Such a pain, but at least you have the opportunity to take care of it before the rust gets too bad.
And hopefully, it'll all be covered under the windshield replacement. That's the decision sitting in limbo now.
Sorry to see this man. So many horror stories with windshield replacements. I personally went through this with my old Sienna and my brother's car so I know how much of a pain it can be. Who will be doing the install now? I am curious how someone goes about finding a truly capable installer because every company will tell you they know what they're doing, etc. but I bet it's a very small percent that actually care to do a good job. Most places will just sell the job and send out incompetent, low skill, low pay workers to do this who could care less where they drill holes or where they cut your paint.
Extreme Autoworks in Lakewood, CO is doing it. They're a tint, PPF, glass, PDR shop. I called somewhere between 8 and 15 shops one day. Almost every shop either said:
A. We try not to do any of the luxury brands, but we recommend you try XYZ across town.
or
B. Yes, our techs are certified for every specific make and model and our work is guaranteed for life. I then explain I'm concerned about potential corrosion issues in the future if it's not done right and they say "Oh, well we would just be covering the glass itself. Body damage would not be covered."
It was honestly really frustrating. Aside from Extreme, nobody had a clue and nobody gave a damn. I didn't get the sense that ANY of the shops I talked to had prior experience with the 100 and it's uniqueness, nor that they would use anything other than whatever parts came in the generic kit for the car. Some shops would even blurt out the pricing for their service before we'd even started chatting. That was a dead giveaway to stay away. But Extreme had the most "real" approach to it. I spoke with the owner when I called (good sign #1) and his talk was all about doing it the right way and he was receptive to my pedantic demands. When I mentioned the whole rivet thing his response was something like, "Sure. We've got rivet guns and if we don't have the right tool, we buy it. We're not cutting any corners on any job."
When I dropped it off, we went over the car and pulled back the trim cover strip to reveal the screws and nastiness. He seemed familiar with the trim fastening method and understood the concern around the screws right away.
Hmmm... you know, I think we are approaching this wrong. When I purchased my Cruiser, it had a cracked windshield, and the dealer paid to have it replaced. This was not its first windshield. The previous one was screwed in, but no rust or leaks. The installer filled all the holes with the “goop” and made sure it was sealed up when he was done.
I think that's a potential fix once it's already screwed (pun!). The best method, by far, is to just use the right tools and parts from the beginning. Once you've got corrosion started and steel exposed, it's a tough game. Even if it's welded up correctly, you can't replicate the OEM dipped corrosion inhibitors. And you can't get those holes flat and true to seal against the rivet. My hope is that the shop I've got the car at does it right, however they see fit, and minimizes the risk down the road. Thankfully, being in Colorado the overall rust risk is low. My skin might crack from the lack of humidity, but my cars won't rust too easily!
