Not sure if this has been covered before:
For those of us with LS window regulators that are failing (but not yet totally broken), there is a UK company (Osco Ltd.) on E-Bay that sells the plastic runner clips separately for $20 per door (2 per door - and they are slightly different in shape). These plastic runner clips are the weak point in the system and are the cause of failure in 90% of cases. You can tell (on a front door at least) if your clips are compromised and about to fail if you hear a creaking noise when you wind the window all the way closed. IF YOU CATCH IT NOW and install the new clips before the old ones break completely, you can avoid replacing the entire regulator assembly. Typically you will find that the old clips will more or less disintregate as they are removed. I noticed that the new ones from Osco are a slightly different color, so maybe the composition of the plastic material itself has been changed/improved.
The actual replacement process for the clips is a little fiddly, but not that difficult. It is certainly no more difficult than replacing an entire regulator assembly, as the clips can be replaced without taking the entire regulator unit out of the door. I just finished my front passenger door this evening in the dark , with my son holding a flashlight!
For those of us with LS window regulators that are failing (but not yet totally broken), there is a UK company (Osco Ltd.) on E-Bay that sells the plastic runner clips separately for $20 per door (2 per door - and they are slightly different in shape). These plastic runner clips are the weak point in the system and are the cause of failure in 90% of cases. You can tell (on a front door at least) if your clips are compromised and about to fail if you hear a creaking noise when you wind the window all the way closed. IF YOU CATCH IT NOW and install the new clips before the old ones break completely, you can avoid replacing the entire regulator assembly. Typically you will find that the old clips will more or less disintregate as they are removed. I noticed that the new ones from Osco are a slightly different color, so maybe the composition of the plastic material itself has been changed/improved.
The actual replacement process for the clips is a little fiddly, but not that difficult. It is certainly no more difficult than replacing an entire regulator assembly, as the clips can be replaced without taking the entire regulator unit out of the door. I just finished my front passenger door this evening in the dark , with my son holding a flashlight!