Window whiners

Early-1970s television wizard Catweazle called it ‘elektrickery’ and the Mentor’s windows were dogged by some sorcery back in the early Spring, when ALL FOUR decided to stop working.

To be harsh but fair, the Mentor’s window operations have always been seriously hit and miss, the wire-travelling demons deciding on an almost daily basis which one will work, and which won’t.

A trip to the elec-tec genius not far from Special HQ was made with high hopes. Our boffin was certain he’d get all four working and yes, on the way to the Aladdin’s Cave of car-repairing tools the rears started working – and still do. Not so the front ones, necessitating the removal of the door panels to access motors and wiring.

On the front passenger door some disassembly and cleaning got it working and it’s now working better than ever. Not quite so impressive was the way the previous ‘specialist’ managed to break the door panel clips.

These were all replaced and the internal door handle and window replaced properly, not in the way it had been left.

On the driver’s side disassembly and putting-back together seemed to cure the trick, and it did. For 24 hours. On a run up the M4 the window lowered and raised perfectly: on our return trip it didn’t. Our specialist told us the motor was just about at the end of its life, wear and tear getting to it.

The sole solution was to find a replacement and, unbelievably, a same-age Kia Mentor was advertised on eBay, being broken. There’s was no trying to chip the price and as this is written the motor’s on its way to Special HQ.

With the rear window motors checked, lubricated (and the window rubbers also subjected to a small dose of silicone), fingers crossed for a quartet of windows doing what Kia intended. Otherwise, to paraphrase once again, Catweazle, ‘nothing works.’