How Can Drivers Tell If a Window Problem Is the Glass or the Regulator?

Summary:

Mike offers a few simple tests to tell whether a window problem is the glass or the regulator. Start by pressing the window button. If you hear a weird noise or a crunching sound, it is typically the regulator. If nothing at all happens, that could be a switch problem where the window is not getting power. Sometimes a regulator fails and the window simply drops down into the door. In that case the glass is out of sight but is still in the door and perfectly fine. Giving the door a little shake can help tell the difference: you can usually hear whether there is broken glass rattling inside or whether the intact glass has just fallen down.

Answer:

A lot of times, as far as how you figure out whether you have a glass issue or a regulator issue, you hit the button on the window. If you hear a weird noise, a weird crunching sound, it is typically going to be your regulator. If you get nothing at all, that could be a switch scenario, where you are not getting power to anything. Sometimes a regulator can fail and your window just falls down into the actual door. So your glass is gone from view, but it is in there and it is still perfectly fine. Nothing is broken; it just dropped. So if you give your door a little shake, you can typically tell if you have broken glass in there or if your glass has just fallen down. Broken glass rattles around like a bunch of small pieces. A whole piece that has dropped sounds and feels different. Those few checks will usually point you toward whether it is the glass or the regulator.