Jean_Bruce!
Did your windows fail, with screeching grinding noises etc?
What led you to getting both mechanisms replaced.
Ofiaich!
hi there
yes it was sounding gritty and grinding. I thought it was dirt. Then one day the window didnt go up and then there was a loud pop in the driver door. the passenger one was also sounding just as bad. had to drive home in the rain with window open 
Glad it’s fixed! I bought a spare for the passenger and driver’s doors now stored in a dry place!
Now time to enjoy the Yorkshire countryside with the roof down!
Ofiaich!
It makes you wonder are the ND’s particularly vulnerable to this problem ? I’ve never heard or read any problems with the NC I’ve had to replace both regulators on my daily driver (VW Polo). Drivers side 18 months ago (used more often) and passenger side about 5 months ago, Both are a real ball ache to do.
The window drops around half an inch every time it is opened and goes up again when it’s closed. When my passenger side regulator went it was the area of the cable that runs around the top nylon pulley. I would say it’s the continued back and forth motion around the pulley that’s the problem.
Earlier on in this thread I did a trawl online to try to locate any regulator assemblies. Needless to say I couldn’t find any but I do like a challenge.
What I did find was stainless steel cable advertised as being suitable for repairing damaged regulators. The sales pitch was along the lines of ‘why replace your regulator with another that will probably fail again’. Suggestion was that stainless steel cable is more resilient and longer lasting than the standard cable used in regulators.
Has anyone tried repairing one of these?
Hi Roadie,
I showed my mechanic that information and he said repairing was not as easy as suggested. He had not tried on MX-5’s but had on other cars with poor results.
Ofiaich!
At around £40 each for new regulators then paying a mechanic’s labour certainly wouldn’t seem worthwhile.
If you like a challenge though it would be interesting to have a go as you could end up with a better than new replacement.
Hi Roadie!
I would love to watch someone repair one of these! My mechanic is excellent but I wouldn’t know where to start!
Ofiaich
These are basically non serviceable items, tho’ someone will happily sell you cables with the ‘make it better than new’ promise. The steel parts are usually pressed together and it’ll take more expertise than many of us have to make a successful repair. Buy new, replace, move on.
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If you have the time could you let us all look at the other side of the unit please as it would be interesting to see how the cable is secured.
Hi Mad_Malc,
I posted pictures of both sides of the regulator in my two posts. I think the cable is secured in the black housing.
Ofiaich
Sorry, blind as a bat!!! Picture one and three clearly show how the cable is attached, nipples, must try harder!!!
Thank you.
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I will admit to opening an old slightly kn*ckered Mk1 non-electric regulator to look if it was repairable.
It was some time ago but I do seem to remember I was greeted by greasy tangled cables, springs and other bits and pieces that once they had launched themselves out of the housing didn’t appear to offer any indication of how they should go back.
My repair suggestion was probably more of a challenge than a suggestion.
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It certainly looks like you could rethread it if you had the correct diameter wire and the correct size nipples. It looks like the tension is taken up on the drive cog and secured under that tension with the cable tie. Presumably it is a little bit like the drive shaft donuts on the Lotus Elan, you do not cut the tie wrap till it is secured in place!
If mine do fail I will buy new ones as the price makes it a ‘no brainer’,------ but I would certainly play with the broken bits as that is what proper men do!!!
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