boyee

iTrader: (3)

Today, Diamond Triumph Auto Glass Repair came to my house and replaced my front windshield because it had a really long crack in the middle. The guy was very nice and helpful and I helped him along too and provided me gloves.

The take out process was smooth, but putting the new glass in was rather difficult for him. First, he was too far off on one side so he had to take the glass out and scrape off the new cocking again and re-**** or reseal and had me hold the suction cup and align it on the passenger side with my right arm.

He also left the bottom trim of the windshield on top of the roof curved down and the door closed on him which bent my trim! He kept sayin to himself "idiot!" and "stupid!" Also the top trim is not aligned because the passenger side top trim is too far off in the middle than aligned with the a pillar trim. The top trim sags down in the middle and the bottom trip is lifted up a little in the middle!

And there was the black sealant urethane all over my driveway and hood, cowel pannel, sunroof, all over my front end basically. Bad cleanup job. I had to use my own wet towel and rub it off after he left. Also there was the black stuff and wet black marks in my passenger carpet!

For $250 I don't think it was that great of a job, but at least I do not have a huge crack or worry I will be pulled over and get cited for a cracked windshield.

Here are some pics to make sense of what I tried my best to describe:













What should I do? Complain? Wait until I will take my car into the body shop to repaint and fix the trims? Leave it the way it is? Tell me what you think.. In the meantime I think I will wash my car.

82transam

iTrader: (18)

When I had the windhsield done in one of my FB's the guy who installed it had done many FB's before "back in the day' and did a great job on mine, no mess, and it all lined up great.
The second windshield I had installed, this time in my other FB was done horribly! He made the glue way too thick, the windshield sat up too high and the trim has never fit as well as it should have....
Sorry to see they did a bad job on yours, its luck of the draw I guess. Good luck cleaning it up!

Glazedham42

iTrader: (4)

Judging by the condition of your carpet, I don't think that you really have much leverage to complain about that. Not trying to be a jerk, but honestly if you want to have nice looking carpet you need to pull that stuff outta there and just replace it. It appears to be covered it rust stains, and your floor mats are worse for the wear also. I think it's ready to be replaced.

As far as that windshield trim is concerned, did he even take it off when he put the new windshield in? I sure think that he should have if he was doing this properly. At the very least I would think that you'd have to take off the top and bottom trim, as well as the sides. It seems to me that any auto glass repair man worth his salt would be able to pop that trim off in no time flat. If I were you I would see if they would re-imburse you for the cost of the damaged trim at least....

rotarymandan

iTrader: (15)

Looks like that carpet has seen better days. Pretty clean for an SA though.

rearviewmirror

If you're not happy with the work then take it back. I refuse to pay for shoddy workmanship...

.....and it's caulk.. not ****. :o

82transam

iTrader: (18)

I agree, if you aren't happy then complain to a manager or something and see what they do, but like glazedham said, the carpet is already stained, they probably won't do much for you unfortunatly. The trim not lining up however is unsatisfactory... I would definatly demand that be taken care of.

kenn_chan

yeah, the factory specs for the front windsheild are a 3millimeter bead of preformed sealant "rope", which is no longer available (it compresses while drying to its final 3mm thickness) this type is no longer sold as everyone uses polyurethane sealer now days. my friend who runs a glass shop reinstalled mine and was bit*&ing the whole time, nowdays most cars use a 5mm thick piece of foam rubber to space the glass off of the frame becasue the poly sealant would all squeeze out. so we did it with 5mm first, results are predictable like yours, he then went out researched from mazda the correct specs for the original "rope" bead sealer and sourced a 3mm thick piece of foam to use so it would line up correctly.

good luck.

kenn

85TIIDEVIL

iTrader: (2)

Don't feel bad... I had a leak the previous owner tried to seal with clear silicone from the inside... all that did was make the water take a different route and it soaked my passanger side carpet and blew my pass side speaker, Alpine tooo.

After removing all the trim myself and cleaning out the spot that leaked as good as I could, I took it to a glass shop. They told me the correct way to seal the leak was to remove the windshield, which it might break and they wouldn't be responsible. Whatever... so how much if it breaks...??? Ha, noone they get glass from stocked the windshield so he tells me I would have to go dealer. Yea right.

Anyways, a worker there said he would bead the entire length of the top portion of my windshield for $20. I'm like alright since I'm in no worse shape then before I got there if it doesn't seal. I tell him "MAKE SURE you DON'T slop the stuff here" and point to each nipple where the trim clips would go back.

Needless to say it's my fault for not watching the guy, he did seem like he'd been doing this for awhile and knew what he was doing... I get back after walking 20 ft away to get cash from a ATM and the guy covered every nipple.

So I'm like whatever, no turning back now because this stuff is the real deal and will get ALL OVER anything it touches.

I race home to put the clips in before the stuff dries (20 min tops)... Yea right. It was half dried already and I was COVERED in this goop by the time I found every nipple for each clip. It's been 4 days later and I still have black **** all over my hands. I literally SCREAMED at the top of my lungs in my driveway to vent.

I would DEFINATLY point out all the stuff the guy did wrong (NICELY) and ask for my bent up trim piece to be replaced or give me a portion of my $$$ back.

boyee

iTrader: (3)

Thanks everyone. I appreciate the feedback.

82transam, the guy that did my windshield was one of those "I haven't seen one of these since lik 1989." That's exactly what he said.

Glazedham42, no offense taken. My car has a tan interior.. not rust stains. It is just BADLY faded. Hah.. I need to redo my ENTIRE Tan interior and I have been reading the thread in the Archive of the 'How To DIY' Tan Interior. Like I mentioned in my first post, he did take off all the trim starting with the top, the sides and bottom. He put them back in reverse order.

Rotarymandan, its an FB =]

kenn_chan, thats great info but I do not think the glass company will care. Thank you for your input though! It's greatly appreciated.

85TIIDevil, It sucks that we have dealt with similar situations. He gave me extra clips but I do not think I am going to do that myself without the windshield popping out tools like he had.

Again, thanks to everyone for their input. I will call the company and try to ask for some money back or get new trim and installation.

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

I have a glass guy that does side jobs. He comes to my house and charges me 25 to install a windshield. His work is impeccable and he knows all the little tricks. Like the rubber stops that go at the bottom to keep the glass from sliding down once it's set.

There's no excuse for this guys shoddy work, talk to the owner and complain. While the carpet may be old and faded, the sealant should be under the glass and no where else. At a minumum, they should replace the trim and reset it, even if they have to redo the glass.

While the trim is off, refinish it.

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

i was looking at the pic of your trim. it looks as if the trim below the windshield just needs snapped into the retaining clips or needs new clips all together. did you make sure you re-inserted the small rectangular trim at the top of the windshield trim in the middle?

82transam

iTrader: (18)

Admiting he hasn't seen one in 15 years wasn't exactly the smartest thing to say...
After the bad experience I had with my last windshield I think I might just change my own windsheild next time. I did the quarter windows on my project car and they came out good...

boyee

iTrader: (3)

Thank you for your good words trochoid.

mazdaverx713b, we did install all new rectangular clips all around. I kind of remember now there might have been rubber pieces that goes on the corners of the trim.

82transam, I am glad someone else took out my original windshield through. At first he tried using a knife like took with a handle and cord to hold onto with one hand each and pull on it to cut the old sealant. That was too tough so he needed to use a saw-all type of tool with a bendable metal spatula looking thing that goes back and forth to cut the sealant.

At first we didn't take out the bottom trim but in order to take out the class we needed to because it was free except the bottom. I will call them right now and try to get some money back or a new service with trims.

Thank you for everyone's help!

82transam

iTrader: (18)

Yea they aren't easy to get out. when I disassembled the project car I cut the windows out using a putty knife I would heat up with a torch, just melts right through the glue. Then some razor blades to clean it all up and off you go.
Like I said the first windshield I had done was installed perfectly, the guy said he had done dozens of FB's back "in the day" and it was obviously true, he did a great job. The second guy was a different story....

Vashner

If they didn't seal it then you are gonna have a major rust problem. It will slowly start to eat the body from the inside out in the roof and surrounding areas.

82transam

iTrader: (18)

Seal what? Or weren't you talking to me....

boyee

iTrader: (3)

Yea, seal what? What are they supposed to seal and where with what material? I do not want my car rusted out! It does not even have any rust on it at all!

Well again I appreciate everyone's feedback and I have called them and a different employee came back. He took a look at the trim mainly and I described to him how everything was put back without being lined up. He explained to me that usually after disassembly, things don't line up perfectly. Anyways his judgment was that he will call his manager to let him know what he saw and what I described to him and I am not sure I will get another visit. Also, he told me that they will order a bottom trim for me. I looked at the Victoria British catalog aka Black Dragon Auto and it costs $120! At least their customer service is excellent so far!

boyee

iTrader: (3)

I was just looking through a BD catalog and noticed there are these rubber looking small pieces that attach on each corner and there are two at the top (one for LH and one for RH). They are parts 97-792 97-793 97-797 and 97-798.

It seems they are missing or do not sell anymore the upper LH and lower RH though. I called the guy who just came and checked my car and left him a message about ordering these corner pieces too.

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

The upper vinyl strips, 792/793 are finishers that fit between the glass and roof. I don't replace them, nor can they be saved when removing the glass. They must be installed with the windshield, cannot be installed after the sealant has set. This area, the top of the windshield, is where the sealant must be all the way across the top and even with no gaps or dips. That's the potential rust area Vashner was refering to. 797/798 are rubber protectors prevent the trim from rubbing through the paint and starting a rust spot. A litle sealer or black caulk will work in place of them.

The manager saying that things don't usually line up after disassembly is simply making excuses for poor craftsmanship. They figure it's a crappy old car and you won't care how it looks as long as you can see out the windshield. I'd like to see him try that line with a dealer on a new car. That would be the last call he gets from them.

If he comes back and tells you the manager said no to making things right, talk to the owner/manager yourself. I had a similiar situation with a lube shop. They tightened down the bolts on the air cleaner box too much and stripped the captured nuts in the plastic. Couldn't take the lid off to even check the filter, let alone replace it. The manager told me the owner wouldn't replace the filter box, but for some reason I suspected he was lying and went directly to the owner. The owner told me the manager had never even talked to him.

After the owner checked the records and found that they had changed the oil in the Riviera once a month for 2 years, (22 visits), he ordered a new filter box and coughed up over 325 bucks for it.

boyee

iTrader: (3)

Thank you trochoid for your response. I have heard these excuses before so I will definitely talk to the manager if they do not come through.

I have gone through the same kind of experience where they look at my car and blame everything wrong with it because of its age. I tell them all it is a work in progress that I am restoring it back to its original glory. It is only the ones that have had a long time experience with rotary cars that treat my car with excellent care.

I will keep everyone updated on the repair status after the initial replacement of the windshield. Their customer service representatives are friendly and helpful since they send out the workers to my house the same day. I guess like mentioned above, it depends on the person who have had experience with our cars or windshield trims that will do quality work smoothly.

bliffle

I had an 83 and an 85 windshield replaced by a guy in redwood City and each one cost me $200. Neither leaks, both look good, No mess. Seemed easy for him and only took about 45 minutes.

boyee

iTrader: (3)

Alright!! So after almost 3 months of waiting from the glass company err well actually I called them 3 weeks after they came back to look at it again and they told me that I told them there were extra parts to be ordered which were those rubber corner pieces (but I think they are discontinued now) so I had to schedule another appointment for them to come back and check it out. At this event, I just gave them my old VB catalog and they actually ordered the bottom trim from them. So I call back about 3 weeks ago asking what is the status since its been 2 months without having any service done to my car and they tell me the part has not been delivered but once they get it they will contact me.

Well now they called me back about one and a half week ago and they told me everything was ready and I told them to come today since I had some time in the morning. The same guy who replaced my window along with his boss was there to fix my trim and I was there to supervise and make sure it all aligned in place evenly. I guess I'll let the pictures speak for the work done.

Oh, they fixed the sagging top trim by adding two higher clips in the middle. I am still missing all four rubber corner pieces that keep the trim from scratching the paint but a trip to the junkyard might fix that later.







So in the end, they came through. I mean they better since their company website says customer service is their priority and also their lifetime guarantee of workmanship and services. So after a couple months of waiting I have a brand new lower windshield trim from Mazda! =)

and it's all gonna come back off when I paint my entire car in the future...

84stock

iTrader: (5)

I got real lucky with my wiondshield, most places were quoting 350+ up here but one shop had old stock in their warehouse. Just $209 installed. A couple days later one of the top trim pieces flew off. they got on the phone and ordered a replacement without hesitation. I felt bad for them, $120, so I went to where i thought it flew off (heard a rattle) and found it nicely preserved in a pillow of grass. they were grateful, reinstalled better immediately and offered me a good deal on the next windsheild which I am getting in the spring.

NCross

iTrader: (18)

At least it looks better now. Ditch the tan interior and sheep skin for some black panels!