Note: Always wear eye, hand and wrist protection while working on the vehicle. This vehicle is equipped with dual airbags and will require additional cure time before releasing vehicle to the owner. The Performance Achievement GroupLLC always recommends rapid curing two-part high viscosity urethane for passenger side airbag equipped vehicles. Inform the vehicle owner of the cure time and any other additional precautions before installation. Always return the vehicle to manufacturer’s specifications.

Be sure to protect all interior and exterior portions of the vehicle to prevent any damage.

I. Getting started:

In preparation for the windshield replacement, complete the following steps: Protect the interior and exterior of the vehicle. Remove the mirror. It is held in place with a #20 Torx screw. Disconnect the wires that attach to the mirror, if equipped. Remove the side moldings, which are held in place with Torx screws. Now, gently pry up on the plastic covers, remove the 13mm nuts that secure the wipers, and then remove the wiper arms. The cowl panel is a three-part assembly. Lift the corner pieces up to remove, which will expose the screws that fasten the main portion of the cowl. The corner pieces are fastened with spring clips. Next, remove the "C" clips along the front edge of the cowl, gently pry up, and remove the cowl panel from the vehicle. The top molding is a rigid wrap around style molding that will need to be removed if cutting out the windshield from the outside of the vehicle.

II. Removing the original windshield:

The windshield can be removed with any of the power cut out tools available. A cold knife can only be used on the top and sides. The lower portion of the windshield will need to be cut with a power tool. Setting blocks are not always used at the OE level on this vehicle. If they are equipped, be careful not to damage them during the cut out process. Performance Achievement Group recommends using the full-cut out method. Using a sharp chisel or utility knife, remove the adhesive, leaving a thin skin of well-bonded urethane on the pinchweld. Be careful not to disturb the body paint.

III. Preparing for the new windshield:

Prime the pinchweld according to your adhesive manufacturer's specifications. Concentrate only on the areas of the paint that may have been scratched or damaged during the removal process. The freshly cut urethane bed provides the best bonding surface. Allow proper time for the primers to dry. Clean and prime the windshield according to adhesive manufacturer's recommendations. The replacement windshield will have the top molding attached to the glass. If you are re-using the original glass, you may need to replace the molding.

IV. Placement of the new windshield:

Dry set the windshield into the opening, being sure to properly adjust for proper alignment. Use a properly cut "V" notch tip to duplicate the original bead size. Apply a high viscosity two-part adhesive to the glass. The adhesive is applied along the pre-applied molding on the top, on the edge of the glass on the sides, and will run up from the edge of the glass on the bottom. To determine the position of the adhesive on the bottom, you may apply an acoustic baffling foam dam to the pinchweld in the area just above the existing urethane. Then apply a very thin coat of standard viscosity adhesive to the foam. Dry set the windshield for a reference point to assure proper positioning of the adhesive bead on the bottom of the glass. Set the windshield into the opening using your dry set marks for proper alignment, being careful not to slide the windshield once it makes contact with the pinchweld.

V. Finishing Touches:

Re-install the sides and the cowl in reverse order. Be sure the rubber flap in each corner of the cowl is replaced properly. This will cause an air noise if not installed correctly. Place the wipers in their proper position and test. Clean and prep the vehicle.

Written by
Phil Ochs of Performance Achievement Group
and
Michael Graves from Auto Glass Specialists of Grand Rapids, MI branch.