Aftermarket molding isn't even close to oem. I've seen the aftermarket piece from two different suppliers and they were exactly the same except the label on the bags. I'm pretty sure there's only one factory in china making it. It doesn't sit down properly in the two top corners. Don't let safelite or anyone else tell you that their knockoff $20 molding will look the same.

 

I recently had mine replaced with some aftermarket window/rubber seal.

The seal did not lay flat until the car sat in the sun for a day. My previous one was a shiney flexible plastic (like the black piece on your door that prevents water from running into your door down the window). The new one is more of a matte black. Fitment is better though, since early AP1's had issues here.

One 'gotcha' that came up when I did mine was rust. Previous windshield tech's must have used a blade to cut out the window and damaged the paint in a few areas. It rusted to the point where the black vinyl had to be removed, the damage fixed, and the whole windshield frame repainted. Make sure you trust your tech or at least get a look at the frame once the window is out!

 

here is a random one - and may not be applicable or specific to s2000s - but i figured i'd share since it was annoying for me when i replaced my wife's CR-V windshield...

some vendors (ours was PGW) will have those black dots (i believe its known as 'frit') around the area of the rear view mirror. this makes any suction cup mounts - for dash cams, gopros, radar detectors, etc.) impossible to stick on. i was running a dash cam and it was neatly tucked away behind the rear view mirror but now i had to move it to somewhere more obtrusive.

 

I know what you're talking about but I think this is likely an installation issue, not molding quality. After my previous windshield installation I noticed the molding stuck out a little on the passenger side A-Pillar. It wasn't that noticeable so I didn't do anything about it. But during my last installation the molding was attached to the windshield before installation. The installer just applied the sealant and put the windshield in place with the molding already attached. The fit was great.

 

This is all great information. Just to put things in perspective for you US owners, I had my windshield replaced a couple of years ago with OEM glass which had to come from Japan to Honda Canada then to a local dealer then to my local installer (no replacement windshields were held in stock which was surprising given our Canadian proclivity for throwing sand and gravel and salt down on our roads -- I guess they (Honda Canada) must think that we all garage our cars for 8 mo.'s of the year to get outside the "gravel on the road season"), and the wholesale cost from the local Honda dealer to my installer was $1350 + the cost of the moldings and seals etc. By the time I was finished I was just under $1800. I had not been carrying "glass coverage" on my insurance to that point (because I do garage my car during the gravel season) but it became clear that the cost of the coverage, given the cost of the OEM windshields, was going to be worthwhile (since one never knows when one is going to pick up a rock strike that cracks the glass) unless I only had to replace a windshield every 6+ years or so. The one thing that I did notice from the replacement was that the plastic trim along the bottom edge of the windshield sat "proud" about 1/8" from the glass in the centre area of the windshield which was not the case with the original factory installation. I don't know whether the lower edge seal (part of #1 I think) did not get installed properly or whether the curvature of the new OEM glass was slightly flatter than the original (shouldn't have been), but something to watch out for. The comment above about not using knives or sharp objects to remove the glass that could lead to scoring the paint finish on the frame and A pillars leading to rust in the area is VERY relevant - a good quality shop would not do that, and certainly the installation instructions provide for the use of a fine piece of piano wire (like a garrotte) for cutting the old seals to free the old glass from the frame. There were NO distortion issues or mirror mount issues with the OEM glass, of course. And you will end up with all the appropriate labelling on the glass to show that it is OEM for any future purchasers/collectors who are worried about those kinds of things.

 

HAVE A PROFESSIONAL DO IT. I'm on windshield number 4. All from stress cracks from idiots installing it. All you need is the exterior window molding. I bought every gasket the first time and I never needed them



effing safelite

 

I hate to bring up old threads, but I'm hoping someone can chime in and help as I'm having a very hard time finding this information anywhere. I've recently had my windshield replaced with OEM and they only just replaced the 3 quarters length molding along with the glass. However the molding is not tight around the glass as shown in the video below. Looking at the manual, it says to use adhesive tape on the windshield molding to connect to the glass and also to use rubber dams and seals on the glass. Did any of you get all the rubber dams and seals as identified in the manual along with the adhesive tape when you were having it done? Is this important and am I worried about a non issue with my molding?

My issue:


List of recommended parts to replace:

https://www.hondapartsguys.com/v-200...ont-windshield

From the manual:

 

It is my understanding that if you go with anything other than OEM replacement, the mirror will sit higher. The difference in price for me at the time was about 200$ extra for OEM Honda glass. This is because the mount comes preinstalled. Some folks here, have been able to get their techs to remove the origional mount from the damaged OEM glass and put it on the new replacement glass.

For me the glass was fine but the mirror issues was bothersome enough, that I will likely pay more for the OEM next time I need mine replaced.

Also it is best to stick with OEM molding. Most after market shops like safelite do not promise what brand of non-OEM glass they'll end up with from supplier. Other than the rear mirror height issues, I have not seen many problems.

 

@kasher_khan Hi, I stated in the second sentence it was replaced with OEM. So I have OEM glass and molding. The issue is the installation part as shown in the video, and not the mirror (since I have OEM replacement), and how the molding was actually installed and if the rubber dams and seals were used by others as outlined in the second diagram.

To re-iterate the very specific question of my post:

Did any of you get all the rubber dams and seals as identified in the manual along with the adhesive tape when you were having it done? Is this important and am I worried about a non issue with my molding?

 

I used safelite and the mirror was in the correct place. Glass came without the mount and they moved over the original as I would have expected.