STUPID A$$ side windows...

[NeoConMan]

Okay, new guy here with a question that has likely been covered before.

With a dead battery, the door will still open as the window pops out from under the weatherstrip.
Okay, fine.

Now I want to close the door.
Now what?

How do you get the window back inside the weatherstrip so the car can be locked up and secured until the dead battery issue is resolved?

I've heard all kinds of lame guesses but nothing concrete - even from the dealers.
It's great how the wind noise is dramatically reduced (I've had lotsa old cars over the years) but what do you do when the car must be left unattended until repairs are made?

One friend of mine bought an early one and had all sorts of "window syncronization" issues that Ford never really solved.
More electrical problems forced him to unload the car at a loss, he tells me not to buy a 2009 or 2010 GT for my wife.



Now, as I chose to file that issue away and the wife and I were looking at 2009 GT's last week we found one equipped the way we like on the lot.
The sales guy tries to unlock it with the key fob - no luck.
Hmmm.....

So, he checks the number is correct on the car, and sticks the key in the door.
It unlocks, and he pulls the door open - realizing too late that the window was still all the way up.

Damn, this should be good.
I'll get to see how the professionals handle this.
He reached thru and unlocked the passenger side, so I opened that door too.
Now I get to really look this over.....

The salesman says "Wait here, I'll go get a battery."
I asked him how to close the door, he says it's impossible.
I tell him that's not what I want to hear.


Sorry, I'm not sure I want to own a car that cannot be locked up securely.

What's the trick?

This is the ONLY thing keeping me from buying one of these cars.
Is it really as stupid as it looks?

 

[mustangdave]

Just shut the door; its that simple. The window will pop back in the weatherstrip, no problem. I know this because in the snow the other morning my windows were frozen in the full up position and I was still able to open and shut the door with no problem. I was worried about this too, but it is not a concern.

 

[NeoConMan]

Really?
Yeah, I kinda tried to push it closed and it felt like something bad was gonna happen.

Weather was warm too, so the weatherstrip was soft and pliable.

Maybe I should go experiment on some more cas at the dealership....

 

[rugedraw]

Just shutting the door won't work when what the OP is talking about happens. I know the trick is to hold down or up the window buttons for a few seconds, but I'm not exactly sure. The manual that comes with the car explains it in detail.

I think you should find another dealer. Or instead of talking to the salesmen, bypass them and go talk to the techs. They are the ones that deal with the cars and will offer you better guidance that the commission-seeking salesman.

 

[NeoConMan]

Yeah, good advice.

The thing I'm hung up on is the fact my wife will be driving the car.
We work 60 miles apart so when she calls me and says "The battery is dead, I'm in the 'hood of Phoenix, it's raining like crazy and I can't close the door" I want to be able to explain to her what she has to do to get the door closed.
Am I gonna have to keep a spare battery in the car and hope there's no fuse blown?

Thinking long term, anybody ever have a window motor die on them?
I've had trouble with the electric windows in almost every vehicle I've ever owned, but I also keep mine more that 36 months.

The whole idea of longevity and service costs keep me stirred up.

 

[RookieOne]

Yeah, good advice.

The thing I'm hung up on is the fact my wife will be driving the car.
We work 60 miles apart so when she calls me and says "The battery is dead, I'm in the 'hood of Phoenix, it's raining like crazy and I can't close the door" I want to be able to explain to her what she has to do to get the door closed.
Am I gonna have to keep a spare battery in the car and hope there's no fuse blown?

Thinking long term, anybody ever have a window motor die on them?
I've had trouble with the electric windows in almost every vehicle I've ever owned, but I also keep mine more that 36 months.

The whole idea of longevity and service costs keep me stirred up.

I've never had a battery go so dead that it won't drive the majority of the electronics. I don't know for certain on the newer mustangs, but I'd bet the windows will function fine well after the battery gets low enough to stop starting the vehicle.

Honestly? I wouldn't worry about it so much. If it's really a concern, just make sure you service the battery (if required) and keep a good brand name cell in there. I've had many a friends that have had battery problems with the AZ heat, but typically they are all running dirt cheap batteries, and not quality ones. I've been down here for nearly a decade...most of that with my 2000 GT, and when I finally got rid of that earlier in the year, it was still kicking on the stock battery.

 

[bigcat]

there will not be any issues with opening and closing the door with the window all the way up. i have had a few dead batteries from lack of driving time to charge the battery, and have never had any issues. the latest was last sunday, with temps in the 20s.

 

[mustangdave]

As Bigcat and I said: just shut the damned door..no problem. Shut it normally, don't puusyfoot around; it will be fine.

 

[mrv8outboard]

Just close the door. This has happened a few times to me. battery dead twice from extended non use and the windows freezing and not going down. Just close the door.

 

[NeoConMan]

If it's really a concern, just make sure you service the battery (if required) and keep a good brand name cell in there. I've had many a friends that have had battery problems with the AZ heat, but typically they are all running dirt cheap batteries, and not quality ones.

Thanks guys.
R One, I run usually Optimas, just put a Diehard Platinum AGM in my Suburban last year.

I talked to a very knowledgeable guy (says he) at Sunset Ford this evening.
He said the same thing, just close the door.
Use the shoe horn trick if needed to get the window to pop back in, don't mash a fingertip.

I was really hoping there was some super-duper secret handshake or decoder ring.
No joy.

Okay, fine.

Also found out that the factory wheel/tire will fit in the spare storage so I can buy a 5th wheel/tire to rotate thru.
I'll be throwing the donut spare off a bridge into the Hassayampa River....

 

[walter]

That's littering. I't'll net you at least a $2000 fine.

 

[NeoConMan]

That's littering. I't'll net you at least a $2000 fine.

Hah!
Littering?

Yeah, I lived in Houston for 15 years. I KNOW what litter looks like!

My ex-wife is in Alvin.
If you run into her, back up and run into her again!


$500 here in Arizona.
The humorous part any locals would get is that the Hassayampa has water in it maybe 10 days a year.
The rest of the time, it's a haven for dirt bikes, quads, Jeeps and buggies.
The drop from the I-10 bridge is about 10 feet - down to the dry sand.

A good spare would be grabbed up in about 15 minutes....

 

[The Fang]

If the windows become unprogrammed then they will NOT drop or rise as expected. this has happened twice and it was painful when I opened the door and realised what was going on. Reprogram em and then they were fine.

 

[UrbanRedneck]

I have had my windows frozen before, and like others said just open and close it, the window will pop in. European cars have done this for decades and you never hear about it, and they are electrically about as reliable as an underwater toaster.

Also, like was said above it is very rare for a battery to be dead enough to not be capable of operating windows. That being said, it isn't something you should ever have to worry about. Teach your wife to turn the headlights and domelight off when she parks, and get your battery tested once and a while, don't ignore them when they say it needs replacement (I can't even count the number of people that have declined when I reccomend a battery, only to come on the hook a week later), and you'll be fine. And when the time comes for a new battery, buy a GOOD one, like OE Motorcraft, Deka, etc. Not junk like die hard or wallmart brand.

Plus, the Mustang comes with roadside assisnance. I'm sure she'll be ok untill the towtruck comes.

 

[shelby69]

The window drop is to create a better (quieter) seal. It has been common place in high-end Euro cars for many years (MB, Audi, BMW, etc). It makes the car nicer inside (especially in convert).

 

[NeoConMan]

Yeah Shelby, I understand the concept.
I had a 66 Mustang for over 20 years, I know what rattle and wind noise is all about.

I still maintain that it's a stupid f-ing idea borne of styling excess and unsound engineering.
Just put a damned frame around the glass to strenthen the door/window asembly!


I really don't care HOW they did it Europe...

 

[UrbanRedneck]

A framed door wouldn't look right for this style of car.

 

[NastyStang113]

A framed door wouldn't look right for this style of car.

It'd look like **** ... This car is essentially a fastback. I really wouldn't call the piece of chrome trim around the top of the windows on the 65+ Mustangs a door frame ..