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One of the plastic rocker switches on my master power window controller was broken preventing the driver from being able to close that window, this is on a 2011 Passat B7 (part number 3C8959857). To replace it, the dealer spares desk quoted me $170 and a generic VW spares mob quoted me $75. Option 3 was a $12 unit off ebay with free delivery from China.
I decided to give the ebay knock off unit a try first with the intention of scavenging just the plastic rocker switch off it and swapping it onto the OEM controller. Here's what I found:
The OEM unit is on the left, the ebay knock off is on the right (apologies for some of the up close gunk found on my old unit
). Dimensions are the same, the plug socket is the same and the quality looks pretty similar. The decals for the lock window is a slightly different design and the chrome plastic tips on the rocker switches are a little different. The chroming on the ebay unit is a little rough compared to the OEM, but it's not a show stopper.
Under the rocker switch is a different story. The OEM uses a more complex setup for the microswitch actuation, the red pins have small springs behind them to keep pressure on the rocker switch which gives it more of a precise feel. Under the rocker switch is also different mouldings so I can't swap it in, it's the whole master controller or nothing.
Final install with the ebay knock off unit. In my opinion it looks fine, the feel of the switches is really quite good, you can feel the notch between half way and full up or down it's just not quite as distinct as the OEM unit. Apart from that, the illumination works fine and the window lockout button also works and illuminates when pressed. Overall, I'm quite happy with the $12 unit. If it fails on me or deteriorates in the near future I'll let you know.
I decided to give the ebay knock off unit a try first with the intention of scavenging just the plastic rocker switch off it and swapping it onto the OEM controller. Here's what I found:
The OEM unit is on the left, the ebay knock off is on the right (apologies for some of the up close gunk found on my old unit
). Dimensions are the same, the plug socket is the same and the quality looks pretty similar. The decals for the lock window is a slightly different design and the chrome plastic tips on the rocker switches are a little different. The chroming on the ebay unit is a little rough compared to the OEM, but it's not a show stopper.Under the rocker switch is a different story. The OEM uses a more complex setup for the microswitch actuation, the red pins have small springs behind them to keep pressure on the rocker switch which gives it more of a precise feel. Under the rocker switch is also different mouldings so I can't swap it in, it's the whole master controller or nothing.
Final install with the ebay knock off unit. In my opinion it looks fine, the feel of the switches is really quite good, you can feel the notch between half way and full up or down it's just not quite as distinct as the OEM unit. Apart from that, the illumination works fine and the window lockout button also works and illuminates when pressed. Overall, I'm quite happy with the $12 unit. If it fails on me or deteriorates in the near future I'll let you know.
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