[napastar]

Just this afternoon having put the roof back up, the passenger window stopped half way up making exactly the same noise the drivers side made 6 months ago when the regulator failed. Fortunately this time I was able to coax the window back up and have sourced a new one from Mazda at half the price Fiat quoted and in stock rather than a 2 week wait with Fiat.

In conversation with Mazda's parts man, he confirmed that water ingress causes internal corrosion and results in regulator failure. My car is coming up to 7 years old, with both regulators failing within 6 months of each other. I had noticed the passenger window going slow over the last few weeks, so if you notice the same It may be worth changing the regulator (part costs £45 from Mazda) before it fails and leaves you with a window you can't close.

 

[CDPond]

Did he happen to mention how the water gets in there to begin with? I've heard of issues when folks got their side windows tinted, but does driving the vehicle in the rain allow water to seep inside the door somehow? Not trying to be argumentative, simply curious.

 

[mtnghost]

I think the above is a great question, if we can find the cause, then we might be able to find a solution. Maybe open up the motor case and seal it with rtv? Something like that.

 

[james.today]

I had some issues with my door locks that ended up being the key battery (I replaced it but it didn’t fix it - dealer replaced battery and voila).

I took my door panel off to remove my max-5 things window controller and noticed that the connectors had moisture in them. I think the plugs/connectors themselves may be the weak point.

 

[napastar]

To be honest there was no mention of how the water ingress happens, but I'm positive that its nothing to do with window tinting or work done that involves stripping the doors - my car has neither tinted windows or had the doors stripped. Aftermarket window tinting in the UK is fairly limited (we don't get that much sun ) with the majority that is done tending to be done by the kids - not your typical 124/MX5 owner. - I dont think I have ever seen a latest gen MX5 with tinted windows.

You could open up the regulator spool (its not the motor that's the issue) but the spool is under tension and if that tension is released ( which can easily happen) its a bitch of a job to re wind it with the correct tension. When I replaced the drivers side regulator a few months ago I opened the old spool to see what was going on and the cable inside had significant corrosion inside that had led to the cable fraying and eventually snapping. At the time I hoped that this was a one off, but clearly not

 

[CDPond]

Which still leaves the key question of how the moisture is getting in there to begin with. If you're able to have a conversation with the person who performed your repair and ask them how they believe it's happening that would be a worthwhile exercise, IMHO. Rationale being, if we end up trying to waterproof the components in the door as a solution, that's not addressing the root cause. Do the window seals leak? Are there drain holes in the bottom of the doors? If not, should there be?

 

[littletone101]

My passenger side failed at 22k and 4 1/2 years old. I got both from Mazda at the same time. My spool was also rusty and frayed, so when I fitted the new one, I greased the wire before fitting. Bit old school, but we will see.
Tony

 

[napastar]

When I replaced the drivers side a few months back I did exactly the same as Tony and greased the new cable so hopefully that one should last longer. The window rubbers do prevent rain on the window simply pouring internally through the doors but are not usually completely water tight as the windows wouldn't move freely, hence car doors tend to have drain holes at the bottom (Ive not checked for the presence of drain holes but I'd be amazed if the are not there). I think the likely cause is a lack of thought re the choice for the spools location . Mazda probably thought most cars would be summer cars. Not so great for those of us who use our 124s as daily drivers in the desert conditions we experience in the UK