If you're looking for “how to safely replace a broken windshield?” Follow these simple steps:
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- Shop for windshield glass replacement
- Prepare the required tools
- Get rid of the old broken list
- Remove the stock glass in the pinch Weld
- Prepare the vehicle for the new windshields
- Prepare the glass
- Apply the urethane
- Install window glass
There are many instances where our windshield glass gets cracked or broken at some point in time. Most of us take our windshields for granted and think that they will never break because they look sturdy but dealing with broken windshield is a very common situation that you'll need to be prepared for and at least have a good understanding of what needs to be done to repair it.
When your windshield is cracked or broken to a certain point, you'll deal with safety issues that might impact you, the passengers, and other people driving around you on the road. Furthermore, driving with a cracked windshield is not legal, and depending on the severity of the cracks, you might get a ticket for driving with such a vehicle.
Replacing the windshield requires a certain amount of repair costs that you could cut significantly if you decided to replace your windshield. Therefore, this article provides you with a windshield replacement DIY and helps you answer the question “how to safely replace a broken windshield?”
What causes the windshield to break?
One might wonder what the main cause will be breaking the windshields. Typically, the windshield glass is very strong and very durable, and it's not very easy to get it to break. However, it's not rare to deal with situations where the windshield breaks because of common reasons:
- The windshield might break because of extra pressure, especially if you get in your vehicle and slam the doors suddenly
- It also might break because of a small stone that might hit the windshield on the road from other vehicles in front of you
- There are some instances where some customers indicated that their windshield got break because the hood popped up suddenly when they were driving at certain high speeds, and they didn't realize that the hood wasn't secured correctly
Therefore, being proactive and learning how to replace a broken windshield helps you the tournament what to expect without being nervous about the situation when it happens.
How to safely replace a broken windshield?
Replacing the windshield is not a complicated job, and many drivers learned the process and got to replace their windshield by themselves without needing a professional. However, since you're going to deal with a glass, there is a very high chance of safety issues. Therefore, the most important thing you must keep in mind is learning how to safely and properly replace the windshields without causing any negative consequences.
Whether you're dealing with a broken rear or front windshield, the good news is that the process is very similar, and all that you must do is to follow these simple steps:
1. Shop for windshield glass replacement
The first step in “how to safely replace a broken windshield” Is to find a good location where you can purchase a new glass replacement. Typically, you'll have different options for finding a glass replacement for your windshield:
Dealerships
Many dealerships sell brand new OEM windshield glass that you can purchase directly and consider providing them with the details about their vehicles may, model combined here to get an accurate measurement.
However, dealership parts are typically more expensive than other approaches, and it will take longer for you to get the part from dealerships.
Glass installers
If you got connected with some glass installers in your area, you could check whether they can prepare the windshield glass replacement. Again, you'll provide them with detailed measurements, and they are pretty good at designing and cutting the exact dimensions needed for replacing your windshield glass.
eBay
Many sellers on eBay will sell you the exact windshield replacement for your glass because they might have a broken vehicle and a perfectly working windshield.
Junkyards
Like the parts you'll find on eBay, there are many junkyards around the area that you can visit and look for used glass to replace your windshield.
There are many pros and cons of purchasing glass from the mentioned approaches. The only thing that you must focus on is prioritizing your list and determining whether you're looking for lower prices or higher qualities. If you decide to go with used parts, it is critical to inspect the glass thoroughly to confirm that it doesn't have any cracks or other problems.
2. Prepare the required tools
You don't need to purchase very special tools to do this job, and all equipment is considered very simple. However, you must choose the right type of glue to stick the glass to your vehicle. There are many types of glue in the market, and it's recommended that you go through the main pros and cons and ensure that you bought the correct one and the strongest one.
Some of the tools that you'll need include:
- A set of scrapers
- Soapy water
- A glue gun
- A primer That matches the same glue brand
- A set of pliers
- Plastic chisels
- A suction cup to carry the glass
- A metal scraper
- A pair of gloves
- Goggles
3. Get rid of the old broken list
To get started in “how to safely replace a broken windshield?” You'll need to get rid of the old broken glass first. To do so, you don't just handle it by hand, and you can rely on a shop vac that won't take out all broken glass without causing any safety issues.
It is important to note that you might find some broken glass all over the seats and the doors. Therefore, ensure that you didn't leave any small glass chips on the vehicle because it might cause some injuries to the passengers or yourself.
4. Remove the stock glass in the pinch Weld
After removing the broken glass, you also need to remove all remaining glass stuck in the pinch weld. It is important to note that once you start removing the stock glass, there's a very high chance that some of the remaining glass might fold out. Therefore, you can use a simple tape and tape all the glass together to form a one-piece.
After taping the glass, you can go ahead and use a plastic scraper along with a weighted hammer to remove all glass stuck to the weld. As you're removing the glass, you must stay away from the paint so you don't scratch it. Although some specific tools help you get rid of the old glass, those tools are more expensive, and since you're doing this once in life or probably a couple of times during the lifetime of your car, it might not be worth purchasing that tool.
When you get to the windshield heater wire, you must disconnect it by hand to connect it to the new windshield. If you're removing the rear windshield, it might be easier for you to open the trunk, seeking to get good access to the glass in the bottom of your windshield. Similarly, you might want to pop the hood to get access to the glass of the lower portion of your front windshield.
Once you finish taking out the glass from the world, it's recommended that you put the glass in a box, not in a bag, and send it to the recycle bin. Make sure to vacuum the area one more time to ensure that no remaining glass parts might fall on the vehicle when you were removing the glass from the weld.
5. Prepare the vehicle for the new windshields
After removing all the glass, you'll get the vehicle ready to install the new windshield. You mustn't necessarily remove the entire urethane on the glass because you can shave it off and still use a good part of it. To get the best results when adding the new urethane, you'll eliminate all the gunk and contaminants to prevent them from contaminating the new material.
At this point, you can go ahead and shave down the urethan using a razor blade until it's one or two millimeters thick. However, note that there is a way it might cause scratches on the paint, which is the last thing you want to do because scratches lead to rust that could eventually detach the glass from the vehicle.
6. Prepare the glass
After finishing preparing the vehicle, you'll also prepare the glass. If the glass isn't brand new, it will be less work for you. However, if you purchased a used glass, you must get it prepared, and it will take extra steps.
To do so, you'll need to disconnect the heater cords because you'll have them already on the vehicle, and you'll get rid of all the urethane around the windshield because you already have a good one as well. As you're cleaning the urethane, you mustn't worry about scratching the glass because your scraper shouldn't damage as glass is much stronger than your car's paint.
After that, you'll use a specific glass cleaner and clean out all the new glass. Then, put the suction cups because they'll help you install the glass without causing any risks of breaking it. After that, follow the instructions indicated currently on the primer to get the best results.
7. Apply the urethane
Before adding the glass to your car, you'll need to allow the primer to dry out for at least 10 minutes. Then, you also need to apply the primer to the vehicle and get it ready for the new glass. It's important to note that you don't necessarily must put the primer around the entire windshield location because it is useful for areas where you have rusted or where the urethane got very thin.
To apply their thing, you'll need to cut the tip to a triangle for best results. As you are applying it, you must have the bottle perpendicular to the frame of the vehicle. Experts recommend applying the urethane from the lower portion of your windshield and making your way to the top.
8. Install window glass
The last step is to carefully hold the glass from the suction cups and install it. You want to ensure that the glass sits perfectly at the right location because once it touches the urethane, it will stick to it, and things will get messy, and you won't be able to install the glass properly.
How to prevent windshields from breaking?
If you don't want to deal with the whole process of replacing your windshield and want to cause yourself extra effort and money, it's better to learn how to be proactive and prevent the windshield from breaking in the first place.
Typically, if the issue happens because of a pressure problem, you'll need to go back to the vehicle's trunk and confirm that the vents are not clogged because if they're clogged, they will cause the extra pressure leading to broken windshields.
Also, you must confirm that the hood is closed securely, so it doesn't pop up when you're driving.
Finally, if the problem that caused the windshield to break has to do with the rock coming as you're driving your vehicle from the vehicles in front of you, there is not much to do, and the only thing to help yourself is to learn how to replace the windshield or understand they expected repair costs and never delay fixing even minor cracks because they can get bigger over time and you won't get any warning signs when the windshield blows up completely.
Conclusion
Dealing with broken windshield glass can be very critical and dangerous. Furthermore, it might lead to legal situations where you can't drive your car freely on public roads. Therefore, learning how to replace a broken windshield safely helps you resolve the issue without needing to pay for labor costs.
It is critical to note that if your car has major mechanical problems, it might not be worth your effort in replacing the old windshield. Instead, you might want to consider selling your vehicle is using its money to buy a better car that probably has a good windshield glass.
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