Back Glass

[xdeadeye1]

So if you followed my other threads,, you know I just put gaskets and timing belt on my 2000 Outback.

 

Its back in the car and running like a top.

 

BUT

 

yesterday I start my mower and sent a small rock and hit my back hatch back glass.  (outback Wagon)

 

Its shattered.

 

 

Called safelite, they want $460 to replace with new glass

 

They don't mess with salvage yard stuff.

 

I can go get a hatchback from another car........ but I'm not sure I want that .

 

I woiuld rather get the hatchback,, pull the glass and replace mine.

 

Any  of you care to give suggestions?     What wouild you do?

 

I'm in S.E. Ohio.

Thanks

[GeneralDisorder]

Find an independent glass guy. As for pulling out a used one - good luck. That's more work than I would care to do. I would rather repaint another hatch. Incidentally painting isn't that difficult at all. Its quite easy to have some paint mixed to match a panel and who cares if its blended into adjacent panels - no one will notice on a car that old. Fresh coat of clear and it will look better than the whole rest of the car.

 

Really though - shop around. Even at 460 that's pretty reasonable. How much duckery are you prepared to go through on this ordeal? I spend a couple of my billable hours screwing around with some used junk and I could have just written a check and walked away to greener pastures. But to each their own. Glued in auto glass isn't a skill/tool set I care to aquire. I'll gladly have Hose A or Hose B deal with that hot mess.

 

GD

Edited April 29, 2018 by GeneralDisorder

[idosubaru]

What he said - call around or get a used hatch

[lmdew]

www.car-part.com  Used. If you have a You Pull and Pay do it yourself.  

[xdeadeye1]

I found a hatch in a yard .

 

So it may even have same paint , not confirmed.  

 

Is the 2000 outback hatch fairly easy to swap out?

[Gloyale]

I found a hatch in a yard .

 

So it may even have same paint , not confirmed.  

 

Is the 2000 outback hatch fairly easy to swap out?

 

Yeah, the trickiest part is fishing the old wiring out of the D pillar.  Gotta remove the clips at the rear of the roof panel and the trunk sides.

 

What I do is tie a string or wire to the bundle before I fish it out of the pillar.  Then I use that string to pull the wires from the new gate down the pillar.

[Mike104]

I had a local glass company put in a used rear window in my 99 OBW and it was about $250.  In my 03 Forester my current insurance policy covered the rear window replacement for $0 deductible (Kentucky glass policy) because it was not damaged due to collision.  You may want to contact your insurance agent and see if it's covered.

[xdeadeye1]

I called them.. I have liability,,and they said its not covered.. I asked, and homeowners didn't cover either..  I have one more glass company to call (local ) to see if they will do it.

[heartless]

for the hatch, it is far more cost effective to replace the whole hatch.

 

I have had a side rear window swapped out with a used one... had a donor car on hand tho... was $50 to take it out of the donor, & $50 to put it in my DD

 

but hatch glass? Yeah, have just replaced the whole hatch - on 2 different cars now... on one the hatch was just rusty as all heck - had holes in it, the other was due to broken glass.

[xdeadeye1]

heartless,

 

I hear ya.   I can get the whole hatch for 85 but not sure the condition. 

 

I'm NERVOUS about that wiring harness and fishing it down thru the pillar etc.  

 

If the hatch is ok,,  I can do it,, its the wiring that concerns me.. Can you put my mind at ease about that?   its a 2000 outback

[Gloyale]

heartless,

 

I hear ya.   I can get the whole hatch for 85 but not sure the condition. 

 

I'm NERVOUS about that wiring harness and fishing it down thru the pillar etc.  

 

If the hatch is ok,,  I can do it,, its the wiring that concerns me.. Can you put my mind at ease about that?   its a 2000 outback

 

It really isn't too bad.  The hard part is dropping the back of the ceiling.  Not really even.

 

The harness does make a slightly funky backbend around to get through the intersection of the rear roof arch and top of the A pillar.  It isn't too and though.  wiper tube on the other side is pretty easy comparatively.

 

The tabs for the clips for the rear pillar plastic can be brittle.  Go slow and set all the clips back into the body then slide the tabs into the clips for reassembly.

 

If you aren't pulling it yourself, make sure the wrecker that pulls it for you doesn't cut the wiring, 

Edited May 2, 2018 by Gloyale

[heartless]

heartless,

 

I hear ya.   I can get the whole hatch for 85 but not sure the condition. 

 

I'm NERVOUS about that wiring harness and fishing it down thru the pillar etc.  

 

If the hatch is ok,,  I can do it,, its the wiring that concerns me.. Can you put my mind at ease about that?   its a 2000 outback

 

As Gloyal said, it really is not that bad.. take your time with things, pay attention to the routing, and how things fit together.

 

the first one I had a rear hatch replacement on, the wiring had been cut, so I had to spend hours sorting things out & figuring out what went where - trust me, that was a mess.

 

the second one, yeah, not nearly as bad when the wiring is complete. It is heavy, so a second pair of hands is very useful to get it bolted up and the support struts installed.

 

somebody mentioned tying a string to the hatch harness before pulling it out - this is an EXCELLENT idea.. make it long enough that there is plenty left once you get the harness out, untie the string & leave it hang until you are ready to feed the new one in.. use the string to help feed the new harness in.

[Bushwick]

I went with a replacement hatch in my '95 years ago as the factory hatch had a weird rust hole. Sounds similar as I remember the wiring harness had to be fished through part of the hatch IIRC, and the very rear of the headliner needed dropped to access a connector, which was able to be accessed by gently plying the rear headliner enough to get a hand under it and unplug. Good news is it was easy to pull the entire wiring for all the lights, wiper, etc. in one go.

 

Biggest thing you need to worry about is ANY damage the heater element section. Check EACH row carefully. I didn't think about that, and ended up with a non-working rear defrost. The motor for the rear wiper might be bad as well. Rear windows that have or had old aftermarket tint might be problematic as well. Also, you'll need to pull your key lock assembly, if it still works. Do NOT throw away your old hatch until everything works correctly on the new one. Or, strip everything in advance, including wiring, bulb assemblies, latch, lights covers, wiper motor, EVERYTHING

Edited May 3, 2018 by Bushwick

[idosubaru]

I must be forgetting something or I haven’t seen a 00-04 but all the rear hatches and doors I’ve swapped or worked on were all easy and the same and I don’t recall much wiring worries.

 

Pop out grommet in 10 seconds and pull and wiggle until the harness comes out. Disconnect the connector and swap away (or repair in the cases I was repairing broken wires.

 

I don’t recall messing with trim or anything. Does the connector not come out when you pull and wiggle the wiring under the grommet on 00-04s?

 

I wouldn’t even think to hesitate swapping the hatch. I’ve quite a few Subaru hatches and doors and other vehicles as well and they’ve all been really easy.

Edited May 3, 2018 by idosubaru

[xdeadeye1]

Update. 

 

I went to salvage yrd.  I got the same exact color ,,and in nice shape.  (whole hatch)   for $85 plus tax.     Guy took it out and I watched him.  went home

 

Put it on today took me about a half hour or so in total.  there abouts.. The wire I was  worried about was no worry at all.  The hatch harness plugs in at the bottom of the rear  interior pillar, accessible by a plastic plug door.

 

The 1996 legacy was very different from this. 2000 model.  Its wiring is much tighter.. that's why I was worried.

Anyway, I have an extra hatch now.. with out a glass window.

 

Salvage yrd wanted $50 for a new  head light.. I  passed, sounds high to me.

[Bushwick]

Think I paid around $85 for mine as well. Pretty good price considering it has the glass AND and hatch, etc.

 

 

Glad everything worked out though. Everything work? i.e. washer fluid sprays, wiper motor motor works w/o noise, binding, etc.?

[xdeadeye1]

lol,, well yes and no...  

 

Most works fine.         The rear cargo light isn't coming on,, but I'm not sure the bulb isn't burnt out.     I gotta figure out how to get that weird bulb out.

 

The rear washer isn't coming out.  I been laying on the button,, thinking maybe it just takes time,, but not sure why its not working  lights and latch work fine.

 

The wiper motor works,, but is a little noisier than the old one...

[Bushwick]

Check the rubber vacuum hose and the plastic connector that butts two ends of the hose together for leaks/breaks at the hatch. The hose has the washer fluid going through it. Chances are, it came apart and it's spraying the washer fluid behind the panels. It can spray enough, that it might find it's way onto a connector somewhere and might pop a fuse.

 

Swap the motors over if you use the rear washer wiper a lot. Chances are, the newer one is either more worn, or tolerances are looser on the gears, it's somehow running out of grease, etc.

[xdeadeye1]

well I dug in to the side of the salvage car and found the butt connector, by the wheel well area  took the hose from there along with the connector.

 

After I hung the hatch I didn't want to dig into the side of my car, so I cut existing hose up near where it goes thru the grommet and into the upper hatch...  I joined the two hoses with the connector I got. 

 

It should really be working,, I cant believe the holes could be plugged in my new hatch....

 

idk,, ill play with it.

[Bushwick]

The actual spray nozzle might be clogged then. IF you saved the the one from the old hatch, might be worth swapping. In the mean time, consider disconnecting the hose, and stick an end in a jar or something, then activate the rear sprayer. If the jar gets washer fluid, then you know it's either a issue from there to the nozzle, or the actual nozzle.