MX-5 winshield replacement

[dnewton3]

Well, I had the misfortune of having a rock hit my beloved MX-5 the other day and put a nice divit into the windshield, along with a few large spider lines. Time for a replacement.

I scheduled a replacement at my local independent glass shop; they've done great work for us in the past. Good prices and good work on our Villager, Grand Marquis, F-250, Expedition when those needed the shields replaced.

I pulled up for the job yesterday in my 2019 MX-5 and the guy said "I've never done one of these before. I didn't even know this was a convertible ..."
That didn't install any confidence in me. Then he said "I'll probably end up breaking a few if not several of the clips and tabs. Did you bring any extras?"
"No I didn't. I called and scheduled this a week ago, and told the girl on the phone what it was. She didn't mention anything about this being a problem."

So, the install-tech was actually honest and said he didn't want to do the job, buy only because he didn't want to mess up my nice car. We (he and I) did take some of the trim off the windshield frame just out of curiousity, and it looks VERY complicated.

There are very few YT vidoes on MX-5 windshield replacements, and practically none on the newer ND generation.

Any suggestions or tips other than the obvious "shop around and find someone who's done it before"? When I called the two local Mazda dealers, they both said "we farm that work out; we have no idea how it's done.". I've even looked on some MX-5 forums and not seen much info.

Any BITOGer out there have any experience with this?

 

[mightymousetech]

How is it different than any other windshield?

 

[oggb]

Ask where the Mazda dealers send their cars?

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

Ask where the Mazda dealers send their cars?

When I called the two local Mazda dealers, they both said "we farm that work out; we have no idea how it's done."

 

[mightymousetech]

When I called the two local Mazda dealers, they both said "we farm that work out; we have no idea how it's done."

Exactly, and who do they farm it out to? Although, if you do find out who it is, you would likely pay the same price at the dealer as you would going to that company directly.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Ask the dealers who they farm it out to.

There's always Safelite

 

[harbor]

Check the Miata & Fiat 124 forums for info. My understanding is the clips need to be replaced and sometimes the top and side panels. If an inexperienced installer puts one in you’ll most likely watch the trim panels fly off at +60 mph.
See the attached and keep looking for an installer who has done one before. Chrysler Crossfires have the same issues.
Good luck with the search.

Windshield Replacement – must also replace pillar garnishes!

Photos by Mark Booth (used with permission; click on images to enlarge) [UPDATED 7/18/2020] I found Mark Booth’s posting on Miata.net’s forum regarding his windshield replacement experi…

21stcenturyfiat124spider.wordpress.com

.

 

[Blinker]

In a situation like this, it might be best to have the dealer farm it out to their windshield guy. I’m sure others will disagree, but Safelite might be a good option in this scenario. They are the highest volume windshield repairer so odds are they have more expertise on niche vehicles.

This also brings up a good point. There have been discussions in the past regarding windshields being part of the structural integrity of a car. I have known for years that windshields provide structural rigidity to the vehicle. In a small two seater convertible such as your MX-5, that windshield and how it’s attached to the body is very important.

 

[haggler]

I sold my 2019 last year. There is a long thread in the miata forums about this, because what happens is people are driving down the highway and that panel falls off and they come to find out someone replaced the windshield and broke those clips. There is a way to remove them without breaking them, but its tough and you would want to do that before the windshield replacement folks arrive. I think there were some changes to those clips after 2018. Otherwise if you have insurance, make sure to include those trim pieces as part of the claim. They're not cheap either, couple hundred bucks IRCC.

If you have the club or sport model, then you don't need to worry about other tech that needs to be calibrated. If not, I think you need a special windshield with the rain sensing crap and your safety system recalibrated.

Windshield replacement... tech trying to hide that he broke my garnishes? - MX-5 Miata Forum

Windshield replacement... tech trying to hide that he broke my garnishes? ND Maintenance

forum.miata.net

 

[nthach]

Insurance can fight you if you refuse Safelite to touch your car. In your case, see if you can find a local glass guy who is willing to take insurance(if you’re using that). Else, if it’s a customer-pay job, I’d use a local guy. Key is finding one who worked on these cars before.

Safelite is hit and miss. I find their mobile installers are a little better than in-store. If you have to use them, take off all the trim so they aren’t half-assing the job by “sliding” the windshield in(they do this a lot on Toyotas).

 

[bdcardinal]

We sublet all glass work that isn't a door glass or something straightforward.

 

[wpod]

I get a new windshield on my at least one of my vehicles yearly. The rocks come from vehicles going the opposite way on the two lane roads. It is amazing to watch the Tech change out the glass. . The techs said all the dealers call glass people to change out the front and rear glass.