DIY windshield replacement?

[shoebear]

Colorado has lots of sand and rocks on the highway, and I drive my Jetta 30K/year. As a result, my windshield gets pitted pretty fast, and I could use a new one every year or two. Insurance won't pay for this, since the windshield isn't cracked, and I'm reluctant to shell out $200 or so to pay for it myself.

While at the junkyard this past weekend looking for parts to repair the deer strike damage, I noticed that many of the MK3 Jettas in the yard have good windshields. So it started me thinking -- how hard it is to replace a windshield? What tools would I need, and is it worth doing it myself?

Or should I just pay to get it done professionally and stop being such a cheapskate?

 

[Abacus]

The best way to do most things is to learn to do it yourself.

The B4's have a pull tab in the windshield gasket that easily separates it, allowing windshield removal. Not sure if the A3's are the same. Look for the string in the middle of the windshield at the bottom. Do not pull it unless you want it to do its job.

 

[Joe_Meehan]

That is funny. My insurance company chose to replace my windscreen because they considered it a hazard. Frankly I did not consider it necessary, but it was scratched and it was in the driver's line of sight.

 

[shoebear]

Ha ha -- I hear the sucking sound of another project...it's pulling me in...it's telling me, "you can fit this in, and think of all the money you'll save!" Ahhhhh!

Abacus, there is a thin slot between the dash and the windshield that is about 2" deep and maybe 1cm wide. The windshield also has a black color shield that obscures vision through the very bottom of windshield from the outside. So the best I can do is to shine a flashlight down the slot from the inside of the car and see the reflection of the gasket on the glass. Based on that inspection, there does appear to be something like a tab (or maybe two of them) on the gasket. I could reach it (them) with long hemostats, probably. I'll experiment at the junkyard next time I go.

Once I get it out, then what? I suppose I'll need a new gasket. Do I need sealer or special tools? Or do I just pop it in with the new gasket?

Also, what care do I need to take to transport the replacement windshield? Can I lay it flat on the carpeted floor of my minivan? Or do I need to have a way to carry it on edge?

 

[shoebear]

Does it work like this (VW Rabbit)?
Prep
Installation

 

[Windex]

If the MK3 has the same pull string as the B4, you access it from the outside of the vehicle, under the trim/molding that joins the left and right side of the weatherstrips at the top of the windshield.

If not, you will need to cut out the windshield by cutting through the urethane adhesive all the way around the glass.

I've replaced many a windshield, and getting them out without breaking them is not easy - you need to take your time and be gentle.

If you can get it under the urethane, piano wire works well, but it helps to have an assistant.

I have also had success with using a good quality olfa knife with a thick blade, and using a propane torch to heat up the blade to allow it to cut more easily (several reheatings required).

My all time favorite was a reciprocating tool with a long blade that would oscillate its way through the urethane - carefull not to scrape off the black ceramic coating if you use one.

In any case, if you use any kind of power or heated tool, be careful of the urethane fumes (smoke caused by rapidly cutting or burning the adhesive) that stuff is nasty toxic and will leave you coughing for an hour if you get a good lung full (ask me how I know).

For transporting glass, I lay mine flat in the back of the wagon (not so easy if you drive a sedan) well supported on some couch cushions. You want to support the curves in the glass. If you have to stand it upright, make sure the edge you stand it on is standing on something soft, like rubber or styrofoam running the length of the glass, and make sure that it's well secured so that it doesn't fall over.

 

[yakko]

There is a neat tool. It has a right angle blade on it. It can cut into the seal and can be pulled by a "T" handle. I use it on my windshields. You will need to prime the surface edge of the windshield and car body. Something like 3M windshield primer.
You need to prep it right. Many windshield shops don't do it right. Watch a few and see how they do it.

 

[shoebear]

I just bought a 2005 Beetle TDI that had a cracked windshield and had the glass replaced. The installer used a wire crank tool that attached with to the inside of the old glass. Search YouTube for Aegis Rollout 2000, and you see what I mean. Here's one of the videos. But I'm guessing this is needed more for gasketless windshields.

 

[turbodieseldyke]

Call your local glass installers first. I got my B4 done for $70. You're looking at $15 just for the urethane, plus tools, primer, glass, time, and the odds you might break it.

Make sure you inspect the rearview mount first. My dad had a mobile installer put one (obviously aftermarket) in his Honda, but the mirror is up too high, and now the visors are halfway unusable.

 

[shoebear]

Call your local glass installers first. I got my B4 done for $70. You're looking at $15 just for the urethane, plus tools, primer, glass, time, and the odds you might break it.

Make sure you inspect the rearview mount first. My dad had a mobile installer put one (obviously aftermarket) in his Honda, but the mirror is up too high, and now the visors are halfway unusable.

I talked with local tdiclub member mk2_carat this afternoon (in person! imagine that!), and he said the junkyard has mobile glass technicians there in the parking lot sometimes on a schedule, ready to install the glass you just pulled from a car. So I'll check that out.

If I can get it done by a pro inexpensively (and correctly), I'd really rather go that route.

I hear you on the mirror placement -- I've had that issue also, but not as bad as your dad. However, in the case of a junkyard windshield, the mirror mount would already be on the glass. I suppose when I'm scouting out replacement prospects, I should check the mirror placement as well as the quality of the glass.

If the mk3 Jetta windshield has the pull tab gasket that abacus mentioned and I can use a mobile glass tech, the junkyard windshield sounds pretty easy.

 

[burpod]

have a pro do it. you will thank yourself... and me for this advice. it won't be much money and it will be done better than you can do it. check out windshieldstogo.com for new glass - i bought a new mk1 rabbit hatch glass from them for $110 picked up at a warehouse near me, with factory level tint and factory defogger grid. and i went to my local glass guy to have him install it along with a new windshield for a very reasonable price. much cheaper than me spending hours fighting with it getting it perfect and probably cracking it in the process :/

 

[shoebear]

have a pro do it. you will thank yourself... and me for this advice. it won't be much money and it will be done better than you can do it. check out windshieldstogo.com for new glass - i bought a new mk1 rabbit hatch glass from them for $110 picked up at a warehouse near me, with factory level tint and factory defogger grid. and i went to my local glass guy to have him install it along with a new windshield for a very reasonable price. much cheaper than me spending hours fighting with it getting it perfect and probably cracking it in the process :/

From windshieldstogo.com -- my glass only price is $111 and my installed price is $221. Those are pretty good prices.

I also priced a windshield for a 2005 New Beetle, like the one I got just last week. Their price is $263 installed, but I paid only about $220 for Safelite to do it (after some haggling and competitive quote).

 

[50harleyrider]

Shell out a couple hundred bucks and have one installed. It's not worth the aggravation of getting halfway through and the crack appears. Also install should be done by a professional. The urethane used has to be heated and is special stuff to withstand airbag pressure. It gets really hard!

 

[Windex]

Sh The urethane used has to be heated and is special stuff to withstand airbag pressure. It gets really hard!

The urethane sealant used for windshileds doesn't need to be heated, although it will flow more easily. The only reason that some glass shops do this is so they can get through the job faster.

The surfaces do need to very clean and any rust or bare metal needs to be primed properly though.

 

[shoebear]

Yes, it looks like I have 3 basic options:

1. Call up my local installer and get their windshield and installation -- about $230
2. Get junkyard glass and let a mobile professional install it in the junkyard parking lot -- maybe $120 plus time to get the glass?
3. Get the glass either from a junkyard or from a place like windshieldstogo, install myself -- Probably $30-111 for the glass, plus a new gasket ???, plus the cost of tools, plus time to get everything and do the job + risk of breaking the glass and having to start over.

I think if I ran a used car lot or something and needed to do windshields on a semi-regular basis, #3 would make sense. But for me to replace the windshield every year or two, #1 (with price-shopping/haggling) or #2 make more sense.

However, I do intend to take a close look at the gasket and installation, maybe this weekend. If there is an easy-removal string as Abacus suggested and if there is no urethane needed (a Rabbit-style gasket), it still might make sense to do it myself.

 

[twob4s]

I was faced with a similar dilemma on my B4. The biggest problem with replacing the windshield is scratching the metal around the frame. If this is done and not repaired, you will end up with rust around the windshield. I fixed the rust on my TDI a few years ago. Now my GLX is getting pretty bad so I will have to remove the winshield to fix the rust around it. So called professionals are not careful about not scratching and repairing the scratches they do make. When i repaired my TDI, I took the windshield out, repaired the rust and then had someone install a new windshield. Based on this experience, I wouldn't use anything other than a VW windshield and seal because the one I had installed does not fit well. In addition, it seems the installer put on too much adhesive so the windshield sits higher in the frame than it should. A few years ago I picked up a Eurovan and was delighted it still had the original windshield in it.

 

[G60ING]

My friend's own a windshield company and after hearing them talk about the windhsields I've had them replace they always hate having to replace a windshield after somebody else has done one improperly. Its all about surface prep and doing a good job so rust doesn't set in years down the road. I know I wouldn't do a windshield myself. I've had several corrado windshields replaced over the years and everyone has been difficult to pull.

 

[turbodieseldyke]

Interesting that USERNAME1234%^7 waited a full week after joining before posting their ad.

The one before that is good too. Joins, then 5 days later posts glowing review for that chick, then a month later starts a 101 thread asking "where can i find a good windshield shop in the same city as the windshield chick i loved so much a month ago?"

 

[KLXD]

Harrumph!

 

[Windex]

Meh. I'll call it what it is - spammy self promotion. I don't mind vendors who actually contribute, but chick-fil-a windshield and co deserve to be reported.

 

[turbodieseldyke]

I doubt they'll ever be back.

 

[Steve Addy]

So much for chicken_fried_windshield....