Windshield rust = scrap the whole vehicle?

[wrcsixeight]

One Problem with rust is one does not know how bad it really is, until one starts removing the loose flakes and probing.
It can look horrible and not be so bad, or not look so bad but be completely rotten under what paint still exists.

The pics shown so far givle little idea if the rust in question is one or the other or some combo.

Get various wire wheels for your4.5 inch angle grinder. I like slowing the grinders down a bit with a router speed controller( amazingly useful tool) especially in delicate areas. scrub what remains with Ospho on a green or red scotch brite pad. One can lather rinse repeat until all that is left is bare pitted steel, just let the rust turn black ( do not allow overnight moisture to condense on it) then hit it again with the wire wheel or a chisel.

I've stainless steel wire brushes for the dremel, also very useful. Don't skimp on the eye or lung protection.

Epoxy resin bonds incredibly well to properly prepped steel. Key words being properly prepped. this means thoroughly degreased and lots of mechanical tooth, sharp scratches in the prepped etched metal. Epoxy also seals much better than regular paint, but epoxy is not UV resistant and must be painted over when it will see direct sunlight.

Don't compare it to 'fiberglass resin' which is polyester resin, in terms of bond strength. Epoxy can also expand and contract with temperature better than polyester resins.

I've plenty of steel that rusted out and now has epoxy saturated fiberglass replacing it, but I have good fiberglass skills. and always have resin and fiberglass on hand.

Anyway try prepping the rust yourself then seeing if a window guy will bother with the installation
Offer to write up and sign a waver releasing them of liability. and have it witnessed if they are really concerned.

 

[MrPlow]

I have the van at my place, but it is raining for a few days and I don't want to remove the plastic wrap they put over the window area.

The glass shop guys said it was about as bad as any rust they had seen before, and agreed it might be too much work for an old van.

When I get a couple of dry days, i'll take the plastic off and start doing some light cleanup work on the rusted spots. I think if I am going to do the rust removal myself, then I don't see any point in hiring someone to install the windshield. If the rust cleans up better than it looks, then I'll just use the 3M all-in-one primer as much as possible and then the 3M polyurethane adhesive. I assume that most of the difficulty in windshield replacement is just getting the windshield out cleanly, which has been done for me already.

That's all still a long shot though, and I am most likely just going to cut my losses and see how much an auto wrecker would pay to get at all the juicy parts, or part it out myself next summer when the weather is nicer.

 

[JTK]

If it was my personal daily beater, all I'd care about is the repair is good enough to hold the w/s in place and keep out the weather. It's a shame to scrap the van if you've already dumped money into it, it's good otherwise and will pass inspection (if required). The 'structural integrity' thing is overrated here IMO. It's an 19yr/old minivan with gobs of miles on it. It's going to have other integrity issues outweighing this one.

 

[kschachn]

Just FYI I was planning on installing a new windshield myself as well. But the problem comes in finding one for a decent price, and even then it was close to the price for someone to do it for me. You also get a warranty that way. I had nightmares of not getting it straight and level, plus I needed to buy the adhesive and primer which isn't cheap either.

I did get a discount since the installer didn't have to remove the old windshield and it was already prepped. I also didn't have him reinstall any of the trim pieces.

 

[Blinker]

If it was my personal daily beater, all I'd care about is the repair is good enough to hold the w/s in place and keep out the weather. It's a shame to scrap the van if you've already dumped money into it, it's good otherwise and will pass inspection (if required). The 'structural integrity' thing is overrated here IMO. It's an 19yr/old minivan with gobs of miles on it. It's going to have other integrity issues outweighing this one.

Ah yes, safety is overrated.

 

[JTK]

Ah yes, safety is overrated.

Put a roll cage in it.

 

[MrPlow]

Well, I guess it can't be any less safe than a dude wearing a faceless helmet on a Harley.

 

[dishdude]

Two concerns with a windshield that is not properly installed - an unbuckled passenger could be ejected from the vehicle in an accident if they hit the windshield and it pops out. Second, some vehicles the passenger airbag is designed to deflect off the windshield and toward the occupant. If it hits the windshield and dislodges it, you essentially have no passenger airbag.

 

[atikovi]

Look for a smaller shop that handles rust repair or restoration. I would not give up until I talked to a few of those kind of shops.

I assume the windshield is out so it's not like he can take it for estimates. Well, he could.....but driving around without a windshield, this time of year is no fun. Done that once.

 

[kschachn]

I assume the windshield is out so it's not like he can take it for estimates. Well, he could.....but driving around without a windshield, this time of year is no fun. Done that once.

Because it would have been even less expensive to drop off my car rather than having them fix it on site I briefly considered this as well. But only briefly.

 

[JTK]

There's always options.

 

[Cujet]

Remove the rust scale using any method you like, fill the entire area with structural foam, grind it to shape, paint, install windshield. You’ll get two years.

 

[xnicke]

My suggestion would be to sell. Put out an honest ad. Could be that someone feel like take it on.

 

[The Critic]

Two concerns with a windshield that is not properly installed - an unbuckled passenger could be ejected from the vehicle in an accident if they hit the windshield and it pops out. Second, some vehicles the passenger airbag is designed to deflect off the windshield and toward the occupant. If it hits the windshield and dislodges it, you essentially have no passenger airbag.

In other words, wear your seatbelt and operate the vehicle with the understanding that it does not have functional air bags.

Could be a lot worse.

 

[JHZR2]

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.

Thats what air was thinking. A lot of shops can’t put together a firm timeline and cost basis when rust is involved, so they don’t want to deal with it.

Agree need to see pics to support the assessment better. I saw a few but they weren’t showing well. I’d assume there is sheet metal and then some higher strength metal inside of that, that then strength isn’t just a “boxed sheet metal” member.

I wonder if the windshield had been replaced before? More than once? By a top rated shop or a hack.

A body shop guy told me you never know if the people who pop out the old windshield may scratch the surface in the process. And this minivan is showing the result of not popping out the old windshield very carefully.

That is very true too. It’s a dark, wet spot, and opportunity to trap moisture can do great damage.

That said, given the situation and challenges, there are “mobile auto body” providers that might be a good option. Need to find a good one, an experienced one... not someone who is a hack, was fired for drugs or who knows what. Thinking more of a on the verge of retirement type guy who has seen lots and might have some ability to fix on at least a slow timeline and at a good price. It may or may not be worth it to do so, but getting someone on site to discuss further might be worth a few bucks to better assess and help.

 

[Silver]

Wow.

I'd fix it somehow, some way. Clean it real good, coat it with a rust inhibitor or good enamel. Gobs of sealant? Butyl putty? Expanding foam?

I would not sell it though. I'd drive it till it was not worth fixing anymore then scrap it.

 

[TurboTravis]

I went thru this yesterday with my 2000 Accord. I was not home when they replaced it-they called and reported the rust. They gave the option to install the new windshield with no warranty. That is the option I took. Look at the receipt! Ha!

 

[JTK]

I went thru this yesterday with my 2000 Accord. I was not home when they replaced it-they called and reported the rust. They gave the option to install the new windshield with no warranty. That is the option I took. Look at the receipt! Ha!

LOL! If they don't spell warranty correctly, does that mean you still have one?

In the rust belt, I think you'll find a few shops that would offer exactly this to keep customers happy.

 

[wdn]

I had the SafeLite come and install a windshield in the parking lot and there was about 3” of light surface rust on one of the welds. They called me outside and made a big deal of the “rusted windshield frame” in my Gen1 Tundra and wrote a no warranty disclaimer on the receipt. Anything to weasel out of the warranty. That was about five years ago, no leaks yet.

 

[kschachn]

I went thru this yesterday with my 2000 Accord. I was not home when they replaced it-they called and reported the rust. They gave the option to install the new windshield with no warranty. That is the option I took. Look at the receipt! Ha!

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And then on the other hand when the guy put in the new windshield on my old Sienna it was clearly obvious I had removed rust and repainted the weld, but no mention of it in the receipt and I got a warranty.