Window does not drop when door is open

[wemo3]

Hi everyone I need your help please,
My passenger window does not drop when I open the door (not every time, only once in a while). I had the dealer look at it last week when the convertible top hyd. motor was being replaced and my service manager said it needed to be re-programed (which they did).
Last night when my wife got home I went to help her carry items in from the car (first time I have opened the passenger door since the day we picked it up from the dealer last Friday and it was working) and the window did not drop as it should when I opened the door, I closed it and tried it again, but still the same thing, not dropping. I put a little pressure (pushing down on the top of the window) while the door was open and it dropped, I then closed the door and it did not raise. Open and closed the door again and it still did not raise. I used the window control button to lower and raise the window and now it worked like it is supposed to (lowers when the door is opened and goes back up when you close the door.
Has anyone else had this kind of problem and what was causing it??? Its going back into the dealer, but if anyone else has had this problem I might be able to help them correct the situation as we live over thirty five miles from the dealer and really do not enjoy driving there for the fun of it.... (unless of course a new car is in the near future, which it isn't )
Thanks in advance for any help!!!!
Bill

[Doctor Wha]

I have good news for you. In addition to being one of THE most frequently-asked questions with these cars, 99% of the time, it's also one of the easiest "problems" to fix.

Basically, BMW's power windows have a "position memory," which tells them where the window should be in the opening & closing sequence. Sometimes, if that sequence is interrupted, or if the battery is disconnected, or even for no apparent reason at all, they can simply "forget" where they are, and need to be re-set. This happend from time to time in my MINI, but since the window action in the Z4 is tied to the top opening & closing, it seems to be a bit more prone to occasional confusion.

But the good news continues! Barring some major mechanical malfunction, this is usually nothing that requires a trip to any dealer, nor anything more than about 30 seconds of your own time. Here's how easy it is:


- Sit in the car, and put the key in position 1, so you have power to the windows.

- Push and hold down the window switch, and keep it held down for 5 seconds after the window is all the way down. This re-sets the memory, telling the motor, in effect, "Remember where we are now? Good."

- Roll window back up, and release switch.

- Open door. Marvel at the downward motion of the window. Repeat on other side, if you like.


And an optional additional step:

- Brag to wife about how you "re-programmed" your Z4's windows. Make it sound highly technical, and terribly difficult.


Good luck,
DW

[ginz111]

Great tip DW!!!
This should be in the DIY section.

[Doctor Wha]

[firegabe]

Great tip DW!!!
This should be in the DIY section.

Ditto!! great advice! thanks.

[wemo3]

Guy's thank you very much for all your help!!!
D. W. Is this the same reset procedure on all years and models of BMW's with electric windows??
Thanks again for your help and sorry it took so long for me to respond as I did not have access to a computer until now...

[Doctor Wha]

Guy's thank you very much for all your help!!!
D. W. Is this the same reset procedure on all years and models of BMW's with electric windows??

As far as I know firsthand, it works in Z4s & MINIs. The windows of the E36 & E46 we've had were surrounded by metal door frames, so the windows didn't/don't need to drop. Just by extrapolation, however, it wouldn't make very much sense for BMW to design one reset procedure for only two models, and have different methods for others, especially when this one is so simple and direct.

So I guess the answer would be "I don't know, but I'd expect so."

Thanks again for your help and sorry it took so long for me to respond as I did not have access to a computer until now...

You're quite welcome! Glad to help.

[wemo3]

As far as I know firsthand, it works in Z4s & MINIs. The windows of the E36 & E46 we've had were surrounded by metal door frames, so the windows didn't/don't need to drop. Just by extrapolation, however, it wouldn't make very much sense for BMW to design one reset procedure for only two models, and have different methods for others, especially when this one is so simple and direct.

So I guess the answer would be "I don't know, but I'd expect so."


You're quite welcome! Glad to help.

Thanks again for your help and it would make sense that they would use the same method.
My E36 (1998 323is, I really miss this car!!) before the Z4 did also have the windows drop, but they were not surrounded by metal.

[cgeorgeiv]

Glad to know im not the only one with that problem. Thanks for the post.

[Ashler]

Thanks for the instructions Doctor Wha. worked like a charm on my E92 LCI, great stuff.

Cheers.

[Phishman]

I have to do this about once a week. Is that normal? It's kind of a pain.

[driley05]

What do you recommend if this does not fix the problem?

[Chamberlin]

What do you recommend if this does not fix the problem?

Maybe checking your battery or just buying a new one....that fixes a lot of electronic probs...

[Shipkiller]

Several different procedures. One will work. https://web.archive.org/web/20120701...rocedures.html