1968 Beetle - Undersized windshield

[hambone]

German seal is installed correctly (apparently - but seam is not centered on body), but does not push far out enough on lower driver side causing a water leak.
The windshield is from China. Is there even another choice these days?

[Bookwus]

Hiya Bob,

Hmmmmm..............Mine is Mexican. CITSA by name and stamped "Hecho en Mexico" But, truth be told, I'm thinking that it is not a good fit either. It seems not to have enough glass to properly push the seal in the lower passenger corner into place. As a result I have had a leak courtesy of the two weep holes in the body at that point.

[hambone]

Wow! A global catastrophe!
Is this the era of silicone? Can we count on anything to fit?
I'm starting to get really frustrated with parts quality. Keeping a 40 year old daily driver on the road is challenging enough without wondering about every single replacement part. We NEED a good windshield!

I seem to recall Colin adding material to an ill fitting window, but maybe I'm drinking too much GumoutTM.

Check this out:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewto ... windshield

[Amskeptic]

Wow! A global catastrophe!
Is this the era of silicone? Can we count on anything to fit?
I'm starting to get really frustrated with parts quality. Keeping a 40 year old daily driver on the road is challenging enough without wondering about every single replacement part. We NEED a good windshield!

I seem to recall Colin adding material to an ill fitting window, but maybe I'm drinking too much GumoutTM.

It is so irritating and disturbing that we all have to get dragged into this era of cynical sloppiness. Look around. Call OEVeeDub. Research deeper than you might otherwise. Let us know what sort of conversations you have with suppliers. Also tell us if you are price shopping or quality shopping. It is critical for us to be discriminating. I think we American consumers have brought a lot of this upon ourselves, but the suppliers have happily obliged . . . and then some.
Colin

[hambone]

I always shop for quality over price.
I don't think it's the seal, because it seems to be the right size for the window opening. It also may not be seated properly, per that Samba thread.
Didn't you have to shim a window on the Squareback? Or something?

[wild3]

bob all work insured for happiness of client window spec same size matched we talked about the 20$ door & that it was the wrong one that we made fit & i thought it sucked if you're not happy bring me your car back & we will solve the leak issue

[hambone]

Allright man I appreciate it.
Parts quality sucks these days, especially from China. Your guy installed the windshield right, it just seems too small. Yeah that door isn't right, I think it's that upper hinge pin. I remember it being wobbly.
I'll see if I can find a different door around here and we'll take it from there.

That hole under the fender needs a patch welded in or fiberglass cloth and resin. Also needs a fender mounting bolt welded in. Is that something you could take on? Probably in a couple months if it would work for you.

Thanks Willy, I wasn't sure if you'd take this stuff on after the fact. A lot of shops wouldn't. I could tell some stories....

[Amskeptic]

Allright man I appreciate it.
Parts quality sucks these days, especially from China. Your guy installed the windshield right, it just seems too small. Yeah that door isn't right, I think it's that upper hinge pin. I remember it being wobbly.
I'll see if I can find a different door around here and we'll take it from there.

That hole under the fender needs a patch welded in or fiberglass cloth and resin. Also needs a fender mounting bolt welded in. Is that something you could take on? Probably in a couple months if it would work for you.

Thanks Willy, I wasn't sure if you'd take this stuff on after the fact. A lot of shops wouldn't. I could tell some stories....

Should this go to PM? I don't what is going on here. We have a topic in Type 1 where I think I was being asked about a leak, here a small windshield, same symptom, fender bolts, hinge pins, what exactly is this thread asking of technical issues at this point?
Colin

[wild3]

no worries see ya in a couple of months we will get it handled

[Amskeptic]

no worries see ya in a couple of months we will get it handled

I think I want to visit you too, a little BobD touch-up . . .
Colin

[wild3]

colin i will be here bring bob d when your ready we fix him up

[Oregon72]

I think the faux-splitty look would be great on the front of that clapped-out beater of a bus you call BobD

[hambone]

Willy does really good paint work, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

[Viande]

Just for some clarification on seals. If you are using the hula hoops most sell this is why you get the corners that don't fit properly. VW seals were molded for good reason. When you force the typical seal around the corners of the glass it will buckle in as you are stretching the rubber. This also reduces the size of the seal in that area and is also why they crack so soon. Some companies are touting "extended" seal lips to try and compensate for this. It's a bandaid on your elbow for a sore on your knee to borrow a phrase. When you use a proper OEM gasket these do not occur. If you check out this thread you can see why just seeing "German" is not enough anymore.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewto ... 5&start=80

About halfway down you will see a comparison of German vs OEM German seals. The big boys don't want to sell the OEM German seals. They last longer (less revenue) and have a smaller profit margin (less revenue). The OEM I buy my seals from has been trying to get there here for nearly 15 years now. But according to the big website vendors you see linked everyday you don't want them. You only want cheap. If thats the case then you reap what you sow and get to replace the same seal year after year whereas you could have paid a little more and not worried about it for another 20-30 years....

More info here

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewto ... c&start=20

[Amskeptic]

Just for some clarification on seals.
The big boys don't want to sell the OEM German seals. They last longer (less revenue) and have a smaller profit margin (less revenue).

The OEM I buy my seals from has been trying to get there here for nearly 15 years now. But according to the big website vendors you see linked everyday you don't want them. You only want cheap. If thats the case then you reap what you sow and get to replace the same seal year after year whereas you could have paid a little more and not worried about it for another 20-30 years....

More info here

When you get a chance, let us know what you have to offer.
You have an open site here to hawk your wares if they are the good stuff.

I think most of us here understand the economy of paying up front for quality. My $34.95 Brazilian Squareback door seals cracked into thousands of pieces in the corners and were a mess around the door stays over three months of merely sitting in the garage. The $124.00 ea Type III OEM seals fit like they had come home and are still good.
If you have a pile of seals to offer, I will set up with a sticky here in the Body/Hardware Forum.
Colin