Remove Rear Window Glass

[badams]

The current glass in my car has no working defrost lines because one of previous owners attempted to cut the window tint and destroyed them. I have another piece of glass from a chopped car and want to switch them out. I spoke with a local glass company and they charge $125 to remove the good glass from the shell but warned me that if THEY break it I would be responsible. I don't really want to pay for them to by chance break the glass so thought that I could try removing it for free. Anyone have any suggestions for removing this glass, strategies, tips or tools I can/should use?

Good Glass

 

[G]

Piano wire. Done.

 

[badams]

That from experience or YouTube videos?

 

[GVR41908]

I paid a company to pull and remove my rear glass because I know how hard it is to find and did't want to risk it breaking. It cost $75 for removal and installation. It took him 30 minutes start to finish. It looked pretty easy compared to most glass I've seen removed. I would probably attempt it myself if it had to be done again.

 

[prove_it]

Practice on your bad glass first.

 

[iceman69510]

G never elaborates, but basically you have to cut the hardened urethane rubber to get it out. The piano wire idea is the use the wire as a saw and move it back and forth to saw through the urethane. There are also special oscillating cutting tools that do this, but probably too pricy for one use.

I agree with prove it; cut the bad one out first then do the good one after learning what not to do.

 

[prove_it]

I think the hardest part is lifting it out and not dropping it or scratching the body. Glass is not light

 

[iceman69510]

You can get suction cup lifts like the glass guys use. I think I saw them at Uhaul once.

 

[89Mirageman]

I went through the same thing on a civic hatch years ago when I bought one with a busted side glass. They know what they're doing and only tell you that to cover themselves. Me personally, I'd just let a pro do it. They do this for a living.

 

[G]

Quoting G:
Piano wire. Done.



Yes from experience, i'm sure their are write ups or videos online how to do it with piano wire.

 

[prove_it]

Just remember to wear good gloves. I shutter at the thought of my hand slipping while holding piano wire tight.

 

[G]

I would wrap the piano wire around a screw driver on both ends and have someone on the inside of the vehicle pulling to create the sawing action.

 

[badams]

Thanks for the help everyone, I managed to get it out without breaking it.

Jepherz told me I could check the resistance...... I'm not sure if I did it right but it was .2 on one side and .8 on the other, that in the right neighborhood?

 

[jepherz]

Awesome! I wish I had tried that years ago... measure resistance (ohms) between the sides. By having low resistance, that means the wires are indeed intact and that current will flow through them when you apply 12 volts to one side and ground to the other. If you measure the same resistance on the bad window, it will hopefully show much higher ohms meaning the wires are cut and current won't pass through.

 

[badams]

Thanks Jeff, I'll check it out

 

[iceman69510]

Another thing you can do to test a rear defroster is to hook up a battery charger to the terminals. After a few minutes, they will heat up you can verify they work properly.