Hello, could use any thoughts on this process.

The local Ford dealer where I am at won't touch such a job. They referred me to a chain called Water Doctors, who's local franchisee has gone out of business.

One local auto glass place suggests I can get a new molding from Ford and they can install it. $115 from Ford but takes 4 days to arrive.

Or they can put in a whole new windshield for only $150.

But my windshield is 100% fine, no cracks or chips, no reason to replace the while thing with cheap Chinese glass.


While I wait for a molding I'm not sure I want to drive around, with all sorts of miscellaneous moisture-in-the-GEM issues popping up randomly. I like that the footwell heater aims right at the GEM, somewhat, that should help keep it dry - but I'm a little apprehensive about driving an hour in heavy traffic each way to my current job site. And cloudy, moist conditions today here … rain on Sunday. Need to get back on the road somehow……….

 

sounds like another glass shop with experience ,would be your best option, putting a cover on it while parked, butt will come with risks

 

I had the same problem last spring. My windshield was leaking in the upper drivers corner and dripped into the dash. I took it to a windshield shop and he said the best is to replace it because to reseal it you need to remove it and it will break. He told me our trucks all seem to have this problem, Ford must not have sealed them good for the long haul. So I now have a new one and no leaks, gees i just got hit by a rock the same week too. good thing i had full glass coverage.. (hint)

 

what a circus this has turned into

way back in the early 90s, I did my own windshield seal with a kit I bought at the auto store. while I was doing it, my neighbor walked out and remarked "doing your own windshield eh? guaranteed to leak." he was 100% correct, eventually. I knew I would leave it to the pros the next time.

but I think I ran into needing this re-sealed (moisture in the GEM - every kind of crazy electrical activity you could name, not safe to drive) in one of the worst states possible for the situation. one of only four with comprehensive auto glass replacement required in all insurance policies. so for any tiny ding in a windshield, you can get a new one, free.

the result is a soup of scammers. one "shop" was at a self-serve car-wash. "Oh, this is just where we can meet, the mobile guy will be here shortly."

I want this done at a shop, with rust spots buffed, things sealed correctly, etc. moisture getting into the GEM is not some trivial inconvenience of a little water leak.

I know from long experience working away from home, that when you are somewhere where you don't know the reputations of the local shops and suppliers, you will always be told what you want to hear. so I tread carefully when it comes to work on the truck that I can't do.

all signs pointed to a local shop. the 2 best local body shops don't even do window work any more, they have that glass shop come to their place. the Ford Dealer does the same. but I had to give up on them after 3 no-answer-the-phone during business hours, one long interrogation on how I got their phone # (I was referred to you from multiple sources), and one message never returned, I didn't feel comfortable dealing with them. sure it, has been the holidays. but you are either open for business, or you are not. but when a business is now just a bunch of guys running around with a work truck set up with a rack to hold the new pieces of glass……customer service is a little different.

shop #1 suggested they could re-seal my existing windshield if I bought the "seal" from Ford. I don't know how these things work, so I did that.

my new shop, where I am headed shortly, explained it as hdman6 did (thanks for pointing this out for me, outside corroboration is always helpful) - you generally can't save an existing windshield as it comes out. sometimes, but that is the exception, not the rule.

it didn't make sense to me to scrap a perfectly sound windshield, especially for a cheap thin replacement. I work off pavement, a lot. I don't need thin glass in front of me. but a windshield is a bit like a piece of plywood, with layers, and the layers separate over time. so when the seal goes, you need a whole new glass.

shop #2 explained this to me kindly. they said they can generally re-use the existing molding, and wouldn't need the piece I bought from Ford. they also told me they could replace my windshield with a Carlite.

but when I arrived this morning, the technician brought me out into the shop and asked if the non-Carlite would be OK. the same technician who had promised me a Carlite. I could tell he was a little embarrassed. Basically, the office staff was a little incredulous that anyone would want anything but the cheapest possible replacement, which is a very common problem when replacing anything on any vehicle. I get a sense that continually replacing cheap windshields is a lucrative money-making operation in a state like this (South Carolina in this case….there are others).

so in another hour or so I think I get a new Carlite windshield and I can get back to work without continually replacing strategically placed shop towels trying to keep the GEM dry. there is a bit of good news there - the GEM will dry out and come back to normal, at least it did for me.

but 2 weeks ago, I would have never guessed that my windshield seal would be on the keep-me-going-down-the-road critical parts list.

 

The black rubber seal around your windshield isn't really the seal, it's just a secondary seal and acts as a trim piece. The actual seal is the silicone used to install the glass to the frame.

If you order some new rubber from Ford, the windshield will still leak.

How many miles are on the truck? Even though there are no cracks, it might have a sandblast type effect on it where new glass would be a benefit. Ask for Carlite brand. That's the OEM glass for Ford. You can even get it with the super duty wording up top. Don't go with the safelite junk for the reasons you suspect. You could also have (or do it yourself) the existing glass removed, cleaned, and re-installed with new silicone. That's the only way the windshield is going to get resealed.

 

I had the same problem. All of the big glass shops wouldn't touch it without selling me a new windshield. After much searching, I found a local, old time guy who said he would remove and re-install my existing glass. He didn't guarantee that the windshield wouldn't break during removal (which I was OK with, it's not an easy job) but said he would do his best. The job was successful and the total cost was $100, which included labor and new outer trim.

 

Safelite installed a Ford "Superduty" windshileld in my 99 with no issues.
Cant remember the cost, insurance paid the bill.

I asked the tech about the Superduty's being prone to leak & he was aware of the issues and showed me the problem area when my old glass came out.
He claimed that the corners start rusting where the panels are spot welded together. He sanded & sealed primer my corners.
I was surprised to see rust anywhere on my truck, but it looks like that area holds in the moisture.

 

Sorry to hear it turned into such a dog and pony show to get your windshield replaced. I too have a water leak that causes my gem to FREAK out I have yet to get around to getting it fix. So in the mean time my truck sits in the garage when it rains. I have a other car I drive or I drive the wife's.

So I'm glad you got it taken care of and now you can go on your way without wondering when your gem is going to freak out !

Chris I myself would say on our trucks it is a molding not so much a seal but that molding does play a roll in keeping water out. I say that because my windshield leaks around that molding and into my cab. For the life of me I can't explain it??? But I was trying to find out where mine was leaking (top of windshield in line with roof seam) I taken a roll of tape and taped off all the way around the windshield a few different ways and using a water hose I found it is leaking between the molding & glass where the molding wraps around the glass. Maybe my windshield has been resealed before with the old molding actually it is a weird leak so who knows. It is a general practice in the automotive glass industry to replace the molding or seal due the fact it sometimes plays a roll in sealing the window and in some cases the window & seal are encapsulated. I would like to touch on the fact that windshields are actually use a urethane adhesive not silicone. Due to the fact the windshield is actually an important part in air bag deployment. I won't get into that but long story short silicone has the tensile strength of maybe 100psi and shear strength is next to nothing. Where urethane is very strong I want to say tensile strength 1200psi / 500psi shear if I recall correctly. You wouldn't want the passenger airbag causing your windshield to become a projectile and rending the airbag worthless in saving your face.

One last thing I agree with using Carlite over aftermarket glass. But even the Chinese glass meets a min Fed. standard or so they say. I think some of it is just as good as oem (PPG for one) and some of the stuff out there is junk !! I think some of these no name brand windshields out there are substandard and dangerous to use. Not only due to air bag deployment but also which most people don't know is that the windshields in late model cars and pick ups are actually a structural part of the cab.

 

Guys
I cracked my windshield 12/2013. I plan to have Safelite replace it.
Do i need to specify that i want Carlite installed? Is Carlight made in USA since i see a reference to glass from china?
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jackstraw
What area of SC are you in?

Franco72
Thanks for the picture. I wondered if the grills were removed for the installation. It shows the antenna base which also got broken.

 

I had a windshield replaced by Safelite once using their brand of glass since it was cheaper. Don't know for a fact where it's made, but I do know for a fact that a plastic ice scraper put a scratch on the glass when it was less than 30 days old and they said it wasn't covered. I also know that same windshield had a wavy look if you looked at it from a side angle. The glass itself was smooth, but I'm guessing it's the plastic layer inside that had issues or there was air trapped or something. Looking straight ahead it was ok, but get outside and look at just the right angle, and it looked awful.

 

I had a new Carlite "FORD" factory windshield installed about 3 years ago for right around $150-170 after tax. Just find a quality shop that will put in the factory glass for a reasonable price.

 

If you ask for the "Superduty" windshield it will be Carlite. I don't think the Cheap glass comes in the Superduty logo. My buddy just went thru a run around with his insurance co. They wanted to install the Chinese replacement glass in his '03 because it was cheaper than the Superduty Carlite glass that he wanted. He eventually won the argument and got the good glass.
SO yes, tell them you want Carlite even if you just want the clear Non Superduty windshield.

My insurance co. never argued with me. They did call weeks later and ask why I had a claim for '08 glass in my '99, but after I explained it to them they were fine with it.

 

I also had the "SUPERDUTY" glass installed. My insurance set up the appointment with Safelite, and I called them and asked for the SUPERDUTY glass. The lady was nice, changed my truck to a 2004 in the system so that the SUPERDUTY glass became an option in the computer and rebooked my appointment.

When the guy came he said it was obvious my glass had been replaced before because it sealed poorly (reason I was having it replaced. Water leaking in at the top). There was a little surface rust but he said he would take care of it. He pulled out a grinder and went to work. Glass has been great since. Wish I had cash that day to give the guy a tip.

Cost me a $100 deductible. Insurance picked up the rest.

I know a lot of shops will refuse to put in new glass if the rust is too bad, and these trucks are prone to it. It really sucks because there you are with no windshield an no one willing to put one in.

 

I have the same issue. When I bought my truck it had issues with interior lighting and windows not working. I found the fuse box was shorted out and full of rust. Currently have the GEM/Fuse box and the PCM covered with plastic bags. Lots of good info here. I think the SUPERDUTY windshield will rock.

 

Thanks for the info provided to me since I did not originate this thread.
What years windshields fit our trucks (1999 to 2014)?