Rear window regulator on cabrio

Has anyone had their rear window regulator on a cabrio break? I just placed the hard top on my car and when putting up one of the rear windows heard the dreaded crunch. Porsche parts sell for over $800 but I found this rebuilder on Ebay that will do it for less than $200: https://www.ebay.com/itm/99-05-Porsc...haHJTc&vxp=mtr Does anyone have experience with them or any other place where I can either buy a new part or get mine rebuilt? Thanks!

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I went through this on my cab. It�s a documented procedure, and I have some tips for you. I ended up taking the regulator assembly out, sent the assembly to Arizona for repair/rebuild (Power Windows Repair in Phoenix, AZ. Paul is a tech there and he owns a 911 and rebuilds maybe 2-3 per week for 911s). It�s not the easiest job to remove the rear regulator on a Cab. On the other hand, now that I�ve done it once, I could easily and quickly do it again.

Whats the price range for one of these rebuilds?

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It�s usually around $200 or so, and then shipping has to be paid, although they may have picked up the return shipping.

What recommendations do you have for removal? I haven't found any documentation for it yet. I've done then main windows before and it wasn't too difficult but imagine there's less room in these smaller spaces so might take more effort. Guess I'm not using the car for a while now.

See if this link work for you: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...-in-a-cab.html

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Thank you for the link! How did you finally fix yours? I thought this one would be easier but I guess I have my work cut out for me.

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The entire regulator assembly has the following components: motor, module, gears, carrier, cables, pads. The module on mine was bad, but they still rebuilt the motor and cables because they wanted to make sure those components would last another 50,000 miles, etc. The module on mine - the electronics - cannot be easily found or purchased separately. So I paid for a motor assembly that came with the module and gears (which I still have), and I swapped only the module and everything works fine. I ended up spending nearly $380 in all, but could have easily spend 2-4x that cost with a new one installed by someone else. Just give me a call if you want - PM me - and I�ll walk you through a couple of tips and tricks. For example, I removed all of the bolts from the convertible top assembly, and I had to wedge a gap to make room to pull out the regulator assembly. It was easiest to have the window in the down position.

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Sorry it took so long to respond, I've been out of town and came back to the reality today that I need to get this done I'll take it apart tonight and see what lies ahead for me and reach out to you after I see what I'm up against. Thanks again!

Ok I need some help. I removed every bolt I can see except for those that hold the hydraulic assembly for the convertible top as I wasn't sure if those should be touched or not. The problem is I have no idea where to go next. I can only pull the window about halfway up as it appears the regulator is pretty much destroyed so it won't go up any further. I have the convertible top about halfway up so not sure if this ideal but that's what I've read is a best practice. What should I do now to remove this thing? I know I've seen mention of a bottom nut, not even sure where that thing is as I do have the rubber grommet underneath but not sure if I even have this positioned properly to get to it. Thanks!

Rubber grommet also doubles as the hole that allows access to the Bolt than holds the window regulator I can see the rubber grommet is still plugged in at the very bottom. It has wires coming out of it. You can pull it out, being careful not to destroy any wires. With the grommet out, you can actually see the nut and you will need to likely use a 6� extension to get to it, or a long Allen. Definitely check out the links on the other thread. There are diagram on those links and instructions that are helpful. The pic I�m attaching shows the grommet

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Got it! Since the wire was still coming out I was concerned about tugging too hard on it. Does the window have to be all the way up or can it be in this halfway position? Is it best to pull it back down? Thank you so much for helping along the way!

It's out! Here's the big ugly beast that was quite difficult to wrestle from its resting place. I'm not sure what is worse, working in a 100 degree garage in the summer or a 20 degree garage in the winter. Of course I never have these issues during milder temperatures. In any case I have several nuts, bolts, and even a block of wood now sitting in my fender that I have to retrieve but at least I'm glad this thing is out. Now the challenge will be putting it all back together again and hoping it and my convertible top work again! For those who are wondering I'm going to send it off to get rebuilt with the link I initially posted from eBay. It's outrageous that Porsche charges $800+ for these things new - there is nothing special to it except for it being so difficult to get to.

That price is insanity. I thought you had to be mistaken but nope, if anything you're on the low end. The front window is $120. In-sanity.

Awesome, I�m glad you got it out. It�s not that easy to get out; it took me like 2 hours to figure it out. I hope the rebuild goes well. I agree, $700-$800 for the part is unbelievable. It just must be a rare part - coupes don�t have them, and other 911 variants probably have different Parts is my guess.

^ That's true, and the front regulator is shared with the 986.

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I understand premium pricing because of rarity but it's essentially a stamped piece of metal with a motor, some cable, and plastic guides on it. Not a spectacular piece of engineering or intellectual property, it's just a basic component that all cars use now. Thankfully we have the rebuild option! My big concern is once I get it back - how to put it back in. Just disconnecting the little cable on the bottom was a hassle because there was little slack. And of course getting it all assembled WITH the glass in it means I can't be as forceful with it. Oh well that'll be a project for a couple of weeks from now.

I had a lot of cable slack on mine. I would just use a flashlight and make sure the cable isn�t stuck on anything and you should be fine. I put a lot of pressure on the window at times and was worried I could break it, but the glass seems tough.

Just an FYI, when I installed this regulator, I installed it WITHOUT the glass. Then I put the glass in, as the last step.

And I installed with the glass. So we know it can be done either way. I will say that with the glass it�s a very tight fit.

Just as I suspected I'm having trouble getting this thing reinstalled. This issue is that I was never able to insert and keep the spacer that is stated in the instructions on Renntech. There just doesn't seem to be any give to the support that allows me to get more than about 1/4" of flex. I had to pry the regulator out of its space but that's not going to work going back in. So my question is, do I just apply a lot of force and put a spacer in there? Or does it require the top to be in a certain position? Right now it's all the way down as that is the only way I was able to access some of the bolts. But without being able to insert that spacer I am not going to have enough room to slip this back in. Should I loosen up the hydraulic support? I haven't done that yet as it wasn't mentioned in the directions but it just doesn't seem like I'm going to have any luck doing what I'm doing now unless I pull out a crowbar. These are the times when I question whether I should have just gone with a coupe!

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Im not sure what spacer you are referring to? I looked at both Renntech articles and couldn�t find it. I also don�t remember a spacer on mine. I wouldn�t use a crowbar, but I did end up moving the convertible top around to get to some bolts. I stuck my finger in the top latch by the windshield and moved the top as-needed. Most of the time, it was in a partially open setting - not all the way down or even in the service position. Once you get all (5 or 6) convertible top bolts removed, you shouldn�t have to move the Hydrolics themselves.

I used a one by two piece of lumber, and put my wife on the end to flex everything inward till I had enough room to slip the regulator in. I found online somewhere that this is how a dealership would do it as well. I read it on the internet, so it must be true, but it did work for me.

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Ok thanks, that helps! I used this link as my go to for instruction: https://www.renntech.org/forums/topi...lator-996-cab/ In the link you can see the text below in bold (step #5) that mentions the spacing block. Also you can see it in the pictures Loren provides. I didn't do it for mine but seeing it as part of the steps made me figure I'm missing something. Convertible top in service position 1. Removing side-panel lining. Removing side-panel lining -1-. 2. Removing rear side window inner seal. Remove front and rear fastening screws -2- from the convertible top support and the mount for the belt guide section, and pull rear side window inner seal -3- up and out. 3. Closing side window. Press the micro-switch -4- in the windscreen frame and actuate the rocker switch -5- at the same time. 4. Releasing power window. Release adjusting elements with the adjustment tool -7-. To do this, loosen and unscrew the nuts -6- from the adjusting element. Adjustment tool for the rear power window. 5. Detaching convertible-top support. Remove fastening screws -2- and fastening nut -8- from convertible-top support -10- and pull the deflection fitting and mount for the belt guide section -9- up and out. Pull convertible-top support -10- inward and fix between B-pillar and the convertible-top support with a spacing block -12- dimension - A = 30 mm. 6. Removing power window. Push rear power window -11- upward and push both locking tabs of the electrical connection -13- outward and disconnect. Haha, of course! Ok I had to ask my wife to help with pressing the microswitch earlier in the process and she wasn't fond of the cold garage. Let's see if I can convince her again

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Sorry I'm beating a dead horse here but with all the travel for work I've been doing I wasn't able to touch this thing until tonight. So I installed the glass, use a large screwdriver to pry the top assembly away from the body and ended up getting the regulator pretty much all the way in except for the top tabs. With the glass in I see no way to get this thing in here. How was it done?!? Then I contemplated doing it without the glass but if I do how the heck do I access the bolts to secure the glass once it's in there? Seems I'm screwed either way right now! In the pic the red circles are the "tabs" that are getting caught up and keeping me from pushing it all the way in. Geesh I think it's been over a month since I've driven my car - having withdrawls here!

I agree - not sure how you can put the glass in after installing the regulator. That said, it is possible to put this thing back in there. You just have to fanagle it. I found getting one side in (the front side) was easier, since it had more space.

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Thanks, I'll try it again tomorrow. One good thing I have to report is that I did test the new regulator and it worked! Now if I can only get it installed so I can begin driving my car again.

..I went thru this exercise of replacing the rear regulator on my convertible......it was a nightmare to take it out, if I remember correctly, I removed the glass before taking the old one out, and installed the glass after installing the new one in.....

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Nightmare to take out and hell to put back in Going to try again tonight. I'll report my hopeful success later this evening!

Wow I seem to have the strangest bad luck when working on my cars at times! So the GREAT news is I got it installed. Once I figured it out, it all became pretty obvious how it goes in. But as I was fastening one of the nuts at the top it didn't quite catch the threads and went falling down into what I call the "abyss" I call it that because I spent about 10 minutes fishing through that area with my magnetic pick up tool and not finding the stupid nut. I have the other one and it sticks right to the magnet so I know it's not the nut, but somehow it remained elusive. So during my search all of a sudden my magnetic pick up tool breaks in half! Now I have half a magnetic pick up tool AND my lost nut hiding in the abyss. Would have run to the hardware store but of course they closed 45 minutes ago. So tomorrow it will be. How can I be so unlucky? But what I am glad about is that once I retrieve these items I know exactly how to get that thing in there. I look forward to driving my car again very soon. I missed a 75 degree day today because of this issue

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Just think of all the money you saved. And if the next one fails, you�ll be able to do it in 1/3rd the time.

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Pick up a mechanics mirror when you get a new magnetic pick up tool. Maybe you will be able to see in there to locate the lost stuff. Another tool I have found useful is my phone. Put it in video mode and shove it in there. Amazing what you can see when you do that. And yes, it takes an enormous amount of patience when you DIY. I have found almost every job turns into 2 or 3 jobs. When I did my AOS, I spent 2 days searching for a lost bolt, hand twisted up and over from underneath searching along the top of Bank 1. Finally found it and what a relief. Damn things can be frustrating at times, as with any car project. And recently replaced my motor mounts and busted a coolant line. I'm still waiting on that part to get here so I can finish...and that means a total coolant drain and refill, so add that to what needs to be done. The best thing is when you are all done, a keen sense of "I did it myself" accomplishment. And saving money.

This saga is now complete. That car is back together again but eventually I'm going to want someone to go in there and help clean up the mess. What mess exactly? Well I couldn't retrieve the broken 1/3rd end of my magnetic pick-up tool, 3 nuts, and my 4mm allen wrench. That's right, all that crap is still sitting in some unseen 996 body cavity because for the life of me I could not locate and pick up those items. But the hardtop is now on and the car is ready for a wash but with rain in the forecast we'll wait until tomorrow. Wow what an adventure but at least now I know for the next time

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That stuff in there would only bother me if it was rattling around while driving.

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Took it for a drive today and heard nothing. I imagine it's all hiding in a crease where the floorpan meets the body. Eventually I'll get around to retrieving it but for now I just wanted to get back on the road!

I am laughing at your Saga. I also left some stray pieces down in the dark abyss. After over a year, no rattles yet, so I am not sweating it. When I did a Front window regulator, I fished out a nut, and a socket from someone that worked on it in the past. So I suppose even the Pros do it....

Today my rear passenger window went down a little and wouldn’t come back up. I put it down a little bit more to see if it would come back up, now it’s stuck half was down. I park outside so I need to figure this out soon. I see that sending off the regulator is the most cost effective option. Can I manually keep the window up somehow while I wait for the regulator to be repaired? What can I troubleshoot to determine if it is actually the regulator? Is there any way to manually get the window up?

I would try to pull it up as someone is holding down the button. Worth a try.

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i was able to pull it up. It has a lot of slop in it. The regulator is not holding it in. I hear a lot of crunching. Pressing the up button pulls it down and pressing the down button pulls it down. I am guessing that the regulator is dead? At least I was able to pull it up, but it is by hand. I can easily push it down as well.

Option1: I came across a regulator repair kit on eBay for $99. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F361981553075 Option 2: The regulator rebuild is on sale for $180 on eBay with lifetime warranty. Looking on rhe regulator, and hearing the crunch, I assume that it simply needs the cables replaced. The regulator repair kit looks pretty easy diy if it’s just touting the cable and installing the new gears. I would rather not have to wait for mail and return... sounds like about a week in between. Has as anyone attempted a self-repair? What is your recommendation?

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My opinion is that you don�t know what�s wrong, so what if the DIY repair doesn�t solve the problem? I would send in the regulator to the AZ shop - not EBay, unless it�s the same shop. Chris is the guy that rebuilds these in AZ. He will make sure it�s totally fixed. Also, getting the regulator out and then back in isn�t easy, so you want to have it repaired and have the repair last, rather than going back in and doing it again later.

We now offer a rebuild service directly through Rennlist as a vendor for $149 + shipping. We also use metal parts to replace the cheap plastic parts that break.

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The one you rebuild for me is still going strong

Little window froze half way open. Read all the posts and how to articles which have necessary info but are not very clear, couldn't find any videos. A document I believe from Porsche makes no sense to me at all. Bentley manual mentions front regulator but completely omits rear one. Began with the top up but hard to work bent over, so opened top all the way but with the clamshell still open. Not sure if there is an advantage to having the top in a certain position. Panel came off ok, removed one nut from one of the two clamps that hold the glass which allowed the glass to rotate giving access to the two top nuts that hold the regulator in place. Removed the plug that allows access to the third bolt that holds the regulator, used a hex socket with long extension to back that bolt all the way out of the regulator which was now fully loose. Not sure if that lower bolt should be completely removed as I did it, or just loosened and then slid out of it's slot. Tried to slide the regulator up and out, but it's too wide . Had to loosen nuts that secure the convertible top mechanism, remove some clips and a link, and remove a ram (but left hydro lines installed), this allowed the assembly to be pried at strong metal where the seat belt mounts, and gave just enough room to wiggle the regulator out. There is a connector at the bottom with barely enough slack to reach it, and I had to squeeze the tabs hard and wiggle it for a while before it released. On the other side there is an exposed wheel that the cables run on, and the wheel is gone which apparently is my problem. But the wheels seems to have disappeared I don't see anything in the fender it is actually very clean. Monday I will see if the company in Arizona will rebuild the regulator, and it looks like they replace that wheel with a steel one. Didn't drop any nuts or tools yet, did an old aircraft mechanic trick tied a string to my ratchet in case it falls. For reassembly should the lower bolt be installed on the regulator and slid into the slot, or put in the slot and screwed into regulator after it is lowered into position? If it can be installed on regulator before install that should be easier because it might be hard to line up. Are there any adjustments to the glass after install? There is a dirt film that shows where the clamps were holding it, and as long as I don't clean the window I should be able to mount the glass just about exactly where it came off. Lots of these points and questions I mention I didn't see covered in previous posts.

yes there are three adjustment, the bottom attachment bolt if you look it is adjustable thru a hole once installed, also look right above where the window mounts and two adjustments screw there for forward rearward adjustment, do all before putting the card back on. best way is close the door with sheet of paper between fron window and rear glass and should take a slight pull to remove the paper, another Idea I use to install the unit in is biuld a wood wedge about 8 inchs long and is 1/4 in. thick at -one end to 2 in. thich at the other end. 2x4 works.... the-n you can put the wedge between the convertible frame up front by the seat belt attachment and spread to make it much easier to remove and install the regulator. the guys in Arizona does great work. [phone removed] -

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Thanks John that's useful information. The bottom attachment bolt looks like if screwed in or out would tilt the entire assembly, do you recommend attaching to the assembly before install and sliding into the slot, or lowering the assembly and then screwing in through the hole? If attaching before lowering that seems much easier because it may be difficult to line up to get bolt started when installed. I saw two adjustment screws behind glass and didn't really look at them yet, they didn't seem accessible when glass is installed and the assembly mounted. I'll look again after the assembly is repaired, and I'll ask the guys in Arizona if they have tips on install and adjustment.

I never removed the adjusting bolt from the frame, so yes install the bolt on the frame and install the asembly and then you can adjust threw the hole on the body. the two adjusting screw you will adjust while is all the way up and I used a 1/4 inch drive set to adjust.

Got the window lifter back from Power Window Repair in Phoenix AZ. It looks like three new parts; a metal wheel replacing the missing plastic one, a metal block replacing the plastic one, and a new cable. A little surprised the plastic drum wasn't replaced. To get it in position I pried the convertible top mechanism an alarming 1 1/2" or so outwards with a wood wedge, removed the glass and lowered the glass mount about half way down, had the bolt at the bottom installed on the lift and slid it into the slot, then after the three attaching points were loosely connected installed the glass. Oh and don't forget to connect the wire harness on the bottom before installing or you get to take it all out again! A big disadvantage of buying a new window lift is having to make the many adjustments which is daunting for someone not having done it before. Reusing my old regulator and the same glass I thought no adjustments would be needed. But upon install it was much taller than the door window, so the glass had to be taken back off and the two stops screwed down, then repeat about a half dozen times until windows were level. Because it was the same window lift and glass, and it didn't appear the repair company moved the window stops, I don't know why they needed to be adjusted but they did. And the Bentley manual says the jaws that hold the glass are tightened to 6 ft lbs.

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Thanks for the information! I repaired my rear 1/4 window regulator and put the glass back into the exact position as before. I realized afterwards that the glass is now not centered on the vinyl lip when fully closed. Is it just trial and error to get it back into position?