Leaky Windshield and Installers (1 Viewer)

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This is a little bit 80's tech and some chat so I'm posting it here since I want a 80 owners opinion

So my windshield has been leaking since last March when it seemed to create a leak at the bottom corners and a strip in the bottom center after miles of washboard roads in Death Valley. So I bought new weather stripping from CDan and went to go get my windshield fixed last friday.

Well the installer decided to use the new weather stripping and removed the window from the old weather stripping. The old weather stripping was glued in with urethane and the glass was glued to the weather stripping as well. The old window appeared to be from from the factory install. I'm guessing that the urethane dried up a bit and developed a leak in the corners where enough sealant wasn't used.

So anyway the installer go to install the window and I noticed he isn't putting urethane between the stripping and the glass. I tell him that there needs to be sealant there but I'm informed that he never does that on this type of window and that I should trust him and that he's been doing this for 12 years. I tell him that I can guarantee that the window will leak without urethane. He insists that it won't. I give in, but exclaim that I will be really upset if it leaks after he puts it in. Well he puts the window in with no urethane; not even against the frame. We decide to test it out to see if it will leak and of course it does.

I tell him again that he should have used urethane. To solve the leaks he decides to put some tar like goo between the stripping, the frame, and the glass. He trys it out with water and it leaks again. More goo goes in and yes it still leaks.

At about this time it's getting late and he tells me to bring it back tomorrow. I'm gone for the weekend so I tell him I can bring it back next week and that he should have used urethane between the glass and the strip.

So the lesson here is make the glass installer exactly follow the FSM.

So now I'm not sure what to do. Should I take it back and make him do it right? I haven't paid him anything yet, however I'm certain the installer feels I owe him money. Do I cut my losses, get new stripping, and try to install it myself? After watching the install of the glass I'm certain I can do it myself, only correctly this time. I'm also worried about what I'm legally obligated to do.

If you actually read all of this thanks! :cheers:
 
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Derek,

This guy's a moron, but you probably already deduced that. I'd only bring it back to him because he's the ass who's got to completely clean the glass, the new weatherstripping, and the vehicle frame of whatever crap they put on. Don't accept anything less than them being CLEAN. The urethane will NOT bond to that stuff and you'll be back to square one. Make the moron clean it up. Inspect it yourself - do not accept their word. Then watch as they install it so you can be assured they put a continuous bead both on the body/frame and the windshield sides of the weatherstripping.

I've been in several 80s over the years that make a "loose wiring bundle in the dashboard" sound when you go over chatter bumps. This is the sound of an 80 windshield that's been improperly installed and has broken loose. Never have I heard a factory installed w/s do this - only successive ones. We break them up here every other year and if an installer doesn't get with the program on putting urethane on both surfaces BEFORE touching my truck I have absolutely no mercy and will tell them to go F themselves. There's no excuse for not following a(n almost) client's request. They're trying to save an $8 tube of urethane and the stuff's messy to work with as well, which slows them down.

It absolutely makes a difference in leakage, but also the amount of upper body shudder in the 80s will break a marginally installed w/s loose and start that annoying sound like a loose dash (it isn't).

DougM
 
Ditto what Doug says. My rig had a new windshield installed right before I purchased it last year and it leaked from the day I bought it. Hard rain or a car wash would put about 20 mL of water on my Husky mat.

When it was in the shop getting some body work done, I had the shop fix a little a-pillar rust spot and re-seal the window. I had a long discussion about how the window needed to be installed before the work was done and the guy was very reassuring that they new how to do it properly. I was insistent on a new gasket and the correct urethane on both surfaces... yeah, yeah, we know what we're doing.

Long story less long, it leaked from the initial detailing wash when I picked it up from the shop. big puddle of water in the floorboard from day one. I pulled up the edge of the gasket and no urethane to be found. Rat bastards.

I made a big stink and made a new appointment to have it re-done (at their expense) and took a printout of the FSM pages detailing the procedure in with me. So far so good.

Bottom line ~ it is your rig. If you want the windshield held in with peanut butter, it's your choice. A shop may not want to do it the right way, but you have the responsibility and the right to tell them to get bent if they won't follow your detailed (and informed) direction.
 
Well I called and asked if they were going to do it over and apply urethane and he said they would. When I get there they just wanted to put more peanut butter into the window. I told them to redo the window and put eurethane in and he would not do it. I left.

Looks like I'm going to do the job myself after all. Unfortunately I need to get a new gasket. The good thing is this should give me the opertunity to polish the glass when its out and to touch up the pinch weld to get rid of any rust and to prevent it.
 
Make sure you where gloves when you do the work. What little I know about this process is that human oils from your hands and windshield sealants don't play well together! Got that from the couple of months I worked at a corporate office of a body shop consolidator.
 
after watching the guy put in my windshild I am confident I could do it. although he did it by himself I would need an assistant.

my original glass was leaking and had a crack, guy put in the new one with urethane sealant and now no leaks.

the aftermarket glass though has not held up, got a star from small stone where the original glass had taken much harder hits with no damage. I odered PPG glass but wound up with chinese glass (long story, yes I got F*C73d) if I can get bronze PPG will go that route next time. if not will get the $$$ glass from the lexus dealer either way will do it myself.
 
Mine leaks too, always has. It's better now that I had a glass shop squirt some goo in there, but it's not 100% sealed by any means. If I park outside and it's wet out I actually shove hand towels in the cracks to soak up the drip. Luckily it's sunny 300 days per year here, and most of those the 80 is in the garage anyway (wait, that's sad not lucky...)

Raven (or anyone) I'm curious what a Lexus windshield costs? And is it better than Toyota? I know nothing about glass..
 
IIRC I was quoted just north of $300 I think that was with the seal but it has been a wile.

The lexus glass says "Toyota" but it is bronze hue where the Land cruiser glass has a green hue.

I dont think there is any diffrence besides the bronze hue.
 
dang...all this time I thought mine was a rare leaker...

My glass is original -- seems to be OEM bronze Lexus windshield...and it leaks like a sieve on the DS. I have husky mats so none of the water gets on the carpet...but the water intrusion bugs me.

It's gotten worse over time...sounds like I need some work done on mine too...
 
NorCalDoug said:
It's gotten worse over time...sounds like I need some work done on mine too...

I think the uerethane just dries out over time. Doug if you want I can help you with your windsheild after I figure the install out on mine. Of course you were probably a window installer in some past life so you already know how to do this ;)

Unfortunately not all of the water gets collected by my husky mats. Some sneaks by and soaks the carpet. :mad:
 
Darwood said:
I think the uerethane just dries out over time. Doug if you want I can help you with your windsheild after I figure the install out on mine. Of course you were probably a window installer in some past life so you already know how to do this ;)

Unfortunately not all of the water gets collected by my husky mats. Some sneaks by and soaks the carpet. :mad:

windsheild installation is not currently on my resume. And...like the tard that I am, I neglected to watch the winshield install tard work on my 94 when I had the glass replaced.
 
I have done a couple on 80s and 60s. To me the removal was harder than the install. I was afraid that I would break the glass so it took me a while. As for the install, it took 2 people. After doing the eurethane treatment, it was installed like a pickup back window with a thin nylon rope pulling the weatherstrip inside as you pull the rope around.
 
Waggoner5 said:
I have done a couple on 80s and 60s. To me the removal was harder than the install. I was afraid that I would break the glass so it took me a while. As for the install, it took 2 people. After doing the eurethane treatment, it was installed like a pickup back window with a thin nylon rope pulling the weatherstrip inside as you pull the rope around.

So when you applied the eurethane for the gasket to the pinch weld did you do it after or before you put the glass in with the nylon cord? The FSM shows that this is done after the glass is installed but I'd like to know which is better (though I would think it would be a huge mess to apply the eurethane before the install).
 
D-

Did you end up having to pay a dime after the f-up? What a PITA to deal with. This guys hould have to clean up the mess or at least reimburse you for the gasket. Oh well, live N learn!

I'll help you install it though, I wouldn't mind learning so when mine leask after the DV run next year I can do it.

Oh, and BTW, how do you plan on polishing the window???

-JJ
 
Well I'm out a gasket which isn't so much fun, but didn't pay them any money. I wasn't going to get much out of them without legal threats.

As far as the polishing goes I was going to see what I can find. I've been reading that paint polish should work as well as Cerium Oxide, however the paint polish would probably be easier to source. I've used polish once on paint and scratched the paint up nicely so I think it should work fine on my glass. If you have any ideas I'm all for them.

Thanks for the offer on the assitance. I'm pretty sure I'll be taking you up on that. ;)
 
Well we did the install this weekend. The post about that can be found here:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=70918

I'm quite glad I decided to do the install instead of someone else, mainly due to the fact that the frame around where the gasket goes was nicked to the metal in alot of places and I was able to touch these places up. This would have become a nasty rusty mess in a year or so. It still might.
 

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