84 Windshield

mskar · 05-28-2002, 10:08 AM

I had the windshield done (under insurance) a couple of months back by Safelite. They came out to the house, replaced the windshield with a Safelite, and tried to put it back in with an aftermarket gasket. They could not get the trim pieces in and had to reschedule so they could order the OEM gasket. It was a big PitA. Well, I have had some dampness here and there and yesterday I noticed that there is a 1/8-1/4" gap in the upper right corner between the gasket and the window frame. Is the problem here maybe a poorly sized aftermarket glass? If anyone has had similar experiences or knows what I can do to fix this I sure would appreciate it.

John Brandt · 05-28-2002, 11:21 AM

I had a similar experience from safelight. my windscreen is the heated variety and instead of punching holes into the rubber gasket to accomodate the wires, they just slit the gasket open, and it leaked like a sieve. They did not replacwe the metal outer seal and I think that was part of the problem. They tried repeatedly and to no avail to seal it and finally so much water came in that I had an electrical fire and the car was down for almost a year being re-wired. (they paid bill too)

Afterwards they ended up buying an oem rubber gasket but still not the metal part and it still wasn't watertight. In the end they sealed it with gobs of the black silicone and now it doesn't leak.

I wish I would have just had the dealer do the job

mskar · 06-19-2002, 11:49 AM

Finally got the shop manager out here to look at the gap today. He said that the OEM windshield won't fit any better than the one they put in, and that the gasket will eventually seat itself. He also said that the outer lip of the gasket is not supposed to be water tight and that there are drain-holes in the metal lip where the windshield sits to drain water out. Am I being yanked or is this the way it works? I had some leakage, when the windshield was first put in, but we haven't had enough rain lately for me to really accurately judge whether it is still leaking. Do everyone elses' gaskets fit fit their opening properly?

John Brandt · 06-19-2002, 12:08 PM

You're being yanked. If it leaks now, it will leak always.

nhromyak · nhromyak's Garage

Definately, not installed right. I had to do this too after a shop messed up.

I bought a new gasket, carefully removed the aluminum trim. Carefully removed the glass (apparently these become brittle after 1 or two years). Re-formed the aluminum trim right on the glass piece. Put the new gasket, trim on the gasket. Used some Ivory soapy water, nylon string, and strung around the gasket, and popped the gasket on the body. Looks WAY better than I thought it would. I kinda' messed up a corner on the aluminum trim, oh-well next time!

Good luck.

Joeaksa · 06-19-2002, 02:41 PM

Just put in a new windshield on my 85 and used a new factory gasket. Had used a "tweeks" gasket last time and it pulled in on the two top corners as well.

New gasket works fine... get the glass company to do it again with the correct factory gasket!

joe

old_skul · 06-19-2002, 03:15 PM

I had a glass installer literally screaming at me after I pointed out the 1/8" gap between the metal trim strips and the gasket as it rounded the top corners of the windshield on both sides.

Something about being a picky asshole. Shrug. I'll admit to it, but dayum, don't tell a customer to his face.

I got a brand new windshield 2 months later.

mskar · 06-19-2002, 03:24 PM

They couldn't event get the trim into the aftermarket bobo & co gasket they attempted the job with to begin with, they had to special order the oem from Porsche and have me bring the car back out. I guess what I'm curious about is if anyone has had luck with aftermarket glass or not. I'm going to bring it to my local p-shop and see what they think.

pbs911 · pbs911's Garage

I recently picked up a nice 993 windshied for $50 at the local wrecker. Call and check around. I installed that on my 78SC with the 964 trimless seal I picked up from our host. Fits great, no leaks.

Also from my personal experience, not all seals are created equal. You also have to be very careful to center the windshield when installing, even with the correct seal.

LeeH · 06-19-2002, 06:09 PM

I'd give your insurance agent a call to discuss the matter. The agent wants you to be happy and the glass company wants the insurance agent to be happy. The glass company doesn't really care about you as you are not truly their customer.

I had a chip repaired on my Trooper under insurance. By the time the glass guy was done, the chip was gone, but there was a four inch crack in its place. The installer was waiting to see if I noticed... I called my agent while he was still cleaning up. Two minutes later the manager of the glass company called back to say a new windshield would be out that afternoon.

jmohn · jmohn's Garage

You are being jerked around and they're trying to "cheap-out" on the glass and gasket. Do tell the glass company your not satisfied and call your insurance guy and tell him also. Then tell them both you want the glass, gasket and trim (if damaged or kinked) replaced with OEM, if this company can't or won't then find one that will. There is plenty of reports of after-market glass and gaskets not fitting properly. Fortunately, I haven't had to have the windshield replaced in my 911, but when I had it done on my 951 (I had it done by a very reputable glass company here) I talked to their rep. and was told by him they didn't like to use anything but OEM on Porsches and they wouldn't do it in the parking lot. They sent a "runner' over to collect the car, took it to their shop, replaced the glass (no gasket on that one, urethane adhesive) and the trim with OEM. Absolutely pristine job, no leaks, no whistles, just a beutiful new windshield. It can be done right, accept no less than original quality.

Good luck,

Jerry M

sammyg2 · 06-19-2002, 08:06 PM

I just finished putting a windshield in my SC and the result looks great. I did use an OEM gasket. No gaps anywhere, but I agree with the earlier post that it is important to properly center the windshield. I did it by myself, but it would have been much easier if I had someone to push on the gasket/window as I pulled on the string. I had to reach in and pull the string as I pushed on the window with the other hand. Long arms come in handy sometimes :-)