Owning a car can be convenient, however it does come with the small burden of making sure that everything is in decent enough shape to use. A crack in your windshield may be just a cosmetic trouble at first, but once in a while it can cause you to be pulled over by the police or highway patrol. Cracks and chips in car windows can come at any time from just a fly-by pebble, but once they start to grow across your line of sight it can be dangerous and a safety hazard. Since taking a vehicle in to be serviced can be costly to both your time and wallet, many people are turning to the “do-it-yourself” alternative. With that being said, here are the few simple steps to changing your own car windshield.
1. The first step is to make sure to acquire all the required materials for replacing your windshield. If you aren’t able to afford a new windshield from the store, a good place to look is at a local wrecker’s yard or car parts store. If it isn’t an exact fit to your model, you may need to get it adjusted before installing it. Lots of blankets or cushioning will be needed to set the window on during the change, and you will also need basic tools and a razor blade to get the job done.
2. Next, you will need to detach all of the surrounding objects near the windshield. This includes the windshield wipers, rearview mirrors and the moldings. You will then have to carefully remove the urethane gasket between the glass and the pinch weld, and this can best be accomplished by doing it from the outside with a cold knife or screwdriver. The urethane is the thick rubber material that is used to keep the windshield in place once it’s installed, so while it may be difficult at first, you will get the hang of it after you start to work with it during the window removal.
3. Push away the old glass from the frame and carefully lower it to the ground on the cushioning you have readily laid out. You may need an extra set of hands to help you do this part, as windows are very heavy and fragile. Dropping the old windshield would be really dangerous with the potential of hundreds of glass pieces shattering you.
4. Once your window is out of its place, clean up the whole area. There may be a lot of dust or rust on the frame and, it’s important to give it a fresh clean start.
5. There are products out there on the market that you may want to buy that provide an extra durable seal for your window that can be applied prior to putting it in. If you do not choose to follow these steps, then just go ahead and place your new windshield in place, and fit the urethane gasket all around the edges until it’s secure. It is a good idea to wear gloves while doing this to keep the oils and dirt from your hands away from the activator strip of the new window.
Written by the staff of Custom Complete Automotive. Custom Complete is your go to solution for the best car repair, inspections and an oil change Columbia MO has to offer.
6. Next, apply some petroleum jelly or a sealant to the outer edges of the gasket and slowly put it inside its new frame. Once again, you may want some assistance with this part, as the windshield windows can be extremely heavy.
7. Once the new windshield is in its place, push around the edges to make sure everything is in there tightly and secure. A sign that the job was done correctly is that the gasket is snug on it. Once you are done, clean the window to wipe away the excess sealant or jelly.
