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12K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  tollertdi 
#1 ·
I need to replace the cracked, glue-in windshield on my 84 Rabbit with a new one. I've never had any glass work done before. Are all replacement windshields the same? Are some better than others? Should I even bother getting a price from VW? I got a quote from a company called Safelite for $219 + tax which seems reasonable.
 
#2 ·
That is a good a price as I have seen. There are a couple of questions that you might ask, as the 84 Windshield wasn't glued in normally.... if yours has the Chrome trim around the gasket, will theirs too?
 
#3 ·
Also make damn sure they prime the pinchweld and take out ALL the old urethane. You don't want a rusty frame (or more rusty lol) and if you get in an accident the windshield seal has to be there to help hold the roof up. Most people don't realize how strong the glass is and thus how much the engineers depend on a good glass seal to make the roof hold up.

Safelite is the biggest aftermarket glass company in the world, they don't use OEM glass, so it might not fit. Better to get OEM glass so it is more likely to not have a seal. I'd say cancel your safelite appointment and find an independent local installer that uses OEM glass. Better to pay an extra hundred bucks to not have to replace it again in a year, know what I mean?
 
#6 ·
Good and bad news.....

Good news is that I got the windshield replaced on the Rabbit today. I paid a $100 deductible and my insurance company paid the remaining $150. I took it to a local 2-man glass shop. The new glass is much clearer than my original glass. Couldn't find OEM glass, so I went with whatever the shop could find. Everything looks good from the outside.

The bad news is that the plastic strip that fits between the dash and the windshield was destroyed. Also, the right A pillar was damaged.
 
#9 ·
While we're on the same subject, I have an '83 rabbit with the same window seal design as the '84. The earlier rabbits had a window gasket, but mine still appears to have some kind of smaller rubber mounting gasket. Do you know if this needs to be replaced when you replace the windshield?
 
#10 ·
There are 2 types of windshield gaskets, those that are solid, and ones with the chrome trim. The chrome trim needs to be installed prior to the windshield gasket assembly being installed into the car.
 
#11 ·
Are you talking about the Chrome trim on more deluxe Rabbits like on the Caddy LX?

I looked at my '83 again and it looks like the windshield is glued down and then there looks like a black piece of trim around the edge of the windshield. It doesn't look like I have any gasket at all.
 
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