number9ine

Hi everyone,

I recently got my windshield replaced with new OEM glass to fix some stone chips and a minor crack. I come home to find that the new glass is seated about 2-3 mm higher on the frame than before, as if the installer created too thick a seal. He was also nice enough to leave a 2' long gouge on the leading edge of my defroster vent trim. On a return inspection he had the temerity to tell my wife the chewed-up plastic will "clean up with a nice detail." At least it's replaceable.

I told the installer (Safelite) that I want the windshield re-seated. He replied by saying that it's "exactly like the showroom cars," which I don't think is true. Every 997 I've seen has the glass inset more than mine is now, with the rubber trim just overlapping the edge of the glass to presumably protect it and avoid wind noise. Now the glass edge is visible all the way around and the rubber trim actually rises to meet it instead of sinking in slightly from the pillars as it used to.

It's a new experience in the cockpit too. I can fit my fingers all the way to the first knuckle between the glass, a-pillars and headliner, and see my VIN reflected off the inside of the glass from the driver's seat.

I took some terrible itouch photos to share, I'll take better pics when I get a moment. If you have some closeup pics of your glass trim, I'd appreciate a post or two for comparison. I'm going to snap a few photos down at the dealer and get their opinion as well.

Thanks for looking!
Mark

Passenger and driver top corners - note visible glass edging:



Top of windshield, edging still visible:


Offset of glass to VIN placard is greater than it was:


Gap between overhead console and windshield is bigger too:

IslandS52

My local Safelite vendor is crap too. On my BMW i had a number of similar issues and it took 3 trips and a calm, rational discussion with the owner (vs a very adversarial dialogue with workers who felt threatened by my complaints, an me physically restraining a worker from filling the gaps with silicone chaulk) to rectify. If it doesn look righ to you, its not right.

Ed Burdell

It's not right. Stand your ground.

number9ine

Thanks guys. I'll get them to fix, no doubt. Just needed a sanity check to confirm it's not right in the first place.

CarlJ

I had my windshield replaced at the local Porsche Dealership using their recommended glass vendor. I had the same exact issue. Apparently, the new glass comes with some spacers that they put under it because they were having issues with it stress cracking and this was supposed to resolve the issue. I don't like it either. It has made the wiper cowl not fit properly and you must tweek on it to get it mounted flush and not have the wiper mechanism hit on the underside. I have gotten over it and gotten the cowl situated, but I don't think it's necessary. However, it's Porsche that supplies the spacers with their windshield replacements.

sullivas

Ditto I had major problem with my Volvo and it ended up at the dealer who had their specialist come in to do the windshield and he did a superior job. It's work the extra bucks especially for a higher-end car you're keeping.

p-cardriver

It is wrong. I just had mine replaced and the installer left his suction/grabbers on the outside of the windshield. We ran some rope through the handles and down to a wheel/tire on each side, and used that to draw the windshield down into the proper seating position. Left it overnight and I returned the grabbers to him the next day. He said the factory has a temp adhesive that is used to hold the glass down until the permanent stuff sets up, but it only seems to work on the original windshield and not on any replacement (just used to install at the factory). As far as he knows there is no substitute for that, so we just rigged it.

Mine sits just like it should which is just like it did from the factory. Oh, and I got hit by a rock the next time i drove it so I've had to have a chip repair already!

Bob/Ft. Worth

Had mine replaced last year at the local dealer after a crack developed ( i bet they used safelite too). Mine is as you describe. It sits higher causing the wiper trim to be raised a bit on the edges nearest the pillars. I don't like it one bit but decided to wait until the next replacement - becasue i know it'll need a new one eventually. I was afraid of pulling this one for another and then getting water inside.

Minok

Which is why I'm loathed to replace any windshield until the state tells me I must or its really badly cracked.

sand8

My 07 originally came with the rubber seal over the glass. During the first replacement, the dealer folded the rubber seal on the edge of the glass. I told them to redo it and they replaced the whole rubber seal like the original. 3 months later, another stone hit and cracked the glass again. Different dealer replaced it and they used the folded rubber seal, like all the newer 987/997 version. I just left it like that, as long as it does not leak when it ever rain.

IslandS52

If you watch Nat Geo's "Ultimate Factories:Porsche" they made a point of showing the only robot on the factory floor in Stuttgart uses lasers or some such to install the windshield to 1/6000th of an inch or some such crazy specification. I am guessing the local Safelite guy is not getting anywhere near that spec.

Minok

If that's the case, its a bad car design. To design a parts installation, where the part is highly likely to need several replacements over the life of the vehicle, but the installation is done by a special tool only found at the factory, whose work cannot be replicated at the service centers is nuts.

boolala

#1: the itouch takes ****ty pictures. That's why I wouldn't buy one.

#2: my dealings with these aftermarket windshield concerns have been almost uniformly bad. I had the windshield replaced on an SL500 once and the installer put a gouge in the A pillar when he climbed on the thresh-hold with a tool in his hand. More recently Safelite repaired a small crater on the Porsche and managed to put a large scratch on the passenger's door handle while negotiating the path between my cars in the garage. I didn't notice it until after he left but, in retrospect, it made his sweaty handshake understandable.

p-cardriver

This is why I asked my local PCA chapter mates for recommendations on the best installer. The feedback was consistent for one guy and he took the time and did it right. The chains are fine for chip repair, but replacements of modern windshields on high-end cars should only be done by real, experienced pros.

Alan C.

I used my dealer recommended installer and it was done at the dealership, Porsche of the Village. They kept the car overnight and I picked it up the next day. Absolutely no issues