Voytek

I will be having my windshield installed. Per Shop Manual, there should be that little piece I have shown below to have no gap between glass and the upper trim. Is this piece supposed to be part of the windshield, or does it represent something else?

Bill Ball

Hmmm...I know about rubber spacers at the lower edge, but I was not aware of them at the top edge. I told the glass guys to make sure they retrieved the lower spacers. They seemed to be aware of them - maybe common to other cars. Uppers, though, I have no clue.

Bill Ball

I looked at the WSM. The pictures sure look like the spacer is at the top of the glass, but the text related to that only mentions spacers at the bottom cowl area. Those are part number 928.541.121.04 from the PET. PET shows them, but no upper spacers.

Voytek

Yes, the spacers at the bottom is one thing - a rubber piece going beneath the glass. But that "tooth", or a spacer as I call it, is shown by WSM in both top and bottom cross sectional views. It almost looks like it is part of the factory glass, and integrated edge arround the glass spacing it at correct hight for trim to align with roof panel. I am sure we would have known about it by now. I just do not want to end up with huge gap after they are all done with mu glass.

Bill Ball

Have the guys come to your house to install the glass - no difference in the amount they charge and most will do Saturdays. Then you get to watch the install. It's fun, at least the first time or two. The guys I have had knew what they were doing. They put down a thick bead of urethane sealant and press the glass evenly into it. You can make sure the glass is not pressed too far in.

Alan

Agree with Bill - watch them do it (I'd have it no other way) as long as they aren't imbeciles they will do their best work. I take photos too - tell them its for my Porsche album - also keeps them on their toes!!

They have always done a great job - and have an amazing gun for the seal bead. The good guys lay down an absolutely perfect (tall) traiangular bead and this makes for a great seal - they can pretty easily compress it to the right height for the top to match perfectly.

First time they reinstalled needed to rip out the top trim because it was glued in - too much sealant in a previous install. If that happens - I recommend stopping and having them come back when they have the replacement top trim

When you call up tell them you want their most experienced installer to do the job. Usually for a Porsche - you will get him (her?) anyway because they know we are much more picky about results & damage.

Alan

Voytek

Thanks Bill and Alan. I will do that, however, one never knows how deep to push the glass in since the trim is last piece. I guess the trim needs to be pushed in before glue dries out, and be used as a gauge. Strange that WSM shows this piece but does not say what it is. Maybe OEM SIGLA glass had it. WSM even states clean the glass edges and the flange (what flange - maybe that is what they meant).

Bill Ball

Alan is exactly right in my experience too. I watched them lay down a perfectly formed, consistent bead from a caulking gun; something I couldn't do. One guy did it like he was serving tea at a Moroccan restaurant - from about 2 feet above the channel. Also, they were meticulous in cleaning out the channel and priming it with some kind of black paint. The installers use the 15 minute drying time time to mount the rearview mirror.

Trim removal seems to be the only issue. An installer that was otherwise very good managed to mangle one of my top pieces. You have to remove the wipers and cowl, and the side trim pries off to the inside. They seem to get that. But the top trim removal and reinstallation is the touchy part. I've had three (or is it four?) windshields (dump trucks on my commute) and two of the installers had problems with the top trim.

Previous windshield was $280 two years ago. Last one a few weeks ago was $360 by the same people. No problem getting the aftermarket glass in a day. Different brand each time. This one, I've never heard of - XYG. Uhoh, XYG is part of Xinyiglass, a Chinese glass manufacturer. There has been some criticism of Chinese glass making techniques, at least by other glass makers. This windshield looks fine. Wouldn't be able to tell it from any other I've had. Looks like an established company. http://www.xinyiglass.com/public-/fa.../xyg/index.htm

Bill Ball

Note that the procedures described in the manual are considered at least partially obsolete. The adhesives used, especially the old rope kit that you can still get from Porsche, have all been supplanted by urethane one-part adhesisves.

My top trim to glass seems OK, and I can't recall any fuss over that. Show the picture to the installer and ask him about glass height and how they get it even without that spacer. Look at your current trim to window fit. The top trim does not that tightly fit to the glass, unlike the cowl edge, does it? I can put a fingernail under the top trim. The bottom has a rubber lip flush on the glass. I can't see that the top one is all that critical unless there is a large gap allowing wind to pull off the trim. Note that cars prior to 91 or so have a big gap under the side trim. There is a kit for later cars that you can use on earlier ones to fill that with a rubber piece. It does reduce wind noise, but It's $140 for both sides.