Weblog Archive

Changing your car's broken window

The Struggling Grad Student: Everything that I wanted to blog. It's always nice to find out that the information you put on your blog is actually being used. I received an email from a person who had his car broken into and was looking to fix the broken window (vent window, it's the small triangular glass in the back) himself. He wanted to know more details on how I did it myself. Realizing that I didn't provide that much detail in my last blog entry regarding this matter. I sent off an email to him outlining the entire process that I took to install my own glass. Read on to learn more. Also, read my old blog entry as background (it tells you where you can go to buy the glass cheap).

Iakovos Papadimitriou wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I am sorry to bother you, but I have a Toyota Corolla 1997 (sedan) which was broken into (from the vent window) last night and I am thinking of replacing it myself. I ran into your website while checking out how to do it.
>
> Do you also have this model? I went to a dealership and they are asking for $190!!! (the part itself costs $20). They told me that they need to take out the inner part of the door and the movable window in order to install the vent window... but somehow I have hard time believing them.
>
> I already took out the rubber frame and it seems to me that the whole job needs 10-15 minutes, just to force the glass into the groove of the rubber frame. Am I right or is it a more involved procedure?
>
> Again sorry to bother you (I just got my M.S. so I know how busy it is to be a grad student) . Any hint would be appreciated,
>
> Regards,
> Iakovos
>

Iakovos,

Yes, I have a 1996, which is essentially the same as the 1997 except for the taillight changes (cosmetic). No, the dealership is giving you a bunch of crock, I've had my window changed by "professionals" multiple times (at a $100 a pop) and stood there watching them do it myself every single time -- thinking to myself "I could do this and save me some money AND time." So it sounds like you've already cleaned out the broken glass and taken out the plastic/rubber molding. You do NOT need to disassemble any part of the door or back window to install the vent window. All you need to do is roll down the back window as far as you can (for my Corolla, I can't get it all the way down, I think this is a factory default; but it's down far enough).

What you have to do to install it is:
1) Put the glass into the plastic/rubber molding.
2) Unscrew and pull aside the divider on the door between the vent window and main window. Make sure no broken glass or debris is left in or around the vicinity.
3) Slide the vent glass assembly (glass and molding) into place
4) Put back the divider and screw it at the top

The divider that separates the vent window from the main door window is only attached at the top with a regular screw. You'll need a phillips screwdriver to remove it. To access this screw, open the door and move aside the foam rubber seal running along the top of the door, right where the divider is located. You can't miss it. If you have a problem with finding this screw, let me know and when I have time I'll take a digital shot of it and send it to you. The divider between the vent glass and the main glass may not be completely removable, so don't force it. You should, however, be able to move the top part of the divider and swing it aside towards the front of the car (after removing the screw, of course), far enough to fit the glass and the rubber frame into place. It will require some work -- like figuring out how to make that last puzzle piece fit, even if it's a little off.

The toughest part of this job will be steps 1 and 3, since everything is so snug and tight, it takes some time to figure out the correct approach (again, like putting together a puzzle). If you can get the vent glass for $20 WITH the plastic molding already attached, then you've already save yourself some time and money. But if you have to put your glass into the molding yourself, then the trick is to start from one point of the glass and ease the lip of the molding over steadily around the perimeter of the glass. The most difficult part of this process is the very end, when you just have to get that little last part of the lip over the glass -- again, this is because it was made for everything to be very snug and fit with no slack. The tool I used to flip the lip over the glass at the very last point is a large flathead screwdriver. I think a spatula may have been a better tool since you run less of a risk of breaking your glass. It's absolutely crucial that the rubber frame/molding goes completely around the glass. And avoid the urge to cut the molding and re-gluing to fit it around the glass -- it won't work that way.

Putting the divider back into place after placing your vent glass into your door may also be difficult because you will need some elbow grease to align the top of the divider with the hole for the screw.

Other than that, this is a fairly simple process -- at par with changing your own oil in terms of level of difficulty. If it was me, I would NOT have the dealership do this, $190 is WAY too much. I hope it all goes well for you. Let me know if you have any problems.

If you don't mind, could I post this email along with yours--without your email address published, of course--as an update to my blog entry? I've always been meaning to add pictures or diagrams regarding the process, but have never had the time. Good luck.

John

UPDATE Sept. 26, 2003: I got another email from Iakovos today. Very detailed and worth putting up for all the world to see. He did followup on this next email to tell me that I got robbed for buying the glass from a salvage yard. I could have gotten the glass new for around $20 if I had taken the time to go to an authorized Toyota parts dealer. D#*@! I should have been more diligent. I could have saved some $15 on account of shipping and handling fees and all. Oh well, good to know for next time (hopefully never)! If I ever have to do it again, I'll take some digital shots and update this blog entry some more.

-------- Start Email from Iakovos -----------

Hey, John... Mission completed!!!! Total time: 45mins (not too bad eh?). Here are the steps in case you want to post them on the net.

Step one: Remove the rubber frame from the window by just dragging it and clean it from the broken glasses. (5mins)

Step two: Attach the rubber frame on the new glass. Start from the top, that is, put the upper corner of the glass in the rubber groove and leave the lower left (or right) corner last. (10mins + plenty of force since things are quite tight. I did not have to use any tools, but then again if you want to use a a spatula or something like that to increase your force , be careful not to break the glass.)

Step 3: Open the movable window (5secs!!)

Step 4: Drag the door's upper rubber seal (don't be afraid it is not glued) so that the screw that holds the divider (between the vent window and the movable window) is uncovered. Unscrew this screw. (1min). The divider is also mounted on the lower part of the door but it is flexible enough to give you some space to fit the glass. Be careful though because too much force might break it.

Step 5: Try to fit the new glass(with the attached rubber frame) in the door. This is the most time consuming part. Rule number one is to put from the outside. I found that the best thing to do is to first put in the lower part of the glass that is closest to the divider, then slide in the rest of the lower part. Be careful though, the door's lower rubber seal should not get stuck between the glass and the door.Once the lower part of the glass is in the groove fit the part that is closest to the trunk and finally fit the glass with the divider. (30mins). Hints: try to tske advantage of the flexibility of the divider. Plenty of force is required again.

Step 6: Screw back the divider and snap in the door's upper rubber seal. (2mins)

Step 7: Check that everything is in place. that the window can go up and down and that everything is sealed well (throw a bucket of water and check if any water came in)

Step 8: REMOVE VALUABLES FROM YOUR CAR (to avoid repeating the same procedure over and over again!!) AND GO BACK HOME TO WASH YOUR HANDS AND BRAG ABOUT HOW GOOD A MECHANIC YOU ARE :-):-) :-). SPEND THE EXTRA $100 - 150 YOU SAVED ON DINNER AND DRINKS!! (5hours or more!!)

-------- End Email --------

Posted by johnvu at September 24, 2003 01:12 PM