A dropped or dead E36 window is nearly always the regulator, not the motor — the plastic guide clips that hold the glass to the cable mechanism are the known failure point, and when they snap the glass falls into the door or hangs at an angle while the motor still whirs.
- Motor runs but the glass doesn't move (or moves crookedly) → the regulator
- Nothing happens at all and the motor is silent → check the switch, wiring and motor first
Getting in: remove the door panel (screws behind the trim caps, the handle and armrest fasteners), lift the panel up and off its top rail, and unclip the vapour barrier carefully so it can reseal Interior Common Faults. The regulator unbolts from the door and comes out through the access holes; the motor usually transfers to the new regulator. Complete regulator-plus-motor assemblies are cheap and save the fiddle of separating them.
After fitting, reinitialise the one-touch/anti-trap function: with the door shut, raise the glass fully and hold the switch up for a few seconds past the top, then hold it down past the bottom, to teach the module the new end stops.