It can be quite annoying if your car window won’t stay up, especially if you are driving in the rain or snow. If you encounter this problem suddenly while on the road, you need to have a temporary fix until you get home or until you can fix it permanently. Regardless of whether the window system is powered mechanically or electrically, the temporary fixes to make them stay up are more or less the same.
The temporary fix for car window that won’t stay up are using a wedge, vice grips, duct tape, etc. Besides, you can also use suction cups, slam the door, or use square dowels to keep the window up.
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6 Temporary Fixes For Car Window That Won’t Stay Up
You might be wondering why anyone would go for temporary fixes and not fix their car windows permanently. These are all quick fixes and will prevent accidents while driving with faulty windows. Please don’t try out these fixes while you’re still driving. The right way to do this is: First, slow down your car, pull over to a side of the street, stop the car, and then proceed with the temporary fix.
Note: Keep in mind that these are all quick and temporary fixes and won’t last long. You cannot leave your car as it is with the temporary fix. Instead, take it to a technician to fix the windows permanently or you can also try to do that on your own.
Given below are some of the most efficient temporary fixes you can try out when your car window won’t stay up. These won’t solve the window issue, but the faulty window will stay up while driving.
1. Use a Wedge
Find something around you that can hold your car’s window up like a wedge. For example, a wedge can be placed between the inside of the car door’s window sill and the glass car window. This should help in preventing the window from falling.
2. Place Vice-Grip Between Door Frame And Window
Your car’s toolset might contain a vice grip. This can be used to keep and secure the faulty window up. So, grab your vice grip from the car’s toolbox and place it between the door frame’s inside and the car’s window. This method of using a vice grip should be enough to keep the window up.
3. Tape The Window Edges With Duct Tape
Get your hands on a roll of duct tape and tape the window edges to the corresponding window frame. The tape should make the window stay up and also provide sealing against water if it’s raining outside. Another way to keep the window up is to tape the window frame’s edge entirely when the car window is in up position. If that’s not enough, then try the same technique with a stronger tape such as adhesive tape.
4. Hold The Windows With Suction Cups
Suction cups can also help you hold the car window up. Grab some suction cups that come with handles or metal hooks. Then, stick them to the lower area of your car window. We recommend getting cups with handles because the handles will keep the car window from falling.
5. Use Square Dowels
You can get some square dowels at any nearby hardware store. Simply place them in between the car door’s inside and the glass window’s bottom. The dowels, then, should be able to hold the car window in place and once they do, apply some silicone gel to the top and the bottom edges of your car window so that it stays in place.
6. Slam the Car Door
This method requires you to follow a couple of steps. Find them listed here:
- Turn on the car’s ignition and make sure it is in the accessory position. This is supposed to turn on the radio and get the windows rolling up except the one that doesn’t stay up.
- Now, press and keep holding the defective window’s switch either in up or in close position. Ensure that you press the switch for close position only and not something else.
- While executing the second step, open and then slam the car door close. Then, check if the window can be rolled upwards and downwards or not. If it doesn’t then repeat the procedure a few more times. You need to keep the close button pressed to have the window working fine.
Checkout our article on key turns but won’t unlock car door.
Why Are Your Car Windows Not Staying Up?
Your car could have either of the two types of windows: power or manual. Both, work according to the same principle but consist of different components. So, there are several possibilities as to why they might be falling instead of staying up. Let’s understand why:
Manual Windows
The manual car windows usually come with hand cranks. Other than that, mechanical regulators are also involved in lowering and raising the windows. The gears of the regulators can wear off and the regulators might get stuck if the lubricant is dried out or if the lubrication is not enough. This can lead to the regulator getting deformed when you apply force to raise or lower the windows. As a result, the regulator is not able to keep the window up anymore.
Power Windows
The power windows employ reversible electric motors. If you have such windows, they are powered by electric regulators responsible for lowering and raising them. Certain wirings will also connect the entire system with the switches that are required to allow and stop the supply of electric power. So, if the electric regulators responsible for the working of your car window get stuck, then the motors involved in the procedure can also fail along with the switches, resulting in the car window not staying up.
Final Thoughts
We have listed down several temporary fixes for a car window that won’t stay up. There are permanent fixes as well, but they are time-consuming and involve several steps. If you face this problem while already on the road, it’s better to resort to a temporary fix that will do the job of holding up the window in the meantime.
