Due to high requests of instructions for a window regulator, i went ahead and did my neighbors S4's regulator and took pics when i did it. So its pretty self explainitory with the pics.

You will need:
T25 torx
T27 torx
T35 torx
Small extention
philips screw driver
bone tool, or window stripping tool. You can use a wood ruler, or flat head screwdriver too.

First remove the trim along the upper portion of the door panel to expose four philips screws. Now look under the door handle and you will see a little plastic hatch, pry this up to expose two more philips screws. Remove these and the large black philips screw at the bottom of the door panel. Now its gonna take one hell of a tug to get the panel off, pry the panel off starting from the bottom get both hands under there and pull with just about all your might. You will break a few door clips, but there is so many damn bolts holding on the panel that it really doesn't matter. You can replace them if you want.
Now that thats off, take the three bolts out of the the window motor and set that aside. Push the plastic guides (blue) that the window motor sits on back into the door panel. Now remove the "factory" duct tape at the top of the panel, you won't need this again, you can re-use it if you want to. You must cut away the foam panel, but DO NOT RIP IT!!!! This foam panel serves as a sealant for the door chasm, if you rip it and get into an accident the airbag in the door might not deploy. You can see there is a little extra duct tape going down the center of the panel from a previous rip in the pic below, good old dealer techs...
Now that thats removed, take out the speaker by removing the three T25 torx bolts. There is another small screw for the regulator you must take out, remove it along with the other one off to the left. Now you have to unbolt the door carrier, see the white pic below for the bolt locations. Un-bolt the mirror housing and let it hang by the wiring harness. Slip the upper window molding off the door, as seen in the pic below, and let it hang. Now you should be able to pull the entire window frame up, but you will be caught on the mirror wiring harness, there are a few clips you have to remove that holds the harness to the window carrier. I usually just yank it straight upwards and break the damn things. Now that the carrier is out all that is left is to remove the glass, and unbolt the regulator. Install in reverse order. When putting the door back in, make sure to close the door and check the fitment before putting the door panel back on. If its not correct, loosen the carrier and adjust it until it sits fllush against the body.

 

I give you mega props for this DIY. This is one of the top questions the forum sees. Thanks for the great work! I hate the way they engineered these regulators.

 

Yup, thats why i put it up here.

 

tnx for this instructional..it helped me much with my long time damaged window regulator..

 

What is the easiest way to remove the door trim parts? Just use a screwdriver to pop it off?

I have a 2004 A4 1.8T 6 speed Quattro that I bought used....2 weeks out from the dealer, the passenger window went down, up, down, up and then down for good. All the while it was making "crunchy" noises. The regulator sounds like it is still running, it sounds more like the lift mechanism than the regulator. Im pretty sure I can DIY the door with the GREAT help of this site. (In high school I took my RX7 apart and put it back together again, pre-www era!)


Thanks!

 

After taking the door apart, I have discovered that it is the "bowden cable" and not the regulator! Only $16.95 at the parts department! Any pics or diagrams on that portion of the door?

 

Its not worth it bro, look at the regulator. Its all plastic, if you just replace the cable one of the plastic clips or rollers will break a few weeks later, then you have to do it all over again. Just replace the entire assembly.

 

Just to be clear....the actual regulator is the mechanism that is attached to the glass? The blue plastic part on the inside of the door (literally inside the door) is the regulator? I just want to be sure that I order the right parts.

I know I will have to get the "bowden cable" for sure since it was all kinked up around the spooling mechanism. Or is that part of the regulator as well?

Any help you can provide is MUCH appreciated!

 

where can i get a the kit to do the replacement. besides going to the sealer sorry dealer. i need a front passenger and a front driver side.

 

www.ecstuning.com

Example for a B6 A4 if you couldn't find it. http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B6_A4-...terior/Window/