Hi Everyone.
Last year I installed another rear hatch on my wagon and only about three of defrost lines work. Now on the original hatch all of the defrost lines worked pretty good with the glass being tinted. So I want to change the rear glass.

1 Can I remove it myself?
2 What about the defrost wires? Cut them?
3 Just drive to an auto glass shop and have them swap it for me?

Thanks for any advice and Happy NEW YEAR BB'rs!!!

You'll be suprised how quick and simple the re-re is. From inside, push hard aginst one lower corner while prying ahlittle on the rubber to get it to start coming over the lip of metal. Work your way along one edge until you find the glass is free to come out. It is highly recommended to have a helper on the other side hold the glass so it doesn't drop.

To install, lubricate the rubber a little with some soap, place a piece of string in the groove of the rubber (installed on the new glass) so that it goes all the way around with a foot or more left over. Have the crosover point of the ends at one lower coner of the glass. From the outside, hold the glass/rubber assy in place starting with the corner where the string ends hang out. Let the string ends hang free on the inside of the hatch. With the rubber at this corner properly over the metal flange of the opening in the hatch, have the helper hold the glass against the hatch in its proper position and then pull on the string to get the rubber to slip over the metal lip all the way around.

Some anti-corrosion treatment on the metal surface that is covered by the rubber is adviseable.

"1 Can I remove it myself?"

Absolutely. I've done a dozen, or so.

"2 What about the defrost wires? Cut them?"

You can if you want. But it's far better to remove the tailgate panel, giving you access to the "innards," and simply unplug the wires. Then you push the wires through the small openings leaving the oval grommets around the wires. The wires are normally tucked under the lip of the rubber gasket.

"3 Just drive to an auto glass shop and have them swap it for me?"

That sounds like a worthwhile alternative, providing you can find a shop that's reasonable and honest and good.

By the way, rust often forms under the rubber gasket. A good thing to do while the glass is out is fix the rust and paint several coats of antirust paint and enamel over the "lip." Remember that fresh paint, even though dry, is still soft and tears easily. Reinstall the glass carefully.

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Don Foster (near Cape Cod, MA)