2001 Impala - drivers window slow to roll up

[thefatkid13]

it has progressively gotten worse. sometimes it will roll up immediately when i hit the button. sometimes it pauses for a second and then rolls up.. sometimes it pauses, then stops and starts all the way to the top. and others it won't budge an inch.

with the onset of winter it's becoming a problem.

i'm not mechanically inclined so it won't be fixed by me. what i'm wondering is what i should expect to pay for a repair (ballpark).

any help is appreciated.

thanks!

[crazy Jim]

its probably the window motor, if so it should only take an hour or so for an experienced mech to replace thus parts and labor would only be a coupla hundred U$. If they take it apart and discover its not the motor but a poor ground or something similar it will depend on how long it takes to track it down but in all likelyhood it still should be not too much. Go to and automotive parts web site and look up the price of a window motor and then double it and add seventyfive bones and hour for labor and you should get close.

[thefatkid13]

Originally Posted by crazy Jim

its probably the window motor, if so it should only take an hour or so for an experienced mech to replace thus parts and labor would only be a coupla hundred U$. If they take it apart and discover its not the motor but a poor ground or something similar it will depend on how long it takes to track it down but in all likelyhood it still should be not too much. Go to and automotive parts web site and look up the price of a window motor and then double it and add seventyfive bones and hour for labor and you should get close.

thanks!

i've got to haul my car in to get a cracked gasket fixed since it'll already be there i'd like to get the window fixed.

the cost might push it back another month or so though.

[thefatkid13]

dealer just quoted me $411 over the phone. "worst case scenario" price.


had my car in there a few months back, they checked it over and quoted me a price that was several hundred more (for several repairs) than the mechanic i wound up taking it to.

that the case here again? i found the likely part online. it costs $75 bucks. labor, if i recall, is around $55/hr at my mechanic. even if they double the cost of the part would it still take 5 hours to install this thing?????????????

[crazy Jim]

I can get get the door panel off my car in less then ten minutes and I dont do it for a living. On my Grand Am, which I am sure is very similar to the Imp, I took a coupla bolts out of the motor and removed it in about two minutes. So one hour should be all it could possibly take to swap out the motors. That is if they determine thats what it is. may have to allow another hour to trouble shoot the wiring/relays to eliminate them as the culprit.

[thefatkid13]

in doing some checking around some people have mentioned the possibility that it's the switch that's giving out.

i.e., the wiring to the button that powers the window up and down is breaking down.

which would be a much cheaper option.. and a definite DIY job.

the only way to find out however is to actually purchase a new (or used) switch and install it.

[crazy Jim]

if you suspect the switch, simply bypass it and power the motor directly.

door switches are generally exposed to more moisture which causes the switch contacts to corrode. Unfortuntely modern day switches are very difficult disassemble to allow cleaning and reassembly..