Windshield Replacement Problems
 

Well, it was time to replace Vanilla's chipped windshield while it was still warm out, and before the rainy seasons started again and the failed chip repair started tearing up wipers.

I set up a replacement with the same folks who did a good job last time (Safelite), and they came out Monday to replace the windshield.

The result was totally unacceptable, and they will be re-doing it Thursday.

To give you an idea just how bad something as simple as an everyday windshield replacement can go, here are some pics and a couple videos from my Facebook page...

http://tijil.org/IMG_20120917_180915_284.jpg

http://tijil.org/IMG_20120917_180806_135.jpg

http://tijil.org/IMG_20120917_180638_049.jpg

http://tijil.org/IMG_20120917_180600_825.jpg

Videos:

https://www.facebook.com/v/491501104207048

https://www.facebook.com/v/491497550874070

Crap job.
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http://tijil.org/PSTOC_av.gif

Looks like they got it in too low. Aftermarket seal doesn't help either.

In too low, off to one side and spaced too far from the body - there's now a 3/8ths inch gap between windshield and headliner that was not there before.

While the aftermarket POS weatherseal certainly doesn't help, compond it with a really miserable, non-professional job that shows no craftsmanship, it's just plain a rotten job.

Hopefully it will be a different, highly experienced and very professionally competent installer here on Thursday. Sadly, whoever shows up is going to have be riding his butt to get the job done right.

One of the most important things will be to get the bare metal protected...

Installer should have the sealant to cover places where the paint has been removed.
I've seen a lot of Safelite glass and pretty sure you will never be 100% happy. Usually top corners are slightly off, you'll see it in how the weather seal sits there. But it is possible to do decent job for the money considering the factory glass is 3 times more expensive.
At this point you may want to watch them doing it: they gotta remove all adhesive and cover the scratches, get you warranty against leakage, etc.

The installer DID have the sealant (primer) to cover all the nicks and scrapes, and if he had actually used it well, and taken care to actually cover all the bare metal, I wouldn't be griping about that.

The glass itself is pretty good. No obvious distortions, curve and cut seems good, no different, really, from the last piece of PPG glass the stuck in. That piece, with a MUCH higher quality seal, slipped in perfectly, was aligned properly, and except for the printed DOT info in the corner looked little different from the factory installed glass.

I will be watching them, I will be pushing them to do it right, but I'm still at their mercy...

Hey Tomas

I thought you would go with the Fuyao glass again. I am SUPER happy with mine though it didnt have the tint strip but the install was awesome (thanks for the recommendation) ALSO it came with a gasket that fit PERFECT. They were going to give me an xyg but they went to the factory and got the FY. I was able to see the diff in thickness and quality when they were side by side in his truck and it was obvious. The clarity is great

The only problem I have now is the dreaded dash/ windshield rattle on the passenger side. Any TSB or info on that? I searched but nada

The best glass I've had in Vanilla actually was the Fuyao (I liked it better then the OEM).

I'm going to check with them and see if they will special the FYG.

I had mine replaced a couple weeks ago in order to pass inspection by Glaser Glass, couple of hours and it was done, the second hour to let it cure really. Came out great except for the top right corner where the seal has a kink in it sticking up. Been meaning to hit it with a heat gun to form it better but keep forgetting. They used a single piece seal so there will be no gaps as the plastic ages but . . . It needs to lie flat! It looks great with the same black paint spots on the edges. Mine cracked from a chip above the mirror over to the passenger side and straight down, didn't bother me or the wiper at all but they would not pass it. Glaser was a bit less expensive than Safelite.

^ hey Nice to know your still around too. You helped me out some back in 07 08 with some questions I had :biggrin:

Yup been busy with the electric scooter this year, the new Nexus 7 google tablet that I bought about a month and a half ago has been keeping me pretty busy too. Didn't have many things to work on with the xB so I haven't checked in until they sent me an email saying I have not been around much so I logged back in. Now I am dealing with an alignment issue where the rear view in the outside mirrors are pointing to the curb to the right, either my front end has loosened up or they never straighten my chassis out when I got hit several years ago and its been crabbing all these years.

Well, Andrew, you will be pleased to know that they did have the Fuyao glass in stock, so I requested they use that. :)

Vanilla is feeling all better now: A second (much more experienced) installer was out today to do the warranty re-install of her windshield. In addition to the problems I'd already noted, there were two points along the top of the badly installed windshield where it would have leaked massively. (Gaps in the sealant where it didn't even touch the glass.)

First installer took nearly two hours to make a mess, second took just over 30 minutes to do the job right!

He removed the excessive urethane crap the other installer slopped in, properly repaired the scrapes and such, and put in my first choice Fuyao glass. We agreed to go with a different sort of weatherseal which actually seals a bit better than the Toyota style. You'll see in the pics...

http://tijil.org/IMG_20120920_123312_487.jpg

http://tijil.org/IMG_20120920_123435_763.jpg

Vanilla is happy again. :biggrin:

Good for you Tomas

I see your in Washington (I use to live in Portland) and a good seal is a MUST up there

The seal you received looks better than mine and like a much better seal


Looks very good :biggrin:

That seal does look good but I'd be a little concerned about the roof gutter seal plastic going under it since that's a path for water to travel along and get into the windshield area.

That is a valid concern, but even the factory weather strip allows that as it only butts up against the uneven front of the roof gutter filler. (The roof gutter filler also is not watertight - it is there primarily for looks, to cover the seam.)

Both types of windshield weather seal provide a drainage channel BEHIND the seal down the side of the "A" pillar that dumps inside the fender.

NONE of the weather seals actually "seal" against water: They are there primarily to protect the edge of the glass and for looks. Really.

I had the same seal put in the last two times I had my windshield replaced. It's much better than the OEM style seal.
There are actually 2 different styles. One totally flat like pictured and one with a style ridge on it. Unfortunately, my installer (Safelite too, BTW) didn't have the ridged one this last time.

windshield Replacement
 

Hey guys my windshield got nailed by a rock on the highway
Safelite replaced mine in 10 minutes and was prefect
Sorry for your luck
Im sure they will fix for you
toolmanlan

Yes, Eric, they did fix the original crap job, and got everything done exactly right, including a different, non-stock weatherseal that greatly reduced the wind noise at freeway speeds!

http://tijil.org/vanilla_windshield_fix.jpg