You can find the ws install and SB’s in about thirty seconds. Probably right here. I believe the lower spacers were 4 mm but I could be wrong. I own the FR and RR templates and have loaned them out a bunch of times.

Your ws was installed off center. Sorry to break this news to you. There are a few things you can do to make the trim seal look ok.

 

Thanks for the replies...

The parts are correct and they are Porsche labelled parts- so that is not it.
The area where the exterior exterior gasket seems to creep up is only a couple of inches LONG on the bottom of the windshield in the middle near the wiper shafts.
Now, if your theory was correct, the entire bottom of the seal would be up... We are talking about 1/16" here....

Interesting in that this is the first windshield replacement on this car and when we took it apart, there was a 1/8" diameter "backer-rod" (this is what we call
it in construction) of foam that had been put behind the gasket in order to keep it from rolling in upon itself. Seems like I may have to do this also, but the filling
of the pocket as described above may help with this situation as well.

 

There are many stories of Porsche-labelled parts being supplied for the 993 windscreen, but they turn out to be the wrong parts. Even 996 windscreens arrive with mainstream fitters, and 964 trims, and who knows what.

Without a photograph or two, all we can do is make assumptions

 

So here are the photos:

 

Excellent - now can you easily pull the trim off? Just around the bottom, including both corners, and photograph again?

 

From the 'shadow' of slight rubbing in your paintwork that the previous trim/installation has made, the trim that is on now is set further in than the previous installation... for whatever the reason.

ETA I can't see the issue above the windscreen wipers?

 

Looks like the "perfect work" wasn't so perfect.

My guess is he eyeballed it or used spacers for L and R and Top and Bottom and didn't use the templates to set the depth of the window surround into the adhesive. That's why you have the mismatch in all these areas. Did you ask him if he had the templates for this job? To me it looks like the lower 1/2 of the ws is not set deep enough into the adhesive bed.

You have two choices - have the installer try again and use the templates or use backer rod or filler to provide some support to the trim seal.

 

I will pull the trim off in a bit-

So these mysterious templates - where do I get them?

But even the factory glass had the backer rods installed in order to solve this....
So I am confused...

 

I doubt Porsche QC in 1997 would have solved an improperly installed ws and therefore a misaligned trim seal with foam cord. Never heard of the foam cord being used except in the aftermarket for 1) Windshield creak and 2) As backer rod for your issue.

I have FR and RR templates that I am willing to loan out. Talk to you ws guy first.

 

Since I am not the original owner, I do not know when the "cord" was added but it was invisible and seemed to solve the problem just fine-
but according to you, the factory must have installed the window "wrong"- Once again, the window was never removed or replaced.

Before pulling it out and risking other issues, does the caulk solution discussed above help to push the exterior gasket outward, thereby
solving two problems at once, with little risk?

thanks for the offer regarding the templates...

 

My head hurts.....

1) I said unlikely the car would have ever left the factory with the ws misaligned and the trim seals not fitting right. Impossible is a better word.

2) The cord could be there for window creak reasons or to correct the issue you have.

3) If you aren't the original owner how do you know the ws wasn't replaced at some point?

4) Use the foam cord (backer rod) and see if filling the cavity will give you the results you desire. If yes, then you can use something more permanent and something that won't hold moisture. I filled my cavities with 3M Window Weld Ribbon sealer. On a roll and putty type product.

5) The ws installer should have never given you this back as an end result.

 

No.

The WS and plastic outer should be flush with the metal aperture all the way around, with the same-sized gap all the way around. Filling the gap makes no difference to the fitting of the cosmetic trim.

 

When I look at the technical bulletin from Porsche, they advise the complete filling of the void in which my exterior trim
has "fallen". Clearly, the filling of this void does provide support for the trim.

I do not understand why it was stated above that it does not...

 

As I’ve said a few times, you can use the backer rod to see if you can bolster up the trim seal to get rid of the tuck in. I had to do this when my ws was replaced 15 years ago or so. Same location not as severe. Worked fine.

Eventually decided to fill the cavity completely and as I explained I used the 3M Window Weld Ribbon. Worked in by hand very time consuming. I went proud of what the Service Bulletin shows and the cavity fill does do the job of the backer rod and provided support for the trim seal. The nice thing about the Ribbon Seal is it’s easy to add or subtract material.

Give my procedure a try and report back. Lots of talk about this - try it in the car. The Ribbon Sealer is removable so there’s nothing permanent.

 

Clearly? No - it does not. Your exterior trim has not 'fallen' anywhere - it looks like your windscreen is not in the correct place. You still have not put up any photographs with the trim removed.

If the screen is correctly located, the metal aperture and the screen are level with one another, all the way around. The trim sits on top of both. In a correctly located screen, there is NO WAY that filling the gap will support the trim - yes if you fill the gap that you have on your car, it will stop the cosmetic-only trim from curling into your gap, but don't you want your screen in the correct place?

...because it doesn't - look at the diagram... the screen and metal aperture are level.

Only if your screen is wonky will filling the wonky gap stop your cosmetic trim from curling into the gap.