windshield leak

[rjohnson67]

Hi there, I recently noticed that there is some leakage along the passenger side of the windshield on my 97 outback. I was wondering what the best thing to do is? Fix it with something like silicone, or should I get the whole windshield replaced? Normally i'd sell it, but I wanna keep around for my son, and it's got 105,000 miles on it.

[gbhrps]

If you are certain that the windshield is leaking, and not the sunroof if so equipped, get the windshield cut out and replaced. There are two reasons.

 

The first is that you can't guarantee that you'll be able to seal the leak without first removing the glass. With the glass removed you will most likely find that there is some rust along the A Pillars or the roof that needs to be taken care of before the windshield is reinstalled. Many people just try an amateur repair only to find that the leak spreads, the tin worm takes over, and then you are faced with a very time consuming and more expensive repair.

 

You don't need to take the car to a glass expert to have it removed, resealed and replaced, as any decent body shop can do the job. And forget about the glass breakage insurance policy that many glass places with try to sell you. (You pay $100 for the insurance, and if the windshield breaks during the R & R, they'll install a new one for free.) Our restoration shop has been pulling old windshields on restoration work for years, and have never had one break, unless it was already cracked.

 

The second reason is safety related. A properly sealed windshield provides some of the structural integrity needed in case of an accident. You really don't want your son in a car that's not 100% up to the task of protecting him in a crash.

[northguy]

No glass company I know of will guarantee that they will not break the shield in the process. It might be better to pull the trim, pump in some flow-grade sealant to seal the leak, then reinstall the trim using urethane. If you're insured, hit it with a rock and get the whole thing replaced by someone who will warrantee their work.

[Scoobywagon]

Here's my best professional advice.

 

1) DO NOT USE SILICONE! Ever. Its hydroscopic and will make any existing rust problems worse. Additionally, it may contaminate some of the surfaces needed to install a windshield and urethane will not stick to silicone.

 

2) Verify the leak. Windshields VERY seldom just come down with leaks. They either have leaked since install or there is some mode of paint or adhesive failure. Make sure that its the windshield leaking, not one of the door seals or the sunroof (if equipped).

 

3) If it IS the windshield, take it to a shop and have them do a reseal on it. Usually, this involves doing what is called a back bead on the glass. Essentially, you're laying down a second bead of urethane inside the original bead. **WARNING** This is ONLY a band-aid fix! This should only be done if you can't afford to have the windshield cut out and replaced.

 

4) Replace the windshield.

 

As has been mentioned, if there is paint or adhesive failure causing the leak, then there is likely to be a bit of rust in there. There are some unscrupulous shops out there, so make sure that you ask to see the rust yourself unless you have some reason to trust that particular shop. As a rule, rust treatments are going to run somewhere between $75 - 100 at most glass shops and the car will need to sit there for 24 hours to cure. What MOST places will do in a case like that is grind out all the rust they can, clean everything up, coat the pinch weld in POR-15 (or other rust treatment, there are many), allow that time to cure, then scuff, activate and prime the pinch weld surface and install new glass.

 

Be aware that cutting out urethane-set glass nearly ALWAYS results in a broken windshield. I've got 3 technicians working for me that do nothing but glass for 8 hours a day. They average just over 18 windshields per day among the 3 of them. In the years that I've been doing this, I have seen exactly 2 urethane windshields come out without breaking. Gasket set windshields are another story.

 

So my advice is, have the windshield back beaded to stop the leak until you can afford to have the windshield replaced. If you have a reasonable deductible for your comprehensive insurance, you can probably talk the insurance company into covering it for you.

[lone500]

use some polyurethane jk