Installing electric windows???

Toots

My sis in law has just bought a car 2nd hand and it has the rolly down type windows in the front, she has to swipe a pass every day to get into the car park in work and the windows are annoying her, so she wants to get electric ones put in. Is this even possible?? Would it not be horribly expensive????

Guy:Incognito

I've seen a couple of old micras retrofitted withelectrics. A box is put on the bar that you would normally wind. Havnt a clue where to get it done mind.

colm_mcm

they used to be available in Maplin, they don't do them any more. I've retro fitted electric windows and central locking. it's pretty easy.

Spal are about the best brand out there.

Cmar-Ireland

If the car is available with electric windows (higher spec model or whatever) then a fairly easy way to do it is to replace the manual regulator with the electric one. Wiring can be a bit of a pain though.
I've done this to two cars and it looked like a factory finish job when finished.

Anan1

You mean she has to wind the window down manually every single day?

Seriously though, unless she's into tinkering with cars, i'd advise doing nothing and putting the money saved towards her next car.

maidhc

I have a car with wind up windows, It is much quicker to open and close than with electric windows. A tiny bit of exercise isn't the worst either.

TheDriver

This has to be a joke, winding down a window is annoying??????????????????

Toots

Lol, no I think it's trying to wind it back up when it's pissing rain and trying to hold the ticket in her mouth while driving the car in before the barrier goes back down that's her beef!! So it is possible to do it then, I must let her know! Cheers for the replies!

Run_to_da_hills

Electric windows are deadly if you crash your car into a river or off a pier (This Happens on the news regularly).If the car goes under water the electrics will short out and your electric windows will be useless, the air pressure is too great to open the doors from inside, eventually you and your passengers will all drown. With wind up windows you can open the windows and let the preasure equalise and escape more easily.

colm_mcm

electric windows will generally work for a few minutes after the car is submerged.

Run_to_da_hills

colm_mcm wrote: »

electric windows will generally work for a few minutes after the car is submerged.

A couple of minutes is no good if you are knocked out or trapped for the first three. I would advise anyone owning a car with electric windows to carry a slagging hammer under the seat, these are less than e10 in any hardware. ie the type used on public transport to break glass.

Guy:Incognito

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

A couple of minutes is no good if you are knocked out or trapped for the first three. I would advise anyone owning a car with electric windows to carry a slagging hammer under the seat, these are less than e10 in any hardware. ie the type used on public transport to break glass.

I developed my own foolproof method of not driving along piers.

colm_mcm

would you need one hammer for each window? you'll also need blades to cut the seatbelts if you're upside down.

Do you have figures on the number of cars that fall into rivers/lakes in this country? I wouldn't say that many do.

(not triviallising someone drowning in their car, just can't see it being a major risk)

Anan1

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

I would advise anyone owning a car with electric windows to carry a slagging hammer under the seat, these are less than e10 in any hardware. ie the type used on public transport to break glass.

No offence, but that is insane advice. What do you think would happen in the case of a hard frontal impact?

Run_to_da_hills

Anan1 wrote: »

No offence, but that is insane advice. What do you think would happen in the case of a hard frontal impact?

More than likely you would be dead anyway in a hard frontal impact and recieved injuries and ended up in the canal afterwards. There may be some chance you or a passenger getting out alive if he had his belt on.

colm_mcm wrote: »

would you need one hammer for each window? you'll also need blades to cut the seatbelts if you're upside down.

Do you have figures on the number of cars that fall into rivers/lakes in this country? I wouldn't say that many do.

(not triviallising someone drowning in their car, just can't see it being a major risk)

Those three that were drowned in Co Cork on the 1st of march didn't think that they would end up that way or the 7 that drowned in the Panda that sank in the canal back in 1991. These accidents happen all the tiime, flash floods, cars careering off main roads, piers, along canals rivers etc etc.

colm_mcm

there are far bigger risks to motorists than falling into rivers. A first aid kit or fire extinguisher would be more likely to be needed IMO

not wishing to make light of it, but 7 people in a Ritmo (which I'd say had manual windows) wouldn't be the safest thing in or out of water.

Run_to_da_hills

colm_mcm wrote: »

there are far bigger risks to motorists than falling into rivers. A first aid kit or fire extinguisher would be more likely to be needed IMO

I carry all three and it should be made manditory. Im sure it is in other countries. If one came on the sceen of an accident these tools come in handy.

Steve

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

ie the type used on public transport to break glass.

Public transport used to be a great source of these for the car smash and grabbers. Don't see them missing much nowadays - the market must be saturated*.


*excuse the pun

Run_to_da_hills

stevec wrote: »

Public transport used to be a great source of these for the car smash and grabbers. Don't see them missing much nowadays - the market must be saturated*.


*excuse the pun

Not in Ireland much, still see them in the UK trains and underground. The drivers here would have access to them.

I thought these guys used the automatic centre punches or rocks to smash and grab :eek:

Gary ITR

colm_mcm wrote: »

not wishing to make light of it, but 7 people in a Ritmo (which I'd say had manual windows) wouldn't be the safest thing in or out of water.

Worse again it was actually a feckin Panda. They had just won a fairly large sum on the lotto and had been drinking all day. Terrible sad

colm_mcm

That's unbelievable.

Steve

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Not in Ireland much, still see them in the UK trains and underground. The drivers here would have access to them.

I thought these guys used the automatic centre punches or rocks to smash and grab :eek:

Don't they still have them in BGUs on dart's / trains?

Run_to_da_hills

stevec wrote: »

Don't they still have them in BGUs on dart's / trains?

Probably now since there is security cams installed on them now.

I ment to mention, you will never find the hammer that I illustrated in any public transport because if you look closely it is an "Eastwing" these are at least e50 in Dublin.

colm_mcm

they are also a lot more dangerous than the little ones they have on the trains!

Run_to_da_hills

colm_mcm wrote: »

they are also a lot more dangerous than the little ones they have on the trains!

The ones on trains are made for kids

colm_mcm

yeah, kids on trains are annyoing. a hammer could be useful alright.

Steve

colm_mcm wrote: »

they are also a lot more dangerous than the little ones they have on the trains!

I don't think that you'd get away with the excuse that it was an essential piece of safety equipment if caught with one in the car...

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

The ones on trains are made for kids

just as effective at smashing glass though.


To veer ever so slightly back towards topic - I don't have one in the car but certainly remember hiring a car in some obscure country (maybe the USA or canada) where it was standard kit to have a break glass hammer and a seatbelt knife at hand in case of an emergency landing in a river.