Hello Everybody,

Any of you has ever replaced the moulding on the windshield on a 960? Or know the proper procedure? It seems like a simple job but I really do not want to brake or scratch anything.Do I need special tools for example?

Thanks:
George

It is fairly easy.

You need a paint scraper type of putty knife which is sharpened on the edge like a chisel and has a bend in the blade. Something like 2-3 inch wide is fine.

You also need something to protect the windshield. I like a thin piece of neoprene ~1/32 inch. Whatever you use needs to be thin because you want to slide the chisel edge of the scraper under the glass side edge of the trim without damaging or cutting it.

Then you push down against your protecting piece to pry upward on the trim piece and get it to snap out of the plastic clips.

The trim pieces that go down the sides of the windshield are pretty much the same deal.

If you want to take off the top piece, you have to do at least one side because they are tied together with the corner pieces.

Try to keep the orientation and handedness of the corner pieces straight and put them back the same way that way you won't get puckered out corners.

When you examine the plastic clips attached to the body, you may note that these are anchored on metal pugs that are engaged in a slot in the clips. This slot is at an incline, providing an adjustment to the tightness of fit to the trim. If you get them sitting too far down, you won't be able to get the trim snapped in. If the are too far up, then the trim doesn't sit quite tight and may want to 'buzz' or vibrate at high speed.

If it seemed okay before, then I would suggest leaving them where they were.

If some places seemed a bit loose, then you know where to sink them down a little.

To install, all the trim pieces should be engaged together with the corner pieces, then just snap it down with the ball of your palm starting at one corner to get proper alignment.

It sounds harder than it is, but there are some subtleties.

Thank you for your help I really appreciate it.You pretty much covered everything I wanted to know.Also I have noticed some lines on the windshield itself probably something was pinched between the wiper and the windshield at one time and left some marks behind.There is any way to remove them?

If you are referring to lines in the arc of the wiper path that can be caused by the abrasion of the wiper blade holder coming into contact with the glass when the blades are shot, these are tough to remove. I can't say that I have ever been successful at removing these or pits on old windshields.

The problem is that such things are etched or worn into the glass. Removing them is just like sanding scratches out of a piece of wood; you can only do so by removing material. The glass is pretty tough, but it is possible. It all depends on how deep the defects are and how much improvement you are seeking.

Now, after all those disclaimers, I can say that powdered alumina (Al2O3 or Aluminum Oxide) will cut glass, and is fairly cheap as an abrasive/polishing agent. It's great stuff to have around. 3 micron particle size would be pretty much a final polish stage on glass, and 25 micron would be a fairly coarse stage. 25 micron is about equivalent to 1000 grit sandpaper.

I was told by the windshield guy on my old 240 that windshields get more brittle with age.

Is this true? Could the windshield glass actually get more brittle after just 10 years?

Seemed a bit unlikely to me. I thought glass was a fairly stable substance... and I recall from physics that glass is actually a liquid... not a solid. Or something like that.

Anyone know more about this subject?