If the rear window of your car is smashed in an accident, you should replace it as soon as you can. This is because thieves will take advantage of such an opening to steal the things that you normally leave in the car. Moreover, rain water will be able to leak through the window and damage the seats. Pests such as rats and lizards will also find a home in your car. The good thing is that you can change the rear window by yourself and save money for other bills. Below is a detailed explanation on how to go about it.
Buy New Glass Window
The first step when replacing a broken rear window is to buy a new glass window. Since rear windows can be quite costly, you should put your finances in order before you start shopping around. You should also consider comparing prices of different dealers so that you can settle for the most affordable deal. In fact, your search should narrow down to local automobile glass replacement near you.
The good thing is that you don’t have to take your car with you when shopping for rear window glass. This is because automobile manufacturers have designed them in standard size for each particular make. For instance, the size of rear window for all Ford Ranger is the same. You therefore just need to tell the automobile glass dealer you want to buy a rear window for Ford or Mustang and he will give you the right fit for your car.
Wear Protective Gear
You should not start working on the rear window before wearing protective gear. This is you can get injured by the small pieces of broken glass. It’s therefore important to wear eye goggles to keep your eyes safe from stray glass chips. Besides that, you have to wear gloves to protect your hands. Your hands are actually more vulnerable than any other part of your body. This is due to the fact that you will use your hands to remove the remains of shattered glass.
Get the Surface Ready
When preparing the area that will hold the new glass window, you should start by detaching the rear wiper so that it doesn’t scratch the new glass during installation. This should be followed by pulling out the old glass window from the frame. To remove the old glass, just use a knife to get rid of any molding material and then use a flat tipped screwdriver to dig deep into the rubber band.
You should then run the screwdriver around the edges of the rubber band to create a slot. You can then use the screwdriver to push out the mirror gently from the inside. Once the old glass comes out, you should proceed to wiping the edges of the frame that will hold the glass with a painting brush. This helps in removing any debris that might interfere with the adhesive. If the surface is already rusty, you should sand it with sandpaper.
Put the New Glass
For the glass to stick firmly on the frame, you have to spread primer on the metal frame. You should also smear primer on the contour of the black rubber band. Since applying primer can be cumbersome, you will have to use a caulking gun. When lifting the new glass, it’s recommended you hold it using suction handles to avoid to contaminating the primer on the edges. In addition to that, you should avoid gliding it on the window frame. You only need to ensure the edges are aligned and then lower it into the right position. You should then apply a little force on the edges to make the glass bond with primer.
Allow the Adhesive to Dry
Once you have finished installing a new rear window, you should wipe excess primer on the edges using a dry piece of cloth. When you are through with that, you should wait for at least one hour for the bonding agent to dry.
Driving the car immediately will interfere with the drying process of the adhesive. If you want to clean the car with water, you should wait up to 24 hours.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
