Windshield Glass

[geoff]

I lent my rig to my mom to use so she could pick a stove up and she decided to follow a farm truck all the way home that had no mud flaps. Now there is a crack all the way across the windshield and I got pulled over for it twice already. So my question is how hard is to replace the windshield yourself and is it worth it if I can find the glass cheap enough.

 

I called some glass companies and the cheapest so far is $150 to get a new one. I dont mean to sound cheap but I am unemployed and looking for work. If if this is something I could so myself I could really do to save the money. Has anyone ever done it before?

[Diesel Boy]

Pull an insurence scam.

Ring up, get the cover changed to full with windscreen cover, they will send ya the bill with the date when you need to pay by and when cover expires if you haven't payed, then wait a week, ring them up and claim, and then cancel the full back to third party cover when ya have your new screen.

 

Getting the old windscreen is tha biggest mission. Glass every where etc etc.

Best way to do it is with a piece of wire or a guitar string, get it through behind the windscreen and work it back and forth so it cuts the glue the whole way round screen.

Its a mission.

Then ya gotta try and get the remains of the old glue off, and glue the new one in.

 

Not at all easy!!!!

[gabod7]

contact the farm truck. that probably wouldn't do much good but hey, its worth a shot. my mom was in her mini van and a DOT worker slung some rocks out from under its bush hog and broke the windshield and dented up the body a little bit. they payed every penny.

 

for getting it replaced, its only 150 around here to get a pathy window replaced. you said its 150 for the glass.. how much total is it for labor and all?

[Earth1]

I've seen dozens done. It's not an especially hard job, but personally one I would leave to a professional. A good friend of mine does autoglass, and his company guarantees their work for life, worth paying to me. $150 bucks installed is a pretty reasonable price.

 

If you decied to do it yourself, watch out for rust spots, and use primer on any bare metal, or paint you may have scratched. Laying a smooth even adhesive bead is really important.

 

Here's a suggestion. Find a glass guy and bribe him for some after hours work. He can get the glass cheaper than you, and he might not mind some extra $ for a quick job.

[geoff]

Thanks for the info guys. I am just going to suck it up and pay it I guess. I dont know if you were kidding about the insurance thing or not, but it wouldnt work for me. I ALWAYS seem to get caught at stuff like that. Just never been one for the dodgy path I guess. As to the farm truck, my mom lives out in the middle of the wheat fields and she got *too scared* to drive and she had just pulled off the road. She never got a license or anything, and if you have been out in those areas anytime around harvest, well theres just too many damn trucks to find them. Thanks again guys.

[94extreme]

i went to a junk yard got glass for 50 and then had it installed by a glass place for like 35 or something like that..

[mws]

Thanks for the info guys. I am just going to suck it up and pay it I guess. I dont know if you were kidding about the insurance thing or not, but it wouldnt work for me. I ALWAYS seem to get caught at stuff like that. Just never been one for the dodgy path I guess.

Good on ya! Regardless of fear factor, keep in mind you always have to live with yourself. It's easier to live with somebody you like.

I know I don't much like people who take advantage of others for personal gain...

[MaritimeMan]

Most insurance policies cove windshield replacement, call yours and ask. When I had mine done, I called ahead, and they told me to come in the next morning. They already had the glass there, and it took they guy about 20 minutes to swap em out, they were that fast. I don't remember what the total was, but like it was said before, alot of companies cover their work. In my mind, something like that is worth paying for. You mess the bead up in one spot, you just got yourself a leak.

[TrailChaser]

I payed a local guy $100 even for a new/used windshield. He came to my house and installed it in about 20-30mins and even swapped out the inspection sticker... It was kinda cool watching him do it, but the pros make it look sooo easy. Besides he had a couple of fancy tools that seemed to help alot.

 

Pulled over twice for a crack in the windshield??? Are the cops there smoking crack or what? That's just retarded, I would have let the cop know what I thought about the great job he's doing catching the bad guys... I hate cops like that... "Oh, I just pulled you over for that crack in your windshield. Hands behind your back, I'm running you in."

Where are you located? Sounds like backwoods Arkansas where they study your car as you pass praying for a reason to pull you over and do a search.

Sorry for the rant... Back to the subject.

[FLApathy]

Pulled over twice for a crack in the windshield??? Are the cops there smoking crack or what? That's just retarded, I would have let the cop know what I thought about the great job he's doing catching the bad guys... I hate cops like that... "Oh, I just pulled you over for that crack in your windshield. Hands behind your back, I'm running you in."

Where are you located? Sounds like backwoods Arkansas where they study your car as you pass praying for a reason to pull you over and do a search.

Sorry for the rant... Back to the subject.

well it is illegal to run a like that, failure to maintain your vehicle or something, and yes, there is more to the job then catching drug dealers

 

and i bet you wouldnt mind that cop if he took a bullet for you

 

 

oh, you cant go to jail for a cracked windsheild (as far as know) but you can if you do something stupid to him

 

one more thing, how long have you been a police officer?

Edited October 5, 2005 by FLApathy

[TrailChaser]

I'm not a cop... I do however live in Houston, TX home of some of the most corrupt cops in the country. Ever hear of the K-mart bust? Stuff like that happens too often around here. I've tried being respectful and that usually just gets you about as far as letting the pricks know what you think about their police work.

I have no problem paying a ticket for speeding(if I were speeding) or whatever. But when it comes to crap like the cracked window, or a taillight burned out. Then tend to use that as an excuse to pull you over waste over 1/2hr of my time standing in the heat and traffic while looking giulty as hell to everyone driving by gauking at you all because of one brakelight being out. They could just as easily inform you that the light is out and let you go about your business. And as for a cracked window... I'm like "Hell yes I know the f*&^%*g window is cracked. I'm saving money to get it fixed, and now I guess you being the pig you are are gonna write me a $75+ ticket just because you're that kinda person."

Every cop has the choice to be a **** or to be a desent person... I tend to deal with the dickheads most because I drive right and don't brake the law(except for speeding if I'm around a lot of other cars running the same speed) so the only cops who pull me over are the ones that aren't looking for speeders/non-blinker-users/red light runners they're looking to pull over someone who "looks" suspisious to them so they can try to find drugs. That's why I only get messed with when I'm alone or with guy friends, and never when I've visibly got the kids in the back with the wife riding shotgun.

 

And for the record I DO have a few friends that are cops. They are well aware that I will beat that ass if i hear of them being a **** to one of my friends... I already had to deal with one cop friend for slapping his wife around at a party. Everyone who was there was like "Oh you're crazy, he's a cop on the so n so police force." I'm like "Ya he's also an old friend from school who gets his ass kicked sometimes when he steps outa line."

Edited October 5, 2005 by TrailChaser

[Precise1]

I already had to deal with one cop friend for slapping his wife around at a party.

 

Funny, isn't that a jailable offense ?? Gee, a cop would never break the law, would he ? Lets face it, they are just like any other subset of people You get the good, the bad and the ugly. I've dealt with all kinds and boy, weren't some of them a treat !!

As for the windshield, I'd say buy one as sheap as you can and any seals,etc required, then pay someone $30 or whatever to put it in. A buddy of mine who was fixing up a Ghia broke his rear glass re-installing it. That was an expensive error...

 

B

[FLApathy]

yeah trailchaser i agree with you on that, my mom and a few other family members are cops, my mom was a victim of the currupt cops, my mom never pulled people over for that crap and she never wrote tickets for anything cuz she does the samething like speeding and what not

[Oldpathy]

I know this is an old thread but I had to tell my windshield story.

 

I was on my way to work at 5:30am, dark out. Going down the road at 60mph minding my own business when a hawk decides to fly right into the passenger side of my windshield, completely shattered that side and cracked the driver side. Got to work and there was no blood, just feathers stuck on my windshield wiper. On the way home that afternoon I looked for and found the dead hawk, big sucker, 3 pounds. The next day I had a company come to where I work and replace the windshield, cost me $140. They even vacumed up the tiny glass shards.

 

Funny thing is I never even slowed down after the hawk hit.