Rear Window Replacement on E30 4 door

It's been a while since I last posted but I need y'alls help on today's E30 crisis. My 87 325 4 door got broken into at work, and the perps entered it by breaking out the rearmost window on the driver side rear door....the little window at the very back which doesn't go up or down. The Bentley manual sort of describes how to take it out, but I was wondering if anybody out there had ever changed out just that very rear piece of glass. I guess I am looking to see if there is anything the Bentley manual really doesn't cover, and if I don't need to remove the front window on the rear door, do I have to take it off the regulator to get the rear piece of glass out. This weekend is probably going to be a pick your part adventure since my glass guy says the broken part on my car is hard to come by new.

Thanks in advance

Doug S

Done it 4 times. It is pretty easy. Disconnect the rear snap latch. Move the driver's seat belt out of the way. Pop out the circle at where the trim panel meets the black trim for the bottom mount. Remove the coat hook to access the upper bolt. Once you have removed the circle and the coat hook (might take a bit of tugging, don't be scared), you will see 2 small bolts. Carefully remove these (might want to use some masking tape in the socket to jam the nut, if they get loose, they get lost-or loosen them and then grab them with a hemostat and unscrew and remove them). After the 2 mounting bolts are removed, the window comes right out.

HTH

alan

Thanks Alan

I found several used windows on line yesterday, they all were $25-30 plus shipping so I just went ahead and ordered one from the one place on the west coast that was still open at 5:30 PM. My local BMW independent shop encouraged me to give it a shot, and told me if I couldn't figure it out they could install it pretty quick. I'm standing by for my window, my 325 is covered with a car cover to hide the ugly hole, and I'll report back when I achieve success, whether its the result of my actions, or my local shop.
Thanks

Doug S

OK, its done and it wasn't that bad at all. I had the trusty Bentley manual out and pretty much followed it - roll the front roll up window down, remove the door panel and inner trim strip, remove the outer trim strip, remove the two bolts that hold up the metal piece that separates the roll up window and the fixed window on the rear door. At that point I deviated, you don't need to do anything with the front window. You do need to gently pry out the window channel that fits inside that metal piece and goes across the top of the door. Once you do that the metal piece moves around a whole bunch. My used window came with the seal, and it looked better than the seal from my broken window, so I just left it on. I used a bunch of Windex to lubricate the seal on the rear window and kind of guided it into place. I slid the metal piece back into place, slipped the window channel back into place, rolled the front roll up window up and down a half dozen times to get everything to seat OK, and then put it all back together.

Its a two beer job max, although I had three because I debated a while whether to use the seal that came with the new used window or put the old one back on. Looks good and I'm happy.

May all your E30 repairs go as well.

Doug S

Great. I apologize, I gave you instructions for a 2 door not a 4 door model. Glad it all worked out.

alan

Thanks for sharing how it went. It is useful to know in case any of us have to do it.