new glass didn' t fit

[rmmchl]

my old glass was scratched from wiper blades-saftelite had one in stock-made by ppg----went to get it installed today------it didn't fit and now i'm worried----knowone on here has ever heard of one not fitting-New rubber purchased from buds------------its oem-------the old windshield was purchased from the same company about 10 years ago---------on the old one they took off, some sealant was used on one corner-I'm worried that something is not right with my car-I know the fenders were replaced once------but the pillers look good and have the original cars color on them-no sign of ever being replaced-I hope it was a bad piece of glass-they are ordering a new one------------I heard that ppg makes them for mercedes. This one said mexico on the paper label stuck to the glass

[Garry]

The first thing I would check is the rubber seal.  I had a similar experience with what I thought was an OEM rubber seal bought from one of the vendors on EBay that has them constantly there without mentioning names.  The windscreen replacement workshop just could not get the glass to fit. After buying another original rubber seal from MB dealer, the glass then fitted just fine.

In my case it was the difference between MB dealer, 'OEM' and 'after market' that came into play.

Garry

[bpossel]

Hi Michael,

This may or may not help, but even with MB rubber seal, glass direct from MB and alum trim strip from MB, all is a very tight fit!

I had a windshield glass guy (someone who has been doing windshields for 30 yrs, mostly MBs) come to my house.  I helped him to put the rubber seal around the windshield.  Then helped him install the aluminum trim into the rubber seal.  It was a real job to get the trim to go into the channel in the rubber seal.  Used lots of silicon spray.  

Once we had the window "sandwich" put together, he installed the rope around it and taped it in several areas to hold the rope in place.  We lifted the sandwich and set the bottom in 1st.  I then installed the left wood dash bow.  He then used the rope as we carefully dropped the sandwich in place.  The rope helped to pull the rubber lip of the seal up, over and into the car.  It was a very tight fit!

Even though some say you dont need any add'l sealant between the rubber seal and the window pillar frame, he installed some after the window "sandwich" was installed.  He squirted some all the way around, then wiped off the excess.  I think this extra sealant was mostly needed for the upper corners.

Hope my experience helps a little as you work on installing yours.

Hope it works out ok.  These cars are a challenge.

Bob  

[graphic66]

Same story as Bob here. Experienced glass person is the key. I had the exact thing with my car. One experienced glass guy, on beginner glass guy, myself, lots of spray and tape. It looked completely wrong and it went in just as Bob said.

[J. Huber]

quote:Originally posted by Garry

In my case it was the difference between MB dealer, 'OEM' and 'after market' that came into play.

Garry

You mean there is a difference? Just kidding fellas...  :|

Personally I'd love to see a step-by-step windshield replacement in the wiki -- with photos! My glass is original and it shows. Almost a work of art with all its pits and mini-chips. Somehow, my paint shop got it out and back in ok -- I recall them having a windshield guy come do it. Still lucky I guess. A new one is on the long list (along with the chrome around it  :? ).  

And while you are here, does anyone know how American Collectors Insurance or any others (ie Hagerty) deal with windshield issues?

[Benz Dr.]

This is one of those cases where the original window seal is your best option. As I said before, if I find something wrong with anything I sell I won't use it anymore.
In the case of the windshield seal, I found that the repro was about 2'' too long. You can get away with door seals and trunck seals but the windshield is a very exact fit so original is the right part here.

After going back over the posts I tend to agree with Matt C. that there is a difference between some parts. OEM is OEM but even here we find that there can be differences in quality. This isn't a mistake but rather is a price threshold objective. VW is a good example where parts made in Germany will be better quality and more exspensive than those made in Mexico. The SA parts are destined for places where people just want something that runs and quality isn't a big issue. A typical VW shop in the States wouldn't dare use these parts.

There are cheap motor mounts being made in China and other places and they will last a few months. This is in fact, true. However, there are logos on parts or their boxes that should give you a clue. OEM parts come in boxes that say, Jurid, Fibi, Bilstien, Sachs, Boge, Behr, Bosch, Lempforder, ect. MB uses these same parts.

You should look at a supplier that's been around for at least 15-20 years so you know they aren't fly by night operations that won't be there for you. These types of dealers will be handling OEM parts and have a reputation of seving the comunity long before ebay came along.
Having said all of this I don't agree that your only reliable scource is MB. That's not true. If the price is really low on the same part you can almost bet it's a cheap knock off. You want a bargan, put up with the problems.....

[rmmchl]

does anyone know if the glass trim can be installed after the rubber and the windshield are put on.. My glass people say yes-I say it is all supposed to be sandwiched and put on together-who is correct?

[bpossel]

I was all set to take pictures the day of my windshield install, but unforntuatley did not.  Turned out that my glass guy needed my help to install the trim into the rubber as we made the "sandwich".

From the little experience that I have with this...  I dont see how the trim can be removed and/or installed once the rubber seal and windshield are installed.  The rear edge of the trim that sits in the rubber seal has a lip or edge on it.  The rubber seal has a groove on the inside of the seal that the lip of the trim fits into.  Once the windshield is installed, it pinches the rubber together and squeezes the rubber groove around the lip of the trim.  This locks it in place and makes it a very tight fit.

I guess one could remove the trim once the windshield is installed, but it would bend and damage the trim.  On the flip side, I guess you could try and force the trim into the rubber seal after the windshield is installed, but again the fit is so tight, one could damage the very thin trim.  Also, I would be surprised if you could properly fit (force) the rear of the trims edge into the inner groove of the rubber seal.  Maybe this is why sometimes you see this trim popping out from these cars?

My opinion, install all pieces together and then install the entire sandwich (sorry, cant think of a better description for the group of parts...)

Bob  

[graphic66]

Your glass people are simply wrong. The chrome must be installed with the gasket on the windshield prior to being put in the car. You could wager them the price of new chrome to give it a try as you most certainly damage it. Why do people try to do things the wrong way? You are also not getting the chrome off without removing the windshield.