Windshield trim lifting

[Christien]

The aluminum trim around my windshield is starting to lift, and the problem is getting worse quickly. It started with the lower pass. side corner, and over the last 2 weeks or so, the entire pass. side trim has lifted out of the rubber, including the upper corner.

I've read through 7 or 8 pages of search results about replacing windshield trim, so I realize that's it's next to impossible to install the trim with the glass in the car. But none of them discussed reseating lifting trim, where 3/4 of the trim is already in place, properly. Is this possible to do? I've spread a bit of vaseline on the groove, and tried hitting it with a rubber hammer. It wasn't working, but I'm scared to really whack it, for fear of cracking the windshield. I tried prying the rubber groove apart, using a piece of coat hanger, and that was working ok, but really slowly, and often the trim would pop right back out.

Would it be easier to keep trying to get the trim reseated, or just pull the whole windshield out and replace the trim that way? Has there ever been a consensus reached on driving with no trim? I know it helps keep the glass in, but it seems like some guys are driving around with no seal without problems.

Thanks,
Chris

[Christien]

Ok, solved myself. It is indeed possible to get the trim back in, at least most of it. I applied vaseline to the groove, wrapped a small piece of pine (about 1/2" thick, 3" wide) in a dish towel and hammered away. I got all of it back in except the lower corner, which was lifted when I bought the car. That corner wouldn't go back in because it was a little bent.

So it looks like it's time to pull the glass out and replace the trim with new stuff. Oh well, it'll get me through the summer.

[Evans, Marv]

I did the same thing with my '67 912. I think you are on track by replacing it.

[curiousone940]

The real "culprit" at work here is the underlying rubber seal...over time, it starts to shrink from the elements, which in turn causes the metal trim to come loose from its correct position. The only real fix is to remove and replace the rubber weatherstrip seal. A PITA!!!

[Superman]

And if you're going to replace the gasket, replace the glass too. Front glass is a wear part. If yours has many miles on it, then it's probably got a sandblasted patina. And if you're going to replace glass and gasket and trim, you might as well make it an insurance claim and get it done by the pros. Then again, you have to make sure the "pros" actually know how to do this. You can and should shape the trim to match the glass contour before installation, for example.

[Christien]

I had thought about replacing the glass. I read somewhere that replacing the windshield makes a huge different - you don't know how bad the old was until you see the new. I couldn't really do it through insurance though, because I'd pay for it 2 or 3 times over through higher premiums over the next couple years. Insurance in Ontario is a nightmare - they're just begging for a reason to raise rates. I've even heard stories of companies raising rates for customers who simply call too often, but don't make a claim. Could be an urban legend...

Anyway, it'd come out of my pocket, so cost might be a factor.

[fastpat]

Originally posted by Superman
And if you're going to replace the gasket, replace the glass too. Front glass is a wear part. If yours has many miles on it, then it's probably got a sandblasted patina. And if you're going to replace glass and gasket and trim, you might as well make it an insurance claim and get it done by the pros. Then again, you have to make sure the "pros" actually know how to do this. You can and should shape the trim to match the glass contour before installation, for example.

Great advice!

After watching a pro do this in my driveway, and even helping him with the gasket locking strip, I'm firmly convinced that windshield glass is best installed by a pro. I wouldn't hesitate to remove a windshield, but the new glass installation includes removing and disposal of the old glass. The old glass was on a 1990 BMW 325i Cab, on which I'd broken the glass attempting to install a new rear view mirror (on cabs they're glued to the windshield). the pro says, "yeah, sometimes I break the glass trying that too, don't feel bad." He glued the mirror on before putting the glass in, another example of the knowledge gained through experience paying off. The new glass made the old one seem positively dim by comparison because of the etching that had occured over 15 years.

I think the glass alone would have been around $200.00, it was $260.00 installed, and that's in California on a house call. Plus, if it's broken during the installation, it's his problem, not yours.