First of all, why do you want to remove a windshield wiper arm? For most people, this is not a task that will be required at any point. If your wiper arm is broken, and needs to be replaced, you’ll need to remove the old one first. In this image, you see a wiper arm that has been broken off completely.
The owner of this vehicle removed the nut holding the wiper arm to the windshield wiper motor, then pried straight up to remove what was left of the wiper arm assembly. You can see the plier marks on the what is left of the wiper arm. He also used WD40 and PBlaster to try to loosen up the assembly, but it was all to no avail.
Conventional wisdom is to fold the wiper arm upwards, and then while applying downward pressure (grab the lifted wiper and press downward) strike the portion of the wiper arm that is attached to the bolt with your other hand or a rubber mallet. This usually frees up the wiper arm.
In this case, that technique could not be applied, and the owner wanted to adjust the other wiper arm, too. It wasn’t coming off either. What to do? A battery terminal lifter was used, and it very easily lifted the arm assembly off the bolt. It didn’t create any damage to the arm that wasn’t broken, and it popped the broken arm off neatly.
Read more from
James Lee.
In 2009 he joined
TGSC Group as the managing director of product development. James brings expertise in customer satisfaction and service delivery to the team. He guest blogs for TeleGlass and is an
amateur photographer. Find him on Twitter @
jronaldlee.
Tagged as:
Windshield Wiper
I found this question on Yahoo!’s Answers:
My car windshield has a 5-inch horizontal crack starting at the very edge and going toward the center. When I run my hand over it from either the outside or inside of the car, I can’t “feel” the scratch. Why is that?
P.S. I would like to get this repaired before the crack spreads. I dropped by an autoglass repair garage and they told me I had to replace the whole windshield. Is there a way to just repair the crack itself…like the process they use for rock chips? I feel like the mechanic is just trying to take my money.
This is a great two part question.
First, if you can’t feel the crack, it’s because of how the windshield is made. The two layers of glass with a layer of safety laminate in between is designed to keep it’s shape, including holding the layers of glass together after a crack. It’s doing such a good job that you can’t feel the crack (or cut your hand trying to feel it!).
Second, YES. You absolutely can repair a windshield’s crack! The best candidate is a crack that is small enough to be covered by a dollar bill and is not directly in the driver’s vision. A crack repair will fill the crack with a special resin that returns the windshield to its full strength. It will make the crack nearly invisible, but under certain circumstances, you may catch the sun reflecting off the crack. That’s why we do not advise repairing cracks directly in front of the driver.
There are times when a shop might recommend you have the windshield replaced even if it falls under those two criteria. It’s important to ask the shop why, because engaging the repair technician in a dialog will give you the information you need to make a good decision.
Read more from
James Lee.
In 2009 he joined
TGSC Group as the managing director of product development. James brings expertise in customer satisfaction and service delivery to the team. He guest blogs for TeleGlass and is an
amateur photographer. Find him on Twitter @
jronaldlee.
Tagged as:
Repair,
Windshield Cracks
Is there a difference between a 2 door and 4 door 91 Honda Accord windshield?
The question, asked on Yahoo!’s Answers, reads as follows:
i have a 91 honda accord ex 2 door,the windshiel is cracked and i need to replace it. i fuond a 91 honda accord 4 door that has the windshiled.i was going to buy it tomm but want to make sure it will fit my 2 door.
No, it will not. There are subtle differences in the windshields, and the part for the two door (FW00653) is different than the four door (FW00641).
Sometimes people try to save a few bucks by using a used windshield, but with it being part of your vehicle’s safety system, it’s not really a good idea. Instead, let us send a trained technician with a new piece of glass, one that hasn’t undergone who knows what kind of stress over the past sixteen years, and we’ll perform your windshield replacement correctly!
Read more from
Blog Admin.
The Blog Administrator of Seeing Clearly. More of a collective intelligence than an actual person, the personification of a company that facilitates twentyfive thousand glass repairs every year. Find TeleGlass on
Twitpic or on Twitter:
@TeleGlass.
Tagged as:
Honda
This week’s Ask TeleGlass question comes to us from Robert, who asked,
Hi, I just had the windshield replaced on my 2006 Buick LaCrosse. The windshield was GM PPG billed as “acoustic” and I suppose thicker than regular windshield glass. The replacement windshield is Pilkington Laminated AS-1 Dot 177 M21 A…DW1607. It is also said to be acoustic. After the new windshield was installed it seemed that my very quiet car was a little less quiet. I am hoping you know if the thickness, or anything else about the replacement windshield, is different in a way that might make it any less effective at making the interior of my car quiet than the original PPG acoustic glass did? It’s always possible I’m just being too critical. I appreciate your time in answering my question.
Big question, not the easiest to answer. The kind of question that has me reaching for a disclaimer. Regrets, but here it is. I haven’t heard the noise in your vehicle, either before or after your windshield was replaced, so my answer will include plenty of speculation. Your exact situation is unique to you, and will not be diagnosable via e-mail.
[click to continue…]
Read more from
James Lee.
In 2009 he joined
TGSC Group as the managing director of product development. James brings expertise in customer satisfaction and service delivery to the team. He guest blogs for TeleGlass and is an
amateur photographer. Find him on Twitter @
jronaldlee.
Tagged as:
Acoustic,
Windshield
Is it truly safe to lean on a car’s windshield?
Ok, we all see it in movies… when two people romantically lay on their hood and windshield under the moonlight, haha 
Is this actually safe? Is the windshield likely to crack? How long can you really lay on it before any damage is done?
Windshield romance?
This week’s question was found floating around the Web with some dubious answers. As we’ve touched on auto glass love in the past, I couldn’t resist answering Anthony’s question here.
Your windshield is actually a safety device. If your car has a passenger side air bag, it’s designed to bounce off the windshield, which absorbs some of the pressure from the explosion that inflates the air bag, before making contact with the passenger.
Additionally, modern vehicles count on the windshield to support up to 70% of the weight of the car in the event of a roll over accident.
You’re going to dent the hood of your car, not damage the windshield.
Caveats:
- If someone installed a windshield improperly
- If there was an unperceivable bend in the vehicle’s body putting pressure on the windshield
- If there’s a chip or crack in the windshield already
- If the windshield is already under stress for some other reason
You could potentially damage the glass. In these examples, you’re just exacerbating an existing condition. If that happens, Anthony, we can hook you up with a quality windshield repair.
Thanks to bigcityal for the lovely photo used in this post. (CC BY 2.0)
Read more from
James Lee.
In 2009 he joined
TGSC Group as the managing director of product development. James brings expertise in customer satisfaction and service delivery to the team. He guest blogs for TeleGlass and is an
amateur photographer. Find him on Twitter @
jronaldlee.
Tagged as:
Love,
Windshield
This week’s Ask TeleGlass question came from a fellow named Jim on Monday, and I had to send it out with a quickness as we get many questions about auto glass deductibles, where and when it applies and it is always good for a refresher.
Auto glass deductibles fall under the comprehensive portion of your automobile policy. If you have a deductible on your comprehensive coverage (which all of us who have this coverage do) then you would think you would be subject to that deductible in all auto glass cases. However, this is not necessarily true. Certain states have auto glass waivers that apply towards your deductible when you have a windshield replacement or any piece of auto glass replaced.
[click to continue…]
Read more from
Rachel Letourneau.
System Process Manager, Rachel has been with Teleglass for six years. In addition to making a mean birthday cake, Rachel has an extensive grasp of the auto glass business. Find her on Twitter:
@rachelcrocker.
Tagged as:
Ask TeleGlass,
Auto Glass,
Insurance
In today’s installment of Ask TeleGlass, we’re taking a question from the Web about the quality of windshield repairs. Duke, who used another shop asked,
How good is the windshield repair process. I have a chip like a watermelon pit. The guy came out and it looks?
It looks worse now. I thought they virtually make it “NEW” again. It is a small chip. I think the guy just didnt know how to do the process.
How good is the windshield repair process. I have a chip like a watermelon pit. The guy came out and it looks?
It looks worse now. I thought they virtually make it “NEW” again. It is a small chip. I think the guy just didnt know how to do the process.
Duke has a common question, so we thought we’d take a stab at it.
[click to continue…]
Read more from
James Lee.
In 2009 he joined
TGSC Group as the managing director of product development. James brings expertise in customer satisfaction and service delivery to the team. He guest blogs for TeleGlass and is an
amateur photographer. Find him on Twitter @
jronaldlee.
Tagged as:
Ask TeleGlass,
Repair,
Replacement,
Safety,
Windshield
We found this question on the Web, and thought it would be a good one to answer here.
Will a windshield from 1990 Volvo 240 fit in 1992 Volvo 240?
Volvo 240 - interchangeable windshields?
(photo by youngthousands)
Don’t do it!
[click to continue…]
Read more from
James Lee.
In 2009 he joined
TGSC Group as the managing director of product development. James brings expertise in customer satisfaction and service delivery to the team. He guest blogs for TeleGlass and is an
amateur photographer. Find him on Twitter @
jronaldlee.
Tagged as:
Volvo,
Windscreen,
Windshield
This week Mike Seth Asks TeleGlass a lot of questions.
“We recently had our windshield replaced and now, every time we exceed 65 mph, we hear a honking sound coming from the passenger side of the windshield. I’ve stuck my head out the window repeatedly looking for the low-flying goose (see “Fly Away Home”) but all I’ve gotten is windburn and a few bugs in my teeth. Not so tasty plus I end up weaving out of my lane. I’ve got a road trip planned in a few weeks from Phoenix to Colorado so we’ve resorted to giving the kids gobs of gum which we’ve been sticking into the outside edge around the windshield. My kids are complaining that their jaws hurt but I’m thinking that might work to my advantage (it might make for a quieter road trip).
So, I have a few questions:
1. Should I live with the noise or have a windshield professional investigate it?
2. Is a limited intake of bugs really healthy?
3. If the gum chewing doesn’t work, should I try duct tape? On the kids or the windshield? “
First off, Mike, lay off the caffeine! But to answer your unique list of questions here goes.
[click to continue…]
Read more from
Rachel Letourneau.
System Process Manager, Rachel has been with Teleglass for six years. In addition to making a mean birthday cake, Rachel has an extensive grasp of the auto glass business. Find her on Twitter:
@rachelcrocker.
Tagged as:
Ask TeleGlass,
Auto Glass,
bugs in teeth,
duct tape,
Safety,
Windshield
In this week’s Ask TeleGlass, Barb Anderson asks TeleGlass:
“I was under the impression that Connecticut was one of the states that had the state mandated deductible waiver for auto glass claims. In checking your site however, it indicated that this is apparently not the case. Did this change recently and if so, please advise when. Thanks so much.”
Well Barb, that is a great question. We have heard that question many times, typically from consumers who live in a state where “Full Glass Coverage” is a commonly added coverage.
In the state of Connecticut, there are no state mandated waivers of deductibles for auto glass. Connecticut does however have something they call “Full Glass Coverage,” which is an additional coverage that can be purchased by the consumer. Many consumers are unaware they are paying an additional premium for the full glass coverage as the agents tend to write in the additional premium automatically as it is benefit to their consumers. Typically we have seen that the additional premium is something that 99% of consumers we work with have signed up for.
If you live the state of Connecticut and drive a car, chances are that you will crack or a chip in the windshield, and that you will need to get a windshield replacement or a windshield repair. If you do not have “Full Glass Coverage,” sign up for that coverage and save yourself a few bucks!
For more information, please go to the Connecticut Insurance Departments Consumer Page.
Thanks for the question Barb, and if you need to use that coverage on a broken windshield, keep us in mind and we will help you find a qualified auto glass company in your area.
Read more from
Rachel Letourneau.
System Process Manager, Rachel has been with Teleglass for six years. In addition to making a mean birthday cake, Rachel has an extensive grasp of the auto glass business. Find her on Twitter:
@rachelcrocker.
Tagged as:
Ask TeleGlass,
Insurance
