and had to replace both sides...with the weak points being the plastic parts and the cable. The parts themselves are not complicated but the effort to disassemble and put everything back together is at least 2-4 hours per side and you need to be handy with handling the window glass too. Have a look here to see some pics of the regulator. https://www.planet-9.com/threads/double-whammy-windshield-and-window-problems.105862/?post_id=929895#post-929895

Thanks for this link to the other post. Thats going to be helpful 👍

Thanks for this link to the other post. Thats going to be helpful 👍

update*** I asked a couple of garages to quote me and you wouldn’t believe what they said. one of them said he would change the regulator, but the membrane will need to be changed as well. Not sure what that is tbh. The second garage I called said they would be happy to change the regulator, but they would need to replace the door panel card as well because of potential water leaks etc after taking off the original panel. Is this really necessary? Seems to me that they are trying to milk the job. Let me know your thoughts.

Are those experienced Porsche techs? I dont think you would need that unless the parts are already damaged. The membrane I am assuming is that thin plastic sheet held up by the black glue between the door card and the metal structure that help with the water resistance. The only other thing that might need to be changed are the door card clips because those are meant to be one time use items and some will usually break when disassembled. However they are relatively cheap VW bin parts so buy a bag of them and keep them handy in the frunk. (I think each side is about 8-10 clips...cant remember). Aliexpress link

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Obviously there's no reason to replace the door panel. I suspect they were referring to the plastic sheet "membrane" material between the door panel/card and the metal frame of the door. That is attached with some kind of adhesive to stop water intrusion and once removed to access inside the door for regulator repair, reattaching that membrane may not be as effective as simply replacing it. You should clarify what they are referring to. I also suspect replacing that membrane isn't particularly expensive.

Wow, talk about upselling. I would avoid those shops, as it seems their only intent is to separate you from your hard earned cash. First of all, the membrane they are referring to is merely a piece of plastic sheeting to be a barrier between the door card and the interior of the door, as even with window trim/gaskets/seals when it rains water will run down the exterior of the window glass, and some will still bypass the rubber trim and get inside the door, where it will run out through the drain/weep holes in the bottom of the door. The membrane will prevent moisture from degrading the door card which is made of a compressed fibrous material. I have removed my door card several times for different projects, from replacing a broken latch to replacing micro switches, to installing speakers. The membrane can be gently peeled back from the door, albeit it a messy job as the gooey adhesive is tar-like. But once peeled back it can easily be pressed back into its original position. Even if it tears, one can simply use duct tape or HVAC duct sealing tape to repair any rips or tears. In a pinch, I would even trust a piece of Tyvek to stand in for the plastic membrane, but you can buy extra heavy duty plastic sheeting at a hardware store that will accomplish the same thing. I would imagine that ‘special’ Porsche membrane would cost a pretty penny. Never had a problem peeling it back, doing what I needed to do and smushing it back to it’s original place. As far as the door clips, they are not single use, depending on how you remove them. With patience and a trim removal tool, they can be gently popped out of their receiver, and used again. What does help is getting a small spray bottle with a mixture of dish soap and water and squirting between the door card and the door while providing a gap with the trim tool. This will help reduce the friction and force needed to remove the door card. Granted, one may not be 100% successful in saving each and every clip, and I have purchased a bag from a parts supplier in that event, but having just replaced my door speakers and removing both door cards, I only needed to replace about three in total, there being nine securing each door card IIRC. Just be aware that the clips need to be placed back into their ‘loading’ position, for lack of a better term. Once separated from the door, one needs to pre-load the clips before reinserting them. But the story you were told about replacing the membrane and all the door clips sounds like fiction, in my experience doing this.

Thanks for your replies. In the end I just paid for a genuine Porsche regulator with two hours labour. It cost me £501.79. I think that was far more reasonable than what the other garages were trying to do.

987 doesn't use a plastic membrane. My japanese cars have used plastic but neither of my 987s or my wife's Audi do.

My use of the word ‘plastic’ was a loose description of the material. Seems to be a ‘plasticized’ material of some type, fibrous maybe, but in order to be water/moisture proof I would venture it is plastic based. But I have also owned imports of various origins, and even some early domestic cars I’ve owned have had the plastic sheeting you mentioned. Brings back memories of dismantling ‘60’s and ‘70’s car doors to fix the crank window mechanism, a bygone method of opening and closing a car window.