windshield install

[long tall eta]

ok guys, i have a running crack in the front windshield. i can get a new 1 for 140 and do it my self or 280 installed from an auto glass guy. my question to you is, is it worth the savings to do it your self or is it a pita job to the point where i should just pay and get it done. any helpfull info on the job would be appriciated.

[bmwstephen]

get a used windshield at the junk yard. fairly easy to remove. pain in the ass to install. the only reason why you want to get a new windshield is because traditionally it would crack upon removal with the glue in types

[ButtJuice]

try pulling one from a junkyard, you'll probably get it for about $50. Plus the experience of taking one out will help you to install it

[nrubenstein]

Get a new one and install it. Why get a pitted, old one when a new one isn't that expensive?

Installation is not hard.

[JasonC]

To bad you wasnt closer to me. I got a new PPG windshield that i only used for about 3mo before i took it out and hauled the car off. But its not that hard to install. Hardest part for me was the lock strip lol. But call around cause those prices there seem a little high.

[SkinnyVT]

After just installing the front an rear windows on my car I can say that while it isn't a fun task, it isn't worth paying somebody to do it. Hopefully your lockstrip is still relatively flexible and can reuse it.

[ZM Blue Devil]

get the tool, makes it a 15 minute job.

[ChaseN]

To bad you wasnt closer to me. I got a new PPG windshield that i only used for about 3mo before i took it out and hauled the car off. But its not that hard to install. Hardest part for me was the lock strip lol. But call around cause those prices there seem a little high.

How much do you want for that windshield?

[jaywood]

http://e30world.com/body/BMW-E30-windshield-replacement

You never remove the rubber gasket from the car, only the windshield. The tool of choice is a "bone" so named because it resembles a bone, only made of white nylon about 5 inches long tapered to a near point on either end. Lately, I've chosen to use a disposable 1 inch plastic putty knife which goes faster.

You need to remove said plastic strip to release the glass. Its ends are hidden under a clip made of soft aluminum. Slide the aluminum aside and you will see both ends of the strip. Pry out one of these two ends, I use a small flat blade screwdriver or the bone. Pull outward and remove entire strip. Strips for the earlier cars decay rapidly and look like rusty dishwater in color. Replace said strip. Black ones are reusable forever.

The glass is no longer securely in place, don't drive the car without a strip installed. Run the bone or putty knife around the edge of the glass, all the way around the glass. You will sense the bond between the glass and the rubber give way. When you get all the way around, you can start the putty knife/bone under the edge of the glass and pry the glass outward from the gasket. It does go faster is someone is inside pushing the glass outward while you are doing this, but the helper doesn't have to press hard enough to make the glass fly out. Once you get half way around, the glass can be lifted away.

Installation is exactly the reverse of removal, except I lubricate the plastic strip with dawn dishwashing soap and water. The strip can be easily pressed inward, enough that the bone/putty knife glides along the side of the strip locking it in place. The strip self-centers the glass.

[JasonC]

How much do you want for that windshield?

IDK? $50? But by the time you come down from Pittsburg to get it. The gas spent you could buy 3 new ones lol.

[gmyers395]

Too bad your not in Colorado. I have been installing them for 165 here and doing it mobile. I can get glass for 100 bucks and its the best quality. Don't pay a dime over 180 to have it installed.

[long tall eta]

http://e30world.com/body/BMW-E30-windshield-replacement


You never remove the rubber gasket from the car, only the windshield. The tool of choice is a "bone" so named because it resembles a bone, only made of white nylon about 5 inches long tapered to a near point on either end. Lately, I've chosen to use a disposable 1 inch plastic putty knife which goes faster.

You need to remove said plastic strip to release the glass. Its ends are hidden under a clip made of soft aluminum. Slide the aluminum aside and you will see both ends of the strip. Pry out one of these two ends, I use a small flat blade screwdriver or the bone. Pull outward and remove entire strip. Strips for the earlier cars decay rapidly and look like rusty dishwater in color. Replace said strip. Black ones are reusable forever.

The glass is no longer securely in place, don't drive the car without a strip installed. Run the bone or putty knife around the edge of the glass, all the way around the glass. You will sense the bond between the glass and the rubber give way. When you get all the way around, you can start the putty knife/bone under the edge of the glass and pry the glass outward from the gasket. It does go faster is someone is inside pushing the glass outward while you are doing this, but the helper doesn't have to press hard enough to make the glass fly out. Once you get half way around, the glass can be lifted away.

Installation is exactly the reverse of removal, except I lubricate the plastic strip with dawn dishwashing soap and water. The strip can be easily pressed inward, enough that the bone/putty knife glides along the side of the strip locking it in place. The strip self-centers the glass.

i just replaced both front and rear locking strips w/ new chrome colored 1's. so that part of the job i can handle. do i have to remove the rubber gasket that the locking strip fits under to replace the glass? or is the strip the only peace that has to come off?
please confirm if this is right? remove lock strip, then gently pry on glass w/ bone ( plastic putty knife ) while having someone gently push from the inside to break seal. replace w/ new glass ( what kind of sealer should i use if any? ) and replace lock strip.

[gmyers395]

Don't remove the rubber molding, only the lock strip. Once the lock strip is removed then you break the seal between the molding and the glass, just use a screwdriver or the bone. If the glass wasn't installed with any adhesive then you should be able to just push the windshield out with your hands from the inside. If adhesive was used your gonna have to try to break that seal too. Start at the top left and work your way around but leave the bottom in. Then completely remove the glass from the outside. When you install do not use any adhesive whatsoever. They weren't designed for it. Put the bottom in first and make sure the glass is completely centered. Then with the bone work the bottom corners in, then both sides. Then the top corners, and finally the top. Last but not least the lock strip. PM me if you have any questions.