Strange Window drop door issue.

Hi I am having an issue where my driver side door window drops when I open the door handle (both inside and outside) but returns to the fully up positions as soon as I let go of the handle. Not the usual thing where the window stays lowered the 1/2 inch until the door is closed again. I replaced both inner and outer door micro switches. Has this happened to any of y�all?

The lock mechanism also has a micro switch which will cause this issue when it fails. Need to replace the entire lock assembly.

^ +1, need the door latch assembly

+2 on door lock mechanism. We had the same issue. It's the microswitch in the door assembly. Easier to just replace the whole lock assembly.

Another for door latch mechanism. Curious, does it do the same thing for both outer and inner door handles?

You can confirm it by opening the door and manually closing/opening the latch. (Also a good way to test it before putting it all back together). On your 'working' side, the window will go up that last bit when you force the latch closed, and drop/stay when you open it. On the non-working side, the window pays no attention to the latch position. From experience, the real Porsche parts are easier to deal with than getting the right VW part, and don't close the door when the latch is manually closed .

Pelican Parts technical articles will guide you. https://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/996_tech.htm

Thank you all. So helpful!

Just remember, in the end, replacing the door latch mechanism is a two person job.. One person up to the point where you need to reinsert the door handle and keep the lock pin in alignment inside the door. That is *nearly* impossible with only one person.

definitely doable by yourself...second set of hands wouldn't hurt I guess

Quotes source post: 17465038

Yep. I did it myself. Wear thin gloves if you can. There are lots of sharp edges on the sheet metal inside the door.

I have the VW version of the lock that I bought a few years ago when I I was going to replace mine but I found I did not need to. I did some research and I think it will work for a much lower price. If you want to try it I will send it to you if you pay for the shipping. Then if it works we will all know and I will leave it up to you if you want to pay for the loc. These were used on VWs, Audi’s and possibly other cars too. I will get the part number and some pictures and post them in the morning.

There is a good how-to for this job: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...-detailed.html

I know this topic has been beaten to death, however I have a follow-on question. I just replaced the driver's side regulator on my '02 C4S. It was making a horrible cable grinding noise while going up and down. All the other functions were fine. I purchased the replacement from Pelican Parts and installed it with the instructions on their website, which were fantastic, by the way. The replacement regulator went in without a hitch, no issues. But, upon re-assembly, now I have the same issue mentioned in this post... when I open the driver's side door with either the outer or inner handle, the window drops. But raises back up when the door handle is released. It is not hitting the trim piece on the body though, it barely clears it. I did disconnect the battery before I did the teardown/re-install to avoid any issues with the airbag. Could I have messed up the memory of the window up/down location when I disconnected the battery? Would that have contributed to any issue? I followed the instructions in the Owner's Manual about resetting the upper/lower points after a battery disconnect... raising the window up, then hitting the button a second time to set the upper point. So the passenger side window behaves fine. But the driver's side where I replaced the regulator is not behaving. Could the micro-switches on both the outer and inner handle go bad at the exact same time from me messing with it, or are they connected? Thank you for your thoughts.

Try this - push the window up button and then continue to hold the up button for 10 seconds. Do the same for down, push the down button and once the window is down continue to hold the button for 10 seconds.

DBJoe996's instructions cover the reset up the up and down positions. It sounds as if you have a latch issue though. There's about eleventy hundred switches in the latch, one senses whether or not you are pulling on a handle and retracts the window. A different one reports on the latch open/closed status, keeping the window down when unlatched so the glass doesn't hit when you close the door. To check it -- open the door, then manually (a screwdriver works nicely) close the part of the latch that clamps around the striker plate. Note -- DO NOT TRY TO CLOSE THE DOOR WITH IT IN THAT POSITION . When all is working as it should, as you close the latch the window will pop up to the fully closed position. Open it with the handle and the window will retract. If that switch is cranky, there won't be any action.

What Joe said, do. Otherwise, my comment is only about the switches. There are more than 2 micro switches. There are 7, total, in each door. Yeah. Wow, check this out: http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=73194

Thanks for the suggestions. So I opened the door, the window retracts slightly, I let go of the handle (either inside or outside) and the window goes up. When I hold the handle "open" and the window is retracted, I do the screwdriver test and the window does not go up the rest of the way. Also too... now the "airbag failure" light comes on after about 30 seconds of turning on the ignition. How do I get rid of that signal? Thanks, Steve

Did you disconnect the battery prior to disconnecting the side air bag? If not the airbag light will come on. You need Durametric or the Porsche PIWIS to clear the airbag code/error. I don't know if a Foxwell OBDII reader will clear the airbag light.

Yes, I disconnected the battery first, then the airbag. I read that in the Pelican parts instructions.

I know this topic has taken a lot of detours. I successfully replaced the driver's side regulator and lock mechanism with parts from Pelican Parts. Good quality, and they dropped right in place. I followed the instructions/suggestions and disconnected the battery before doing anything. After everything was put back in place, I re-connected the battery and got the Airbag Failure light. See pic below. I hooked up my OBDII reader, thinking I could simply clear it. However, the reader says there are no warnings in memory, or to clear. The airbag connector is pretty simple with only two terminals. So I'm pretty confident it is re-connected properly. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks in advance, Steve

When I took my door apart the same airbag message popped up once all was reinstalled. It went away after a few weeks of driving.

Nice! That's good to know. Thank you for that. Steve