Thread: Removing hatch glass

whats up jjkamikaze i am an auto glass installer also in cali. this back glass would have came out very easy using 3 types of cold knives easy. about 60.00 worth of tools to remove this or the classic way using guitar wire with some seatbelts worth 5.00

yeah I could do it with no problem using just a cold knife then use my longknife to skin it down and use a caulking gun to apply glue. I prefer to use my express tool, cold knife, long knife, electric glue gun, cups, primers and good hv high modulus non-conductive 1 hour safe drive glue. an untrained person with a cold knife or even cutout wire runs a very high risk of breaking glass everywhere or damaging the car, as the op found out. I have done glass work for 10 years and have never once used cutout wire or especially guitar wire, there are way way easier and safer methods.
I wish I was in cali though instead of va. how is the glass industry out there? mandatory yearly car inspections keep the windshield business alive here.

Question for you glass guys - for doing the corners what do you use? I always found it a pita to do the corners with wire. Straight sections come out like a breeze but the corners slow me down. Is a quality cold knife the way to go?

i only use this tool. have never broken a glass and you can cut out a windshield in about 90seconds. Autoglasssolutions.com - Equalizer® Express® Tool as a rule you should never install a used windshield in a car. back glasses and other glasses are ok.

What's the reasoning behind not installing used front glass?

the windshield is actually a structural component in this style unibody car. The adhesives or contaminants on the used glass could cause a failure in glass retention, which can be deadly in a crash. Because of liability we can't and wont install used front glasses especially in a car with passenger airbags. Passenger air bags in most cars deflect off the windshield and can pop a poorly adhered glass right out rendering the airbag useless. a new windshield for a b13 is $40 from a wholesale manufacturer no excuse for using used junk. at a consumer markup you should still be able to find one for 80ish.
you should watch this video too, they cover a lot of good points about improper glass installation.
Worry Over Windshields by ABCNews - YouTube

Thanks for that info!