Auto Glass: window wont go back up, silicone lubricant, lubricant spray

Question
QUESTION:
Hey Ben! I have an 02 kia Optima LX Sedan and my driver's side window is slow to go up once I have it half way up. After its half way up it seems to go up just fine. Do you have any info for this and could you tell me the best way to fix the problem. Thanks in advance!


ANSWER: Hi Dustin,

The good news is that I have not seen a lot of problems with the Kia Optima.

I suggest you purchase a can of "silicone" spray lubricant.  Cheap is as good as expensive so your best value will probably be a "big box" like Lowe's or Home Depot.  Just be sure not to use anything but silicone.

Roll your window down and then spray the lubricant into the front and rear rubber channels that the glass slides up into when you raise the window.  Use the silicone liberally so it flows down the channels inside the door.  Now roll your window up and down once and repeat the lubrication process.

I am betting your window will work normally again after lubrication.  If it doesn't, send me a follow up and I will give you some additional suggestions based on your response.

Good Luck!

Ben .... the power window guy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION:
Hi Ben, I tried what you said and applied the silicone lubricant spray to my window and it worked perfectly! Thank you very much for that tip. I forgot to ask you one more question, my passenger side rear window goes down when I am in the drivers seat and push the button but when I want it to go back up I have to push the button on the actual window in the back seat.
Any suggestions? Thank you again.

Answer
Hi Dustin,

Glad to hear that the silicone spray solved the problem on your driver's door window.

As for the right rear window issue, I believe the fault is probably in the master window switch.  However, it always pays to verify the actual problem before purchasing any parts.

Any decent mechanic should be able to determine the cause of your switch problem quickly (15 minutes) since I think that you can access both the master switch and the switch on the right rear door without removing the door panels.  On the other hand, a new master switch can some times be quite expensive.  You will have to decide whether you can live with the inconvenience or live without the cash.

Ben .... the power window guy