How Much Should I Expect to Pay For a Power Window Repair?
Fixing an automotive power window is very common and it’s not cheap. Believe it or not, in most cases you are not getting ripped off. The labor takes several hours, and if your mechanic installs an OEM part (Original Equipment Manufactured from the original company – Chevrolet, Honda, etc.), the parts are very expensive.
Before we jump into why our shop can repair a power window for so little, let’s discuss why it typically costs so much everywhere else! A standard power window repair at a general automotive shop can cost between $400 – $600 depending on the vehicle. Most shops will opt to install a new window regulator and motor assembly even if the motor is fine. Why is that? It will actually cost the shop more time in labor to remove the old motor from the broken regulator, than it would just installing a brand-new window regulator assembly (regulator plus motor). On top of that, a dealership is a very large business with lots of overhead. More employees, bigger buildings, higher electricity costs, higher rent, all of these mean that the price you pay goes up. Someone’s got to pay that air conditioning bill!
OUR shop’s average power window repair price is around $200. How do we do this? A few key factors:
- We SPECIALIZE: Since ALL we do is specialize in car doors, we are in and out of over 3500 door panels a year, whereas your typical mechanic will have done 50. We’ve become experts in removing door panels quickly and safely and installing most power window regulator assemblies in under 30 minutes. Eliminating 3.5 hours worth of labor charges to our customers is how we help the save money.
- We RECYCLE: The parts we have are recycled, rebuilt and strengthened OEM parts. However, we add a super special spin on the rebuild. We install our METAL power window parts, replacing the brittle plastic parts we know to break. This fact allows us to offer a lifetime warranty on our parts.
Although the average power window repair at our shop is around $200, there are a number of makes and models that will cost much more than that. On our higher priced repairs, we will still beat your typical repair shop by about 40%, but there is a reason we charge more on certain vehicles. Let’s take a deeper look why…
Why Are Some Repairs More Expensive Than The Average?
All vehicles are different. Every price is dependent on the age of the vehicle, the parts that are needed and the design of the door.
Most of the time a standard window repair will take our technicians approximately 30 minutes to complete, however, depending on the vehicle and nature of the repair it can take up to 6 hours to complete a more labor intensive job.
Factors That Make Labor More Difficult
Here are a few things that will drive up the cost of a window repair:
1. RIVETS
Some older vehicles have window regulators that are riveted to the door. The only way to get the part out is by drilling each rivet out with a power drill. The process can add an entire hour to a 30-minute repair.
2. DANGEROUS SPRING-LOADED REGULATORS
Some window regulators are spring loaded, which means that if you are not careful when removing the part, it can collapse abruptly and causing extreme damage to your hands. If you’re really unlucky, it could cut off one of your fingers.
3. CASSETTE REGULATORS
On some European vehicles like Audi’s or Volvo’s they have what’s known as a “cassette regulator”. The entire window is in a casing that must be pulled out of the door (similar to a cassette tape in a boombox) before it can even be serviced. A cassette regulator can add up to 3 hours to a window repair.
4. OLDER VEHICLES
The older the vehicle, the more delicate and brittle the door panels are. With age we must be very careful when pulling anything apart. Things tend to break more easily on older vehicles and added precaution requires more time.
The list could go on and on, but you get the idea. Many different variables factor into added labor for window repairs.