I'm past 240k miles on the S2000 and still on the original windshield. Rock chip from yesterday turned into a crack almost 2 feet long, planning to have it replaced with OEM glass.

Exactly which parts get replaced during this procedure? Obviously the windshield piece. What about the rubber seals around the glass? And lastly, what about the molding strip around the windshield? If the molding part needs to be replaced, do I need to remind the place that does the work not to peel off the black tape (US models have black tape covering the windshield frame molding)? If the original molding stays put, then forget the last question.

Anything else to be aware of or useful to know? Thanks!

 

I just had mine replaced a few weeks ago. The black taped area is actually part of the body of the car (not molding) and isn't replaceable. They shouldn't touch the black tape, but I guess it may be worth mentioning to be careful around the tape. Otherwise, just the glass and the rubber seal (a.k.a. molding) around the glass gets replaced. For what it's worth, I went with PGW glass and Honda OEM molding (which is pretty expensive - ~$100). The company I used said the aftermarket molding would have been equivalent, so you may want to go that route to save money.

Otherwise, the only issues I have seen is that the rear view mirror mount can be installed upside down causing the mirror to be too "high" and not able to rotate down enough, so I told the place I used to pay specific attention to how it is mounted currently. Also, once the glass is in place, check for any distortions that make the view out of the glass look wavy from the driver's seat. There will probably be some distortion regardless, but it shouldn't really be noticeable.

I ended up not going to Safelite as I've heard their glass and resins are not necessarily the best quality, but I've talked to many people that have had no issues with them.

 

Thanks! I appreciate your advice.

When you say "molding", are you referring to #5 or the pieces that make up #1 in that Honda parts diagram? I assume all of the pieces in that diagram are needed for the windshield replacement?

Diagram and parts list here...
http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...ONT+WINDSHIELD

 

I think the term "molding" actually consists of both #1 and #5. Honestly, I didn't order the parts; the shop I used did, so I don't know for sure. I would imagine you would want to replace all of the rubber parts and the fasteners either way.

 

Thanks, I actually thought #5 was the part with black tape. But now I realize that can't be the case since there would be different part numbers listed on that webpage for the different colors. I've heard Safelite can be hit or miss, probably safer to go through the body shop I've used and like, I'm thinking.

 

Go with a proper glass replacement shop for sure. The one annoying thing with some aftermarket glass is they don't have the correct wedge shaped mounting base for the rear view mirror so with some the mirror can sit higher than it should. Any of the higher end aftermarket glass should have the appropriate mounting base though.

I would also recommend going with the OEM moulding.

 

You can see the tape partially removed in this picture. There's actual sheet metal underneath it. The black rubber part you can see around the windshield is part #5, and then I think part #1 is what sits around the windshield between it and the body/frame.

Does your body shop do actual glass work or will they just outsource it to an actual glass shop?

 

Thanks!

 

Ah understood. Yea initially, I thought the painted surface underneath the tape was plastic. And underneath that, the load-bearing windshield frame. Wow $100 for that flimsy rubber seal #5?

I believe the body shop I've used outsources it, but I'm thinking if they want to protect their reputation that they would use quality people to do this work. I hope lol.

 

I just got my fourth windshield installed a few weeks ago (third replacement, all due to cracks). I had all of them done at the same shop and didn't have to tell them anything. My insurance company uses Safelite now. But didn't on previous installations. The mounding was replaced as already mentioned. I never had a problem and the windshield tape was unaffected by the installation.

The rear view mirror attachment button was pre-installed on the windshield by the manufacturer with each new windshield so the installer never had to deal with it. But this time I had the installer remove the button and glue on a normal one. I did this to be able to install an aftermarket mirror with a compass and outside thermometer.