Replacing Window Glass

[sacred cow Member Find all posts View Profile Close sacred cow]

A stone from a whipper sniper has smashed the passenger window behind the driver. I had booked it into our Toyota dealer for replacement of the glass but they can't fit it in for over a week.

Unfortunately one of our sons has taken extremely ill and we will have to travel several hundred kilometres to the hospital he is in. I don't relish travelling that distance without the rear window. I have the CD workshop manual (SC00W2EA) but it doesn't seem to cover replacement of the window glass.

If anyone is familiar with this procedure, I would appreciate a step by step guide so I can do the job tomorrow morning before we take off (assuming I can purchase the glass).

Thanks very much,
Glenn

[MattWhite Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close MattWhite]

Cant really give a step by step procedure for a Prado as I've never done one but windows on japanese cars in general are VERY straight forward. If you have any mechanical aptitude give it a go. Once you get the door trim off (covered elsewhere here I believe) it will just be a matter of two 10mm headed bolts to remove the window from the regulator.
PM me if you have any questions once you get into it if you get stuck. There may be some little 'nack' unique to a Prado but like I said, straight forward.

Good luck with the young bloke!

Matt

[Signature035 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Signature035]

Where abouts are you? If in a major city people like O'brien will do it same day.........worth a call.

[MattWhite Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close MattWhite]

Yeah, been thinking about it. Maybe try your local window tinting place too. I know sometimes they have to do little jobs while there doing the tint. Again, good luck.

Just re-read your post. If it's the rear passengers window you may have to move the little corner window to get the main one out. Not a hassle, just thought I'd warn you. Adds a little to the job, that's all.

Matt

[Chuck Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chuck]

Hope your son is alright?

How did you get on with the window?

A quick fix is the good old cardboard and race tape, not secure but will get you out of trouble.


Chuck

[glipschitz Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close glipschitz]

Glass is glass is glass.

You find these days that most glass comes out of China.

People like O'Brien glass have closed their Australian manufacturing operations for the simple fact that it has got too expensive to manufacture here so they are now importing under their own brand.

The difference in the glass.... well, none. A genuine Toyota one will most likely be the same thing as O'Brien, and I know in a lot of cases, dealerships sub contract the work out to glass fitters rather than doing it in house.

Cheers,

G

[grid Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close grid]

Replacing Window Glass

I must disagree glipschitz.

Your comment :
The difference in the glass.... well, none. A genuine Toyota one will most likely be the same thing as O'Brien,

I just had the misfortune of having my front windscreen smashed (by my daughters ex boyfriend) and had a new front windscreen put in by instant windscreens here in Northern Adelaide,and they are not the same as the Toyota factory original one.

The new one has less dark tint at the top and is a slight bit thicker than factory,which makes the screen seals wave a little and sit up a bit at the top.

Grid.

[glipschitz Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close glipschitz]

Re: Replacing Window Glass

I must disagree glipschitz.

Your comment :
The difference in the glass.... well, none. A genuine Toyota one will most likely be the same thing as O'Brien,

I just had the misfortune of having my front windscreen smashed (by my daughters ex boyfriend) and had a new front windscreen put in by instant windscreens here in Northern Adelaide,and they are not the same as the Toyota factory original one.

The new one has less dark tint at the top and is a slight bit thicker than factory,which makes the screen seals wave a little and sit up a bit at the top.

Grid.

Grid,

You misunderstand. The actual quality of the glass is what I'm referring to. The fit, mold, tint etc etc will vary from factory to factory.

What you will find is that all of the glass has to conform to AS1288 from memory and if it is a laminated glass then it will be AS2208/AS2080.

You will never get the exact same product twice.

Toyota will have a contact with a glass manufacturer to produce on mass "x" number of windscreens, these are the factory fit ones, and any other windscreen you get, will be different.

So.... they will still comply to AS but may look a little different.



Greg

[MattWhite Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close MattWhite]

OK OK boys. I think the question was fitting the glass, not getting it. Not sure when you'll read this Sacred Cow but all the best with the family and let us know how you get on.

Matt

[Steve & Sandra Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve & Sandra]

I know its not in keeping with the thread theme but the glass you get now is rubbish. we just had the original toyota windscreen replaced in our corolla because my employer cant keep the alumina and caustic out of the air hence the windscreen gets attacked (actually the whole car gets eaten) but the new glass is rubbish. When sitting in the drivers seat and you look out the passenger side of the windscreen it has a ripple effect in the glass. This is not the first time i have had this either. anyone else notice this.

[sacred cow Member Find all posts View Profile Close sacred cow]

Thanks fellas for your help and thoughts. On Thursday morning I bought the glass from the local Toyota dealer. It cost a staggering $318! It has Toyota etching on it and is made in Japan and is the correct factory tint.

The job was harder than I expected. The main problem was the 200 mm long metal clip that the lower edge of the glass clamps into. A "U" shaped rubber strip fits over the glass before it goes into the metal clip. I expected the replacement glass to come mounted in a new metal clamp but this was not the case. To get the broben glass out of the original one I needed to use a screwdriver under the rubber insulator and belted with a mallet and progressively extract the rubber strip. Given that it was difficult getting the rubber strip out of the mteal clamp it was not going to be a picnic getting the new glass into it.

At first I tried I tried talcuum powder on the rubber strip and metal clamp but no go - the metal clamp was too tight. Similarly detergent did not work. In the end I prised the metal clamp open more with two large screwdrivers back to back. After putting in the glass with the rubber strip I lightly s ueezed (the letter after p does not work on this laptop!) the clamp together with a G clamp until the rubber started to extrude out. I did this over the length of the metal piece. This was uite nerve wracking as one false move and goodbye $318!

Putting the glass into the door was fiddly but not difficult.

We arrived at our destination by 7.00pm that night. My son is out of hospital but will take some time to recover. His vehicle may not be so lucky.

Thanks again for your concern.

Regards
Glenn

PS I am disappointed that the CD manual for the 120 series Prado is next to useless for many fairly ordinary repairs and service operations.

[Shell Member Find all posts View Profile Close Shell]

glad to hear your son is on the road to recovery. Metal glass and plastic (the vehicle) can be replaced, flesh and blood is a different story.

[JohnCW Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close JohnCW]

A very old thread, but the exact same thing happened to me. Window broken while driving along by a guy using a wiper snipper. During this thread someone said "glass is glass" and someone disputed this, saying the Chinese stuff was crap.

The bloke who broke the window quickly had it replaced at his expense. Bottom line: The person who disputed "glass was glass" was correct. The genuine glass windows are dead flat across the curve. The aftermarket replacement window (obviously Chinese) when you get side on and look along the reflection has more ripples than the ocean with a 30 knot wind blowing.