Windshield Replacement

1990 Geo Metro 4dr, 3cyc, auto, air,

I am thinking about replacing the windshield in my Geo. The glass alone, I can purchase for abt. $100.00. Glass and installation is abt. $225.00-250.00. I have a Chilton manual for Geos and they don't recommend an inexperienced person doing it. I would like to try. Has anyone any experience doing this and if so, any pointers?

I haven't replaced glass myself, but my Metro windshield is badly scratched from dirty windshield wipers. I'm thinking of trying a polish of some kind. Is that why you're replacing yours or is yours cracked?

I've got a scratched winsheild as well... Not too bad, just shows up after I clean the windsheild. If you find something that will polish out light scratches and works please post up.

Thanks !

OK! I'll tell you the little that I know on the subject of replacing a windshield. But remember... I'm an amatuer! I had a 1989 Metro that needed both an engine and transmission. I decided to tear it apart and sell the pieces on Ebay. That worked out for me in that I not only got all my money back from my original purchase, but I also acquired a lot of knowledge in how the car is assembled. One of the things was the removal of the windshield. This needs to be done in a heated garage or outside on a warm summer day. First you remove the outer trim around the windshield. Then you work a wire thru the black glue that holds the windshield to the body of the car. Use the wire to cut thru the glue as you work it around the windshield. By the time you have loosened the top and both sides, you can pull the windshield up to free it along its base. I was amazed at how a "glue" sealer could still be so sticky and pliable after over 15 years! I saved the windshield because it was too difficult to sell on ebay. Now to last summer. I had a 91 Metro given to me. One of its defects was a smashed windshield, but as you recall, I had one in my garage. When you remove the old windshield, make sure to clean the frame as much as possible of all broken glass and excess glue. When I went to install it, I discovered that the 89 Metro and the 91 Metro had slightly different dimensions in the heighth of the windshield. Apparently the 91 has a bit more headroom. I still managed to make the 89 windshield work by adding an extra strip of sheet metal across the top. You have to look close to see it. I told you that to make you aware that there may be some differences in the sizes so save yourself some troubles by getting the right one the first time (Do as I say, not as I do!) Autozone sells the windshield sealer for about $12 a tube (I needed two in order to make up for my sheet metal addition). Squeeze the sealer onto the frame and lay the replacement windshield on it. Press it in and replace the trim. That's how I did it. Good luck!... Steve

Do a Google for winshield repair kits. There are several available that use several grits of polishing compund. You work each grit from coarse to fine. The reviews I have seen are great.

Replacing the glass is fairly easy. You will need latex gloves, at least one tube of butyl-rubber windsheild adhesive (sold at most glass places), a caulking gun, plus a long-type box cutter with several blades (the long serrated-snapoff type box cutter with blades around 3-4" long)
Remove the wipers from the car and the plastic left and right cowl covers. Don't break the cowl covers or the small "rivets" that hold it in place. Open the doors and pull away the door rubber surround carefully from the windsheild area. Now you get to the actual black windsheild-surround which is a plastic molding. Pull it away from the glass carefully, sides first, then at the top. You need to reuse this molding again for aesthetic reasons. Save it and clean it for later use. Try not to distort/tear it when pulling it off. CAREFULLY !!! NOTE: The idea is to cut the windsheild from the car as close to the glass as you can and minimize disturbing the distruction of the rubber between the car and glass. From the inside of the car, start cutting with the box knife around the left and right side glass by running the blade up and down as close and parallel to the glass as possible. You will "feel" when the blade cuts through completely. Complete BOTH sides first, then do the top the same way. Make sure the sides and top are completely cut. Test by pushing glass at the top and it should flex away from the car frame at this point around 1/2 inch or so max. Stuff a towel between the glass and car at the windsheild top to act as a "spacer", then begin cutting at the bottom-sides of the glass first. As the rubber is cut, you will "feel" the pressure holding the glass in place diminish. Keep cuttin and increasing the gap a little at a time until you feel the glass "release" from the car. NOTE: some people use a piece of piano wire or old hood release cable to see-saw through the windsheild rubber. This works, but is a LOT of work. You can use a combination of the cutter and wire if this suits you better. As stated in a previous thread, clean the windsheild contact area on the car as best as you can. DO NOT remove all of the material from the car winshield surround area. If you do this, you will need to buy "spacer material" from your glass shop to fill this void. If the glass touches the metal because you removed all the insulator, it will surely crack during expansion and contraction. Dry fit the new windsheild onto the car looking for gaps and such. The contact surface s/b as even and clean as possible. Mark the exact center of the glass at the windshiel bottom with masking tape. This will help you position the windsheild during the install process. Attach the previously cleaned windsheild surround to the windshield using SMALL dabs of the windsheild adhesive inside the channel of the molding and mask-tape the molding in place so it will not move. Adhesive needs to set-up around 15-20 minutes depending on weather. (cover the adhesive as best you can during this time. OPEN both pass and driver's side door windows. (If the doors slam during the gluing, the pressure will blow air holes in the adhesive and the job will leak). When ready, apply a 1/4-3/16" ribbon of sealand onto the contact surface where the glass touches the car. Make the ribbon as "round" as possible when dispensing it or you will have gaps between the glass and car...thus leaks. When installing the glass, align the tape marking at the glass bottom and slowly lower the top of the glass against the window frame. Press carefully and evenly untill the window is seated and spacing is even between the car and glass. I tape the top corners to hold down the corners that tend to poke up due to molding shrinkage. I let the job setup for around 45minutes before trying to clean anything. I use gasoline or brake cleaner with lint-free cloths to clean. If there is any gaps, you can add adhesive squeezing it into the gaps, remove excess carefully. The adhesive is actually easier to remove if you let it set for a few minutes, then wipe it smooth with a lint-free cloth with solvent. (when wet the stuff is way to fluid and only smears and makes a bigger mess.) Preferrably, let the job set for around 12 hours. DON't slam the doors, espeicially with the windows closed or you will have leaks!!. I have done this job no less than five times and only once have I had a small leak I had to seal after the fact. Good luck and be safe with that blade!!. Ciao

I looked on-line, but didn't find anything for polishing scratched windshields. Any brand-names you can suggest?