Windshield removal tips

[carotman]

I want to remove the windshield on my Hatchback to fix some rust before asking a professional to install a new one.

I don't want to ask someone to remove it since the winsdhield is already cracked anyway. I'm sure I can do it myself and save a few bucks.

Anyone has tips on how to remove it. I saw cut out strings and angled blades. Which ones work the best?

[newaccorddriver]

fishing string works pretty good, but id recommend heating it up a bit before you do that to loosen up the adhesive a bit. if your going to get a new one anyways, then it shouldnt matter how you remove it really.

[xvok]

i did mine with a box cutter it wasnt all that hard took me 30 min maby but ive seen some guys in the jy do it with a bit of wire in like 15 min they just went around the perimite for lack of a better word flossing with the wire and it popped right out and i was stand there and was like damn why didnt i think of that

[2ndGenGuy]

If you're getting a new one anyways, just sit in the seat, and kick the windshield out. Thats what I did anyways. :D

[import racer]

its not that hard,i took both front and back out of my parts car last year.its best to do it when it's warm out,i used a utility knife and an old filleting knife ,once you get the knife started you slowly work the knife around the glass.

[xvok]

and if its aredy cracked john i wouldnt advise kicking it unless you want to clean up a bunch of glass or scratch your paint up once its out thought you should brake the ceramic part off of an old spark plug and throw it at the windshild be sure to put a tarp down first its fun

[carotman]

Hmmm, kicking it is sure tempting.

I'll check what Napa has in stock and take the cheapest kit.

[xvok]

i would just head down to home depot and get some 32 gage braided wire rope then make a small gap and stick it through and get that thing off i say that bacuese i think nappa would probaly charge you like 20$ for esentualy the same thing you could get for 2$ i just rembery you all dont have home depo in canada do you what ever home inprovement store

[2ndGenGuy]

Well since the windshield is plastic laminated safety glass, the glass in the car will be very minimal if any at all. The windshield will not shatter like your side windows.

I more or less was able to push mine out with my feet, the whole windshield shattered but stuck to the laminate, but then I pulled it out (with good gloves!!) the rest of the way and folded it up and threw it in the trashcan. :D

[xvok]

but it would be more fun to get it out whole the shatter it with the spark plug ceramic

[Hash_man_Se_i]

The angled cutter are best IMO... and spray water on the inside near the edges with a spray bottle first... helps keep the mess to a minimum.

[Demon1024]

i'm so glad you started this thread i've been wanting to change out my windsheild for a while
that makes it sound really easy taking it out but why not put it in yourself too?

[forrest89sei]

^^ Because Installing is much harder then removing, and getting the alignment, sealing etc done right is a REAL PITA

maybe you could pop some laminate on the inside then kick it.

If your gonna have to throw it out you might as well have some fun with it :wave:

[Lil Mike]

Well since the windshield is plastic laminated safety glass, the glass in the car will be very minimal if any at all. The windshield will not shatter like your side windows.

I more or less was able to push mine out with my feet, the whole windshield shattered but stuck to the laminate, but then I pulled it out (with good gloves!!) the rest of the way and folded it up and threw it in the trashcan. :D

damn my buddy did that and little glass pieces went everywhere inside his vents and everything, don't want to be in the car when the blower motor goes on for the first time.

[russiankid]

damn my buddy did that and little glass pieces went everywhere inside his vents and everything, don't want to be in the car when the blower motor goes on for the first time.

Cover those areas up.

[Ichiban]

I found the guitar string easier to use than that crappy angled cutter thing. Having two people is necessary though, but either way I end up breaking the windshield removing it (I was trying to save them, but bought a new one)

[headbanger]

my grandpaw was an old skool body -n- paint man and he always used a piano string or the ones from auto parts if he was out of piano strings

[jenkinsauto]

You Will Need 2 Things,1 A Utility Knife,2 Angle Blade Cutter.i've Been Installing Glass For About 8 Years And Found That The Honda's Are Simple.if This Is An Older Honda The Top Molding Is Metal,there Are Clips Under This Don't Bend The Molding Because I Don't Think You Can Get This New Anymore.once You Get The Molding Off Use The Knife To Cut Along The Glass On The Out Side This Makes Using The Angle Blade Alot Easier.you Should Be Able To Use The Angle Blade For The Removal.make Sure That It Is Warm Because This Make The Urethane Easier To Cut.IT TAKES ME ABOUT 15 MINUTES TO REMOVE A WINDSHIELD..

[Dr_Snooz]

my grandpaw was an old skool body -n- paint man and he always used a piano string or the ones from auto parts if he was out of piano strings

The Honda manual says to use piano wire. :huh: Who has piano wire sitting around??? I wouldn't even know where to get it.

Good grief.

[forrest89sei]

The Honda manual says to use piano wire. :huh: Who has piano wire sitting around??? I wouldn't even know where to get it.

Good grief.

Go to a music store with some wire cutters, and bam

[evil88accordLX]

go to a music store an buy a high E guitar string. you can get one for a few dollars, and anyone who plays guitar knows that the high E can cut your fingers if they arent calloused, so it should slice through the window adhesive no problem.

[w261w261]

Well since the windshield is plastic laminated safety glass, the glass in the car will be very minimal if any at all. The windshield will not shatter like your side windows

Maybe with a boot kicking out the glass will not splatter all over the dash, but I can tell you that when my Passat had a tree limb fall on it a couple of months ago (on the windshield, scared the piss out of me), the inside piece of the laminate glass turned into a million tiny little bits, which went all over the dash, seats, floor, everywhere. Cost $200 just to do the interior detailing. The car had $7,000 worth of damage. The good news, it was my wife's car and not my 3G.

[carotman]

I have a bronze tinted windshield that I need to remove too (On another car). I hope I can remove it without breaking it.

[A18A]

front win shields leave such a big mess behind if you smash it :(

[AccordB20A]

yes windscreens do make a huge mess of small sharp glass ouchie things.

cheapers way to go is get to pairs of vice grips and 2 men (or women).

find an old bonnet release cable or boot popper cut it and destrand it, use 3 or 4 strands at a time and hack your way around. the wire will break a few times but theres plenty of it and you keep going until your done. we can usually get one out whole in 15 minuites if theres no rust around the windscreen

[lostforawhile]

I have a bronze tinted windshield that I need to remove too (On another car). I hope I can remove it without breaking it.def get someone to remove it, these windshields are a bitch to install right because of the rake,i'm going to get mine replaced because of the million tiny scratches, and it's like 200 bucks out the door,he even said he could get my trim pieces from his catalog,if i wanted to replace them. thats another thing to consider,some of these glass people know sources for those parts, the average person or auto parts store wouldn't know. dealer may not have them,but the aftermarket glass people may have sources

[thegreatdane]

You can buy cutter wire that's square instead of round, so it's very sharp. Very very easy to cut out a windshield with this. Just got to have a helper on the inside of the car with a holder tool for the wire. And yea bashing the windshield will make lots of small glass pieces fly everywhere. The glass isnt laminated on the outside, only between the two layers of glass.