Haynes' World is a regular feature that takes a look at what the staff at Haynes are doing with their vehicles. This time, Rob's been trying to speed up his parents’ glacial power windows.
Car: 2000 Honda CR-V
Owner: Rob Keenan's parents
When I visited my parents recently they asked me to look at the electric windows on their Mk1 Honda CR-V.
As with most other tall-bodied SUVs, the CR-V has a lot of glass acreage, so the motors and regulators have a lot of heavy lifting to do.
My folks' car is getting on a bit, having covered around 150,000 miles in its near-25 years. Inevitably, some parts are showing their age more than others, both front windows having slowed to a glacial pace in recent months.
How much to change a window regulator?
I’ve replaced window motors and regulators on previous cars and know all too well that it's best to go down the OEM route when renewing these assemblies because aftermarket kits don't stand the test of time.
The trouble is, whichever option you go for, the parts bill can run into hundreds of dollars per window. So with that in mind, I wanted to see if I could take some of the strain off those motors and speed them up a little, hopefully prolonging their life in the process.
I bought a can of WD-40's silicone spray lubricant. Other brands are available, although I needed a can with a 'straw' applicator attached (but not one of those detachable straws that seem to go AWOL after the first time you use them), so I could precisely direct the liquid into the runners.
With the spray applied, it took a few raisings and lowerings of both front windows for the lubricant to start taking effect, but the motors are less strained now and I'm optimistic that the mechanisms will last a good while yet.