tales from the 2005 gmc canyon: driver's side electric window crapola

This morning @ 10am I will be visiting a glass shop to (hopefully) fix the wonky issues happening with my driver's side electric window.

The wonky issue is this: Starting around 6 months ago (at around 58,000-ish miles) the electric window would periodically not work - but only after the glass had been rolled down about 1/4 of the way. Being that it fixed itself I didn't really worry much about it.

A few days ago it became a real problem. The window would have a really hard time rolling down and the switch would absolutely stop working unless I nudged the glass myself. Then it would "catch" and roll again.

After researching it on the 'net I found that my particular issue is minor and that the window regulator just needs a cleaning. This should (hopefully) clear up the problem. And I'm praying that the regulator isn't shot.

The reason I say it's minor is because the power door locks and keyless entry still work without issue on that door. In all other instances I've read, everything electric stops working on the driver's side.. so I breathe a small sigh of relief there.

In addition, my regulator still works. In fact it works normally rolling up. It's only rolling down that it gets all wonked out.

(Update: Window repaired, see bottom of this post)

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On an unrelated note, here are the pros and cons of driving a truck in metro Florida.

Pro: Size matters. If you drive a larger vehicle, people get out of your way.

Con: Size matters. Makes for parking a challenge in certain areas.

Pro: Ground clearance. VERY big deal. Good for speed "humps" (as they call them), dipped parking entrances/exits, tight curbs (just run over them), etc. You also have better visibility.

Con: Wide turning radius. U-turns are sometimes simply not possible with a 4x4 pickup. In Tampa that's a serious drawback.

Pro: Pickup bed, the ultimate trunk. 🙂

Con: Even though I have an extended cab truck, sometimes I wish I had a covered trunk space.

Pro: Lower insurance rates (on pickups).

Con: Higher cost for other stuff, like tires.

Pro: Good utility.

Con: The utility comes at the expense of ride quality.

Eh, I'm sure there are more pros and cons but those are the ones I could think of. 🙂

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Update:

I just got back from the window place. The electric motor was shot and had to be replaced. Total cost: $196.

Yeah I really didn't need this expense right now, however I had to get it done because if the window ever got stuck in the open position this would leave my vehicle open for theft.

On the bright side, at least it was just the motor and not the entire regulator. If I had to get that whole assembly replaced that would have been big-time bucks.