Appendix “D”: fixing up/down window switches

Appendix "D"

Switch number 964.613,621,00 is slightly different from the older model 911 switches. They have pin connectors for a dedicated wire plug, unlike the older cars

that had generic paddle spade connections on the switch's back. For this reason, the replacement switches are considerably more expensive.
In most cases, the pivot on one side of the rocker paddle shears off causing the switch to malfunction.
Many of the aftermarket replacement switches are of much lower quality and some are even of different inferior construction than the originals.
It turns out you can; 

• Pry the switch out of the front of the door card;
• Unplug it from the wiring harness using care to not let the wire fall back into the door; 
• Pry off the switch bezel frame from the front of the original OE switch body and gain access to the paddle handle;
• Drill a hole halfway through the paddle at the missing pivot point and; 
• Insert a nylon rod in the hole to recreate the pivot.

I got the nylon rod from an Edible Arrangements basket where it is used to hold the fruit in place. Some use a clipped section from a finishing nail, others get fancy and drill and tap the rocker and use a headless set screw threded into the side of the rocker to replace the pivot.

Whatever one uses as a pin to replace the pivot point the hole should be of a small enough diameter that the pin fits snuggly into the hole. 

• The internal electrical rockers are only exposed to wear from electrical use on one side. When reassembling the switch they can be reversed bringing the unused contacts into use.
• Once the internals are back in place snap the bezel back on the switch;
• Plug the wiring harness back onto the back of the switch;
• Press the switch back into the door card.

I give this repair a solid two on the one to ten scale of difficulty.

Seeing that the original switches can last fifteen years or longer vs. the aftermarket switches that seem to last just a few years in some cases the above fix should last a long time!

Many cars have already had their original switches replaced. An original factory or equivalent switch is imprinted with the Porsche part number on it or it disassembles by removing the front bezel.

How to tell the good quality rebuildable switch from the inferior ones:

The inferior designed switch above on the left has body latch holes on the sides that when released open the switch housing by removing the housing's floor with the wiring harness connections. The vastly more durable style on the right is the original design where the switch is opened by prying off the bezel from the front of the switch housing. These original style switches are the ones worth repairing and once repaired should continue to function for many years.

If the switch removed from your car is disassembled from the back leaving the bezel in place it is an inexpensive inferior design that has durability & functional issues beyond the broken rocker pivot and is probably not worth repairing. If you chose to replace the switch and the replacement cost about $20 it is the inferior switch. The OE design switch usually costs between $50 to $60 dollars and is manufactured in Germany. See below: