Poor window design?

[RJS5689]

Well I dont know if anyone else thinks this, but it's a pretty dumb design. Every other frameless window car I have been in will drop the window a little when the door is opened and shut it again when the door is closed. This is done not only to get a better seal, but to prevent the window from BREAKING when slammed back into place. Why would Subaru leave this little feature out? Also, when its cold my doors FREEZE shut to the point where its damn near impossible to open them. I'm pretty sure its the moisture that collects because the windows are frameless and get a very poor seal! I can clearly see ice/moisture buildup back there in the mornings after its been wet from snow/rain and then refrozen. Oh, and my trunk freezes to the point it wont open either. Such a poor design!

[mikesae]

On top of that I get a whistling wind noise on the driver's side only!

[fonts]

I live in the FAAAAARRRRR north. I always leave my drivers' side window open just a crack.

 

Never have issues with the window/door freezing nor the windows fogging.

[franklin]

Your not allowed to be critical of any Subaru design. Its cant be a poor design , its a Subaru.

[GULLABLE0NE]

i haven't noticed any issues with sealing out moisture. i personally hate the frameless idea but I wasn't gonna buy a different car just because of that. I do notice a little more road noise coming from the frameless window when compared to other cars i've owned with framed windows.

[PhilT]

Lubricate the seals to prevent freezing and to get a better seal.

[tito_b0y]

What kind of lubricant?

[addison]

Ky

[Richard B.]

On top of that I get a whistling wind noise on the driver's side only!

 

 

clean the seal all the way around and clean the window.

[oog61]

Another window design flaw is that if you are driving and you roll down the driver's side window all the way, you get such a continuous inrush of air at your head that your left eardrum damn near gets blown out. The problem is minimized by also rolling down the drivers side rear window about halfway, but they should have thought of this. Maybe they have corrected this since 2006 but I kind of doubt it.

[kjiz]

Another window design flaw is that if you are driving and you roll down the driver's side window all the way, you get such a continuous inrush of air at your head that your left eardrum damn near gets blown out. The problem is minimized by also rolling down the drivers side rear window about halfway, but they should have thought of this. Maybe they have corrected this since 2006 but I kind of doubt it.

 

I thought all cars were like that???

[Whatisit]

What kind of lubricant?

 

silicon spray lubricant. You can use it to lube your door locks, rubber weather stripping, and even your wiper blades. its moisturizes the rubber, but doesnt leave a greasy mess behind.

 

http://www.made-in-china.com/image/2f0j00PGtEbiTcVpjZM/Silicone-Lubricant.jpg

[OhBe1]

Ditto opn silicone spray - provides a non-stick coating.

Also, I'd recommend the JDM side visors.

[franklin]

Another window design flaw is that if you are driving and you roll down the driver's side window all the way, you get such a continuous inrush of air at your head that your left eardrum damn near gets blown out. The problem is minimized by also rolling down the drivers side rear window about halfway, but they should have thought of this. Maybe they have corrected this since 2006 but I kind of doubt it.

See reply #4:rolleyes:

[fishbone]

I personally kinda laughed at the design of my friend's cabrio bimmer that has the auto up/down feature. Soon as he touches the door handle, the window goes down 2 inches. Close the door, goes back up. Seems like a lot of playing around with the mechanism, something I'd personally like to avoid since they, well, fail.

I think the Subaru solution is rather elegant, the window seems to be on a spring system, or at least pushes against the body of the car somehow. So when you open the door the window pushes in and comes out from under the trim. When you close it, the pressure applied makes the window seal nicely and also tuck up under the weather stripping. I have zero issues with my windows. I also had some sticking issues which were quickly solved by cleaning the rubber trim and applying some silicone lubricant, something that I believe is mentioned in the user manual even.

No complaints here. I like Subaru's design. Simple, efficient, no electronics involved. Some call it spartan. I call it smart.

[ehsnils]

What I would have liked was that the kept the frameless windows and provided a remote for open/close of the driver's window. That would have been great in tight parking spots.

[John M]

Meanwhile, the underlying mechanics of the power windows are the most stout design I've seen. While everybody else fusses with fancy regulators, cables, and other things that are just waiting to break, Subaru directly actuates a crescent gear with the motor. The worst thing you'll ever have to do is replace the motor which is pretty simple. Contrast that with steel cables, plastic gears, tensioners, and other nonsense that are found in other cars.

[05GT Guru]

Never had the doors freeze shut. I drive with my window open most of the time, pretty much down to 20 and i havent experienced more wind hitting my head than anyother 4 door car.

[GTTuner]

Another window design flaw is that if you are driving and you roll down the driver's side window all the way, you get such a continuous inrush of air at your head that your left eardrum damn near gets blown out. The problem is minimized by also rolling down the drivers side rear window about halfway, but they should have thought of this. Maybe they have corrected this since 2006 but I kind of doubt it.

 

crack the LR window an inch and this will stop.

[987687]

I like the Subaru windows, they make it really easy to break in... My outback used to lock me out all the time, and with a carefully bent cloths hanger breaking in was extremely easy

I like the rimless windows though. The only problem is that in the summer when I'm in someone's car with rimmed windows, and the windows are down I tend to hit my face on the rim

[RJS5689]

I like the Subaru windows, they make it really easy to break in... My outback used to lock me out all the time, and with a carefully bent cloths hanger breaking in was extremely easy

I like the rimless windows though. The only problem is that in the summer when I'm in someone's car with rimmed windows, and the windows are down I tend to hit my face on the rim

Did that real bad in my buddies car over the summer. It hurts...

[mrmako]

+1 with the silicone lube..... This will also keep the strip pliable.

[magnus617]

I like the Subaru windows, they make it really easy to break in... My outback used to lock me out all the time, and with a carefully bent cloths hanger breaking in was extremely easy

I like the rimless windows though. The only problem is that in the summer when I'm in someone's car with rimmed windows, and the windows are down I tend to hit my face on the rim

i actually split my eyebrow open once on our old jeep because i wasn't used to frames on the windows. blood everywhere, good times had by all!!!

[mikesae]

Cool, will try the silicone lube and report back.

[Siper2]

I never had problems with sticking, but yeah you need to care for the rubber seals, just like anything else. I always used a little Vinylex on my old RS, and they looked fine for being 8 1/2 years old, living in three Snow Belt states.

 

 

I also agree that Subaru's design is simple but effective. It's kind of the unofficial company motto.