Windshield rust = scrap the whole vehicle?

[MrPlow]

I purchased a 2002 Sienna van a couple months ago. Everything runs perfect and the whole thing doesn't show any rust. The windshield had a crack, so I took it into the glass shop. They popped it off and found rust under 70+% of the pinch welds and area where the glass mounts to the van. The glass shop guy said it just popped out mostly on it's own and was barely hanging in there. No auto body shop in the area will even touch it, and they said if they would, it would cost thousands to fix it safely. Since I only paid a bit over $2000 for it, it doesn't seem worth spending that kind of money, where it could have otherwise gone to other repairs.

Sucks I put a bunch of labor into making it as reliable as possible. I swapped out the shocks, put on new tires, put in a new radiator and all new coolant hoses, and other work. There was really no way of knowing it was rusted out as no other rust shows on the entire vehicle.

Any ideas on how to either salvage the van or get as much money back out of it as possible? I'm not going to be shady and glue a windshield on over rust and try to sell it. Having a secure windshield is critical to the structural safety. I'm thinking either learn how to weld, or just part it out as much as possible then have the junk yard come and take what's left.

Talk about a real kick to the nards. Medical issues wiped out all of my savings and 401K. Took years to save up for the van only able to make $20,000 a year due to said health issues. At least I still have a working pickup truck, so not a total FU from the universe. LOL

 

[wdn]

Try painting the rusted sill area with Corroseal paint. Then have the glass shop glue in the new windshield.

 

[JC1]

How many shops did you speak to about fixing it? I guess they can't be bothered with the repair since they would need to reweld pieces around the whole windshield based on your description.

Sounds like someone repaired the windshield before and probably didn't do a good job sealing the paint and this was the result.

 

[cpayne5]

Sorry this happened to you, MrPlow. Stinks.

As hard as it is, I'd probably try to cut my losses and move forward as quickly as possible.

 

[Kawiguy454]

Pictures of the rust would help. In my economically challenged youth i would have cleaned the entire area well and used a caulk gun tube of rtv silicone running a thick bead all around the frame then carefully set new junkyard glass in and let it cure. Gobs of silicone are like rolls of duct tape

 

[Trav]

I purchased a 2002 Sienna van a couple months ago. Everything runs perfect and the whole thing doesn't show any rust. The windshield had a crack, so I took it into the glass shop. They popped it off and found rust under 70+% of the pinch welds and area where the glass mounts to the van. The glass shop guy said it just popped out mostly on it's own and was barely hanging in there. No auto body shop in the area will even touch it, and they said if they would, it would cost thousands to fix it safely. Since I only paid a bit over $2000 for it, it doesn't seem worth spending that kind of money, where it could have otherwise gone to other repairs.

Sucks I put a bunch of labor into making it as reliable as possible. I swapped out the shocks, put on new tires, put in a new radiator and all new coolant hoses, and other work. There was really no way of knowing it was rusted out as no other rust shows on the entire vehicle.

Any ideas on how to either salvage the van or get as much money back out of it as possible? I'm not going to be shady and glue a windshield on over rust and try to sell it. Having a secure windshield is critical to the structural safety. I'm thinking either learn how to weld, or just part it out as much as possible then have the junk yard come and take what's left.

Talk about a real kick to the nards. Medical issues wiped out all of my savings and 401K. Took years to save up for the van only able to make $20,000 a year due to said health issues. At least I still have a working pickup truck, so not a total FU from the universe. LOL

This is repairable, I wouldnt normally get rid of an otherwise good vehicle for this. Do you have a picture of the damage?

 

[HangFire]

Having a secure windshield is critical to the structural safety. I'm thinking either learn how to weld, or just part it out as much as possible then have the junk yard come and take what's left.

Well... no. Don't give it that much credit.

Structural safety comes from the structure. Modern safety windshields are made to protect the inside (you) from the outside (bricks, stones) by stopping them coming in. If the glass is sound and rests on a metal ledge all the way around, it will do that job.

Coming from the inside out, the windshield is made to give. Like a chick in an eggshell, you can kick out a windshield on most vehicles. Take a look at Youtube, there's a bunch of "kick out windshield" videos there. It is the seatbelt's job to keep you secured.

So if you are considering fixing it yourself, go ahead if the metal frame is, or can be made, crashworthy, same with the seatbelt anchors... and if supported all the way around, don't worry about the windshield.

 

[Blinker]

Seems like I’m in the minority here but I would probably junk the car. If multiple body shops won’t touch it then it must be pretty bad. A windshield provides structural integrity to the body of the car so it important that the windshield is firmly secured.

 

[Gimpy1]

Seems like I’m in the minority here but I would probably junk the car. If multiple body shops won’t touch it then it must be pretty bad. A windshield provides structural integrity to the body of the car so it important that the windshield is firmly secured.

Yup eventhough you may not believe it a windshield can be considered a structual part depending on the manufacturers design. Dont believe me look it up on any estimatics software if it s a strucual part there will be a lower case s in the part description. A bodyshop will not skimp on the repair because they may be held liable in an accident if the repair was not properly (per the oem repair proceedure) competed and thre is a structural failure.

 

[Trav]

It is structural, depending on the damage determines what it will take to repair it properly. Without a picture no one can say what should or could be done.
Did the body shops actually look at it with the windshield removed or is this the standard answer used for this.

 

[kschachn]

I repaired similar rust on my old Sienna. There was a leak and I noticed the windshield would move slightly when pressed down from the outside. I took the windshield out myself, ground down the rust on the pinch weld and primed it with epoxy primer. I then had a local place come and install a new windshield. That has been about 3-4 years now and it's still good.

The pinch weld had not really rusted that badly so it was still very structurally sound. With the epoxy primer and a new Fuyao windshield it was about $200 total give or take.

 

[MrPlow]

Here's a pic. It's all I got at the time, and don't have a closer shot right now. I'm getting it towed home tomorrow and will be able to inspect more then.

Full res:

Crop of rust on passenger side.

 

[Blinker]

I don’t know if that’s repairable or not since I have no experience in replacing windshields. The pictures aren’t very clear, so if you can get some close up pictures I think some other members will have a better idea if this is fixable or not.

 

[AZjeff]

A pillars rusted out can't be good for structural integrity. No wonder shops don't want to touch it.

Hope you can limit your losses Mr.P

 

[JC1]

Without a close up it doesn't seem that bad. I would try to get it repaired if you can do it for a few hundred bucks (metal repair).

 

[JTK]

I wonder if that area got gouged badly over the years from shoddy w/s replacements?

I also wonder how this structure could be OEM repaired w/out a whole new roof assembly, A-pillars and an upper dash structure. Donor van I guess?? (Trav would know)

Home hack, you could probably clean, prep and fill the area with something before an new w/s is epoxied in.

 

[92saturnsl2]

Unless that metal is so compromised that you can punch holes in it, if it were my vehicle, I'd fix it.

A few light taps with a ballpeen hammer should give you a good idea how much good metal you have left. Given the thickness of those pillars, I'd be very surprised if that rust went all the way through.

From the photos it looks like something you can clean off with an angle grinder & wire wheel, then use a good sealer to keep moisture out. I think if you can clean it up well enough that it doesn't scream "rusty POS", you'll probably have no trouble getting someone to throw a windshield in it.

 

[mattd]

That A pillar has rot holes all the way through it. It won’t be cheap to fix correctly.

Might have to weigh options and cut your losses.

 

[Dinoburner]

Had a similar problem several years ago with an Astrovan, Repairing would have put me upside down by 50% so sold it to a junk yard owner who said he would fix it up for his wife. Not into taking that type of risk.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

ouch

You're probably best parting it out and junking the rest, like you said.

If you need another minivan, consider the 4-cylinder Kia Rondo, which you should be able to get for about the same price as the Sienna. Otherwise, get the newest car you can afford, as rust happens over time, so even if, say, a 2012 has 300k on it, that's OK because it's still a 2012 and didn't have as much time to start rusting as a 2002.