A1 Electric Automotive Accessories Power Window Kit

[7/18/2006] Reviewed by: C. Michael Taylor

Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.6 liter 1.8 liter

A1 Electric Automotive Accessories Power Window Kit

I installed this kit as a replacement for the factory power windows on my '95 Merlot Mica as I was getting tired of cleaning the less than satisfactory OEM switches and cleaning and lubricating the window guide tracks. It seems like each time I undertook the task of trying to make the power windows last "just a little bit longer" was becoming more and more frequent. All in all it was a pretty simple installation and ended up with a few extra bolts as usual but as it turns out this time I was supposed to. It took me around five hours or so to install but I was going very slow as I had never had any experiance with installing something of this nature. The instructions left alot to be desired as it consisted of not much more than one photocopied photograph of the inside of the door with the interior panel removed. The illustration had arrows pointing to all the hardware that needed to be removed to uninstall the OEM regulators and motors. I must admit however that once the n! ew regulators and switches were installed and hooked up the windows operated the way they should have when the car was new. From what I hear and read the power windows on the NA's leave much to be desired even when the cars were new. With the help of a dremel tool and a small file I was able to utilize the orignal mouting location and when everything was said and done the switches looked not much different the OEM except these appear to be much more durable and should last quite a long time. Another feature with the switch kit is it is lighted so it looks pretty good at night. The lighting color is red which worked out rather well for me as I have changed almost all interior instrumentation and control lighting to red. I did cut a corner when it came to wiring the kit up as I used the existing wiring in the factory harness for power, ground and the wiring running from the switches to the doors. All it took was clipping the OEM wires at the orignal switch and at the regulator! s. I then crimped on the provided connectors to the new switc! hes and soldered on the replacement connectors at the doors. Those even had a very nicely designed rubber moisture resistant boot that may save some problems down the road after being exposed to the elements that find there way into the inside of the door.

All in all a good experiance and took a little longer than it should have as I was a little itimidated taking on the task as I had never done anything of this nature before. Although the instructions are nothing to brag about a quick call to the vendor was all that was needed to get me on the "right track" so to speak. When ordered there was a free shipping offer for any orders over $230. I would imagine shipping from CA to WV would have cost at least $15 - $20. The kit cost $209.95 and I elected to go with a two door illuminated switch kit that cost $39.95 so shipping was free. Since I guessed the shipping on the power window kit alone would have been close to $20 I actually got the switch kit for half with what was saved in shipping. I am more than please with the outcome and the courteous, informative service when ordering and very, very prompt shipping. After shopping around there are quite a few companies offering these kits in various configuations and all different! prices but I don't think any of them would be any better than the A1 Electric kit and I also found them to be very competitive price wise. If you are looking to add or replace the power windows in your Miata I highly reccomend you contact this company before deciding on a purchase. http://www.a1electric.com/index.htm

Over 30 minutes to remove completely


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