Power Window Master Control Switch Dead?

My wife was in the car this afternoon and said she smelled burning coming from the driver’s door panel. Then the windows all stopped working, as did the sunroof and the electric mirrors.

I can’t see any obvious burn/melt damage to the unit. When I press the window control, the driver’s window makes a clicking sound (over and over).

When I took off the unit, the other windows still wouldn’t go down or up. I know in some other brands if the Master Control had gone, taking it out will allow you to run the other windows independantly. Not with this bad boy.

C@lvin » You have the classic symptoms for this high failure item. There is a circuit breaker that trips the whole switch. If the window is stuck down, you may be able to wait a minute or turn the key off and back on and then get it to go back up, but don’t try to lower it again until you get it fixed. Caution, if you remove the master switch, the gas filler door won’t open from the other switch lower in the door.

There is a thread somewhere that describes a fix for the master window switch by building up the plastic slide with super glue. The copper contact arm rubs on the slide to control the motor and the plastic just gets a hole or groove worn into it.

I fiddled with mine for several weeks before giving up and buying a replacement. I was lucky enough to find one at a pick n pull for $25. If I’d had to pay the going price ($50-$75) for a used one, I’d probably buy a new one instead.

If you want genuine Volvo – call DW Volvo in Tennessee for the best price. You can find a new aftermarket switch for less at www.switchdoctor.net but I couldn’t find anyone on MVS who had any experience with them.

You may be able to prolong the switch’s life by taking it apart and cleaning the contacts but it will only be temparary fix.

ronanfeely » Back … and with working windows.

When the wife was away in the car the father-in-law removed the relay. Put a new one in and hey presto … it works.

Now, the relay I got from Napa Car Parts isn’t flush with the others so I may have to go to Volvo to get a new flush one but at least I got the windows to roll up.