200q20v - broken windshield

[martinkuetzing at att.net]

Robby -

A couple of years back, I had my 200q20v windshield replaced.  Installed, the cost for an aftermarket version, was about $450.  The installer came to where I work, removed the trim & proceeded to cut the origianl seal (nothing more that a type of calking compound) with a thread that resembled cooking twine.  He had the old glass out in one piece in about 15 minutes.  After applying some solvent to clean off the old sealant, he applied new sealant to the car.  Then, he placed on the new glass, pressed it in place and reattached the trim pieces.  The mounting button for the rear-view mirror came already attached to the new glass.  He put a couple of pieces of masking tape from the top edge of the glass to over the roof - warning me not to wash the car or press against the glass from the inside for about a day.  He was done in about 30 minutes.  It was great.

(Unfortunately, a few months later a stone was flipped up and cracked the new glass.  It hit right underneath the passenger-side wiper where I didn't even notice the impact ding.  By the time I saw the crack, it was already several inches long and by now is about 15" long almost perfectly in line with the wiper blade.)

My advice - check some body shops and find an installer with a good reputation and have it done right.  BTW, an OEM windshield would have cost me about $800 at that time.

Martin