So the formidable Mrs Fuster has this little red BMW with a little more than 100,000 mi. on the clock. It has accumulated a laundry list of broken this and thats which amount to nagging aggravation at best. The problem with cars like this is that while they are fun to drive, maintenance is costly and when compared to overall value, are usually not worth the sacrifice.
A perfect example is the passenger window. It stopped working a few months ago. I have had experience with these things before and power windows are all basically the same configuration. Today I decided that I would finally fix the window. There are no words to describe how unprepared I was to summit this hurdle.
Upon disassembly I discovered that the window motor and regulator are fastened together by recessed screws. Unfortunately for me they were inaccessable from their presentation while mounted to the door frame. The regulator and motor would have to be removed as a unit and then separated to examine the condition of the gears and their mesh pattern. No big deal in any of the other brands I've ever serviced, but BMW FREAKING RIVETS the entire mechanism to the door frame with impossibly large hardened rivets. I was daunted since I wasn't sure that the gear mesh was actually the problem.
After an hour of loathing denial and procrastination I determined that I had to drill out the rivets. One hour and two close calls later, the regulator unit was out. I'll be right back...