materials:
a friend, knife, heat gun, screw driver, old throttle cable or piano cord, heavy duty glass adhesive, the replacement glass, and OEM or aftermarket weather stripping for the outer glass.
notes:
– this install is best left to professionals. i guarantee the first time you do this its going to leak if you use the wrong adhesives, or you can crack the glass with all the pulling and prying. the labor for each window should be between $60-100 per window.
– make sure when you purchase the glass, it comes with the weather stripping or some sort of aftermarket replacement. otherwise the adhesive will wear under the weather and it will start leaking. nissan will charge $300+ per replacement window.
Procedure:
1. remove interior trim for windows.
2. loosen up the nuts that bolt onto the glass — this is used to pull the glass onto the window adhesive when reapplying the glass.
3. this is where it gets tough. you will destroy the old weather stripping in the process. with a knife, cut along the edges of the outer stripping. you will need to expose the glass adhesive.
4. heat the inside part of the glass with the heat gun. do this for about 5 minutes or until it gets hot.
5. starting from the upper corner or lower rear of the glass, use the throttle cable/cord to literally file off the old adhesive. it might be a tight squeeze in there, but it can be done. a good trick is to heat the cable from time to time and if you have adhesive remover, u can soak the cable with it to aid in removal. this part takes a while, about an hour of concentration. keep the adhesive hot while filing (this is where its good to have a friend).
6. once you file throughout most of the glass, slowly pry the glass off of the frame from the inside. don’t go too quick with the glass. if its too hard to remove, file through it again until you can at least move the glass off its seat. make sure your friend can catch the glass, or it will crack.
7. now that its off, clean the frame part thoroughly so the new adhesive will sit firmly and catalyze completely.
8. spread the adhesive on the seat as well as the new glass. make sure not to be cheap and hesitant and make sure to use a decent amount.
9. make sure to seat the glass evenly and firmly. while you or your friend are pressing the glass into the seat evenly, use the nuts to line up the glass. then for the next hour or so, press evenly on the glass, and hopefully, no air bubbles or contamination will form in the adhesive (another mistake by us). you literally have to press on it constantly and evenly.
10. with the remaining adhesives, place the new weather stripping back onto the glass. again, even pressure when your applying it, and generous amounts of adhesive. it will take awhile for it all to bond the glass and metal.
11. Do the other side
TEST AND VERDICT:
Without proper tools and materials there was leakage down the road. DO IT RIGHT OR TAKE IT TO A WINDOW SHOP!
