Windshield / Auto Glass Shop near Atlanta Needed (1 Viewer)

[wornandtorn]

Hi,

My (new to me) 1992 80 series has sprung a leak! After speaking to my mechanic (ACC Garage) and looking at threads here, I’ve verified that the windshield is no good. (Chinese made, bad fit, leaky seal)

With that in mind, has anyone with a similar issue found a shop within an hour or so from Atlanta that uses premium glass and has experience with 80 series. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Nathan

 

[Kernal]

Last time I checked the only source of 80 series windshield glass is kerapp Chynna glass. However one of the largest auto glass companies in the US is now owned by a Chynna company.

The problem (leaking windshields) seems to more often than not be due to poor installation, not so much the glass. Been discussed a lot; the glass must be glued to the gasket and the gasket is glued to the body (using the correct adhesive-sealant for windshields).

How can you tell the glass is bad fit??

 

[wornandtorn]

Last time I checked the only source of 80 series windshield glass is kerapp Chynna glass. However one of the largest auto glass companies in the US is now owned by a Chynna company.

The problem (leaking windshields) seems to more often than not be due to poor installation, not so much the glass. Been discussed a lot; the glass must be glued to the gasket and the gasket is glued to the body (using the correct adhesive-sealant for windshields).

How can you tell the glass is bad fit??

Howdy - Thanks for the info! As far as my existing windshield goes, I was getting water in the front footwells. I took it to ACC Garage here in Atlanta and they found that both the windshield and sunroof were leaking. When I asked about the windshield (since it looks fine) they said it wasn’t seared properly because it was “cheap Chinese glass”.

 

[jpoole]

I replaced the windshield in my 80 a little over a year ago and ended up using the more readily available, and I assume made by a Chinese company, glass option. It did leak a little between the gasket and the glass after initial install but I bought a tube of the 3m sealant and was able to address the leak without much effort and have seen no leaks sense. The leak happened in spite of my telling both the glass shop owner and the installer that the sealant was needed inside and out of the gasket, and showing them the FSM pages, etc. They did apply sealant inside and out (I was watching) but went a little light (or rubbed it off) in two spots which lead to small leaks.

Unless the "cheap Chinese glass" you have, or buy, is noticeably distorted then I'd say that the leak is down to install and not the glass. Even if the glass is a little off, which may be most evident in the corners, if the gasket has decent overlap with the body and is sealed properly it's shouldn't leak. As you probably know these windshields need adequate sealant/adhesive both between the glass and the rubber seal and the rubber seal and the body. If your windshield follows your body lines pretty well then the most practical option is likely to order a new OE windshield gasket and then find an installer that will remove and replace that gasket while also properly following the correct process for applying sealant.

If you have the patience to nail down exactly where the windshield is leaking and if the rubber gasket is in good shape you may be able to add more sealant like I did, to resolve the leaks. In my case I did this quickly after the initial install and knew that all was clean but if yours has been in for a long time it may not be possible to seal the leaks due to the curing of the sealant and the crud that is likely in the gaps. I was able to nail down the leak source and fix it, and I ended up adding more sealant wherever there seemed to be a deficit (on glass and body sides of gasket) just in case. Here's the sealant I used though I don't know if it's your best option or not:

Amazon product ASIN B000RW1XCK​

I had to heat that sealant before use and run it through a pretty strong gun as it's very thick. My tube may have been a little old or that may just be the nature of this version of the stuff. I used a plastic trim tool to run around the seam between gasket and glass and then gasket and body to find any sections that weren't fully glued down and then I injected the sealant into those spaces. Denatured alcohol cuts the 3M sealant pretty well if it is uncured but it's messy stuff to work with if you go to excess. Basically, if the gasket is adhered properly it will be difficult to pry the gasket up from the glass or the body. If the gasket can be pried up so that the tool slips in then that's an area to clean out and fill completely with sealant. The issue with an older install will likely be avoiding leaks at the seams between the old sealant and new which is why going with a new gasket/install may be easier.

I share the above repair process because it may end up being helpful even if you do a full replacement with new glass, etc. Many folks have the leaky windshield issue due to installer mistake and will have the glass reinstalled until it's fixed but that's not always practical. I preferred to just address the problem myself rather than keep trying to get someone else to do it right. It's far better to just have the proper install from the get go for a number of reasons and it's worth focusing your efforts there if you think it's an achievable option.

Good luck, and whatever route you go be sure to test the windshield for leaks very carefully after the work is done. Directing a full stream from the water hose at both the glass and body side seams of the gasket from a variety of angles should show you if you have any leaks. The water droplets, or stream, can be hard to see and will likely not show up adjacent to the source of the leak. Often the water will run down the gasket to the lower corner area before then running into the interior of the 80.

 

[BILT4ME]

I replaced the windshield in my 80 a little over a year ago and ended up using the more readily available, and I assume made by a Chinese company, glass option. It did leak a little between the gasket and the glass after initial install but I bought a tube of the 3m sealant and was able to address the leak without much effort and have seen no leaks sense. The leak happened in spite of my telling both the glass shop owner and the installer that the sealant was needed inside and out of the gasket, and showing them the FSM pages, etc. They did apply sealant inside and out (I was watching) but went a little light (or rubbed it off) in two spots which lead to small leaks.

Unless the "cheap Chinese glass" you have, or buy, is noticeably distorted then I'd say that the leak is down to install and not the glass. Even if the glass is a little off, which may be most evident in the corners, if the gasket has decent overlap with the body and is sealed properly it's shouldn't leak. As you probably know these windshields need adequate sealant/adhesive both between the glass and the rubber seal and the rubber seal and the body. If your windshield follows your body lines pretty well then the most practical option is likely to order a new OE windshield gasket and then find an installer that will remove and replace that gasket while also properly following the correct process for applying sealant.

If you have the patience to nail down exactly where the windshield is leaking and if the rubber gasket is in good shape you may be able to add more sealant like I did, to resolve the leaks. In my case I did this quickly after the initial install and knew that all was clean but if yours has been in for a long time it may not be possible to seal the leaks due to the curing of the sealant and the crud that is likely in the gaps. I was able to nail down the leak source and fix it, and I ended up adding more sealant wherever there seemed to be a deficit (on glass and body sides of gasket) just in case. Here's the sealant I used though I don't know if it's your best option or not:

Amazon product ASIN B000RW1XCK​

I had to heat that sealant before use and run it through a pretty strong gun as it's very thick. My tube may have been a little old or that may just be the nature of this version of the stuff. I used a plastic trim tool to run around the seam between gasket and glass and then gasket and body to find any sections that weren't fully glued down and then I injected the sealant into those spaces. Denatured alcohol cuts the 3M sealant pretty well if it is uncured but it's messy stuff to work with if you go to excess. Basically, if the gasket is adhered properly it will be difficult to pry the gasket up from the glass or the body. If the gasket can be pried up so that the tool slips in then that's an area to clean out and fill completely with sealant. The issue with an older install will likely be avoiding leaks at the seams between the old sealant and new which is why going with a new gasket/install may be easier.

I share the above repair process because it may end up being helpful even if you do a full replacement with new glass, etc. Many folks have the leaky windshield issue due to installer mistake and will have the glass reinstalled until it's fixed but that's not always practical. I preferred to just address the problem myself rather than keep trying to get someone else to do it right. It's far better to just have the proper install from the get go for a number of reasons and it's worth focusing your efforts there if you think it's an achievable option.

Good luck, and whatever route you go be sure to test the windshield for leaks very carefully after the work is done. Directing a full stream from the water hose at both the glass and body side seams of the gasket from a variety of angles should show you if you have any leaks. The water droplets, or stream, can be hard to see and will likely not show up adjacent to the source of the leak. Often the water will run down the gasket to the lower corner area before then running into the interior of the 80.

Can you re-attach your link using the "link" feature? The software on my work computer keeps locking out the source of these things and I can't cross them over to track them.

 

[jpoole]

Sure, the 3m adhesive/sealant that I used is this:

3m sealant/adhesive

I'm not sure if there are better formulations or sources for our application but I assume that there are likely a few variants of this adhesive that have different cure times and different initial viscosity. A slower cure time and more liquid/runny viscosity may be superior for the type of repair that I did as it could help the sealant flow into the gaps better and improve adhesion also. Faster cure times are likely preferred by folks doing new installs and I doubt many folks ever try to flow in new sealant like I did but I'm not that up to speed on glass install practices so lots of assumptions there.

I jammed the nozzle into the seam, after I felt out how large the un-adhered area was and opened it up a little using the pry tool, and then pushed sealant/adhesive in under pressure while running the tip down the seam from one end of the gap to the other. The end result of this process was a tiny bit of sealant (in most cases, more on the ends) visible along the seam when I was finished. I had to wipe that seam multiple times to clear the excess but I avoided pushing the gasket and pressing the internal excess out unless I had really "over-inflated" a section. The fact that I was able to essentially press/push the sealant in and have it stay in place seems like a big part of why this worked for my windshield, along with it being a recent install job. Depending on your situation though, and if glass and gasket are good, it really isn't that hard to feel out any un-adhered sections and try to re-seal them before going for a full re-install.