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Vent "window"


gr8scott

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Backing into the garage tonight I hit the garage door frame with the driver side mirror. The mirror didn't break, and is fully functional, but it gave enough to break the small dummy vent window glass to smithereens. It's late and I won't be able to take a closer look till tomorrow morning, but it doesn't look like a DIY project for my limited skills. So my question is how to remedy it, namely how far does  the door need to be disassembled to to allow the replacement. Can the vent window's frame along with the mirror be removed without having to go into the door itself? Will the average automotive window replacement outfit or a body shop be able to do this, and if so what can I expect to be charged?

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 I have extras for just that thing happening. However what I have is not for sale as having them is insurance that it won't happen. I am sure the usual suppliers of parts on this forum will have one. You may want to go to a glass shop and see if a replacement glass can be made.

 You will have to remove the door panel to be able to remove that window section.

 Should be able to R&R [remove and replace] in less then an hour, however additional time may be required for adjusting.

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This is a bit of a job. Need to remove the door interior trim panel, outside mirror and mounting bracket, the inner sweep (this press fits onto the pinch weld on the top inner eege of the door sheet metal) and possibly the outer sweep as well (attaches with two small phillips screws at the ends and is press fit onto the pinch weld. The rear edge of the vent window frame is also the guide channel for the power window and thus goes all the way down into the door shell where it is bolted in place with an L bracket. This bracket also comprises an adjustment point that sets the angle and alignment of the vent window for getting a good seal at the top point where the window meets the weather strip. There are two 10mm bolts with large captive center washers on the front angled portion of the door sheetmetal that need to come out also. Some cars have a rubber cap seal that completely covers these snd needs removal first. Others have a variation where the cap seal is notched to leave these bolts exposed. I've seen both and surmise this was a running production change.

It is time consuming mostly for the amount of stuff that has to be removed and reinstalled to replace the vent window. Also, getting the vent window out of the door is tricky as you need to disengage it from the guide edge on the side window as you pull it up and out. The L bracket needs to be removed from the tail end of the guide edge frame (held on with one 10mm bolt) or you cant get it out of the gap at the top of the door sheet metal. If you have tinted windows be very careful as the bottom of the guide edge frame can scratch against the inside of the side window while you are trying to manipulate it up and out, ruining the tint film. The power window will probably need to be put part way down during the removal process to get the clearance to pull the vent window free.

One other possible problem is that you may have bent the metal bracket that holds the mirror from behind the vent window glass. If this is the case, the mirror will not sit at the right angle making visibility a problem. Also, if bent beyond a very slight tweak, the mirror will no longer seal the gasket tightly against the outer surface of the vent window glass and will allow leaks into the cars interior. So, you may need the bracket too.

I do have multiple spare vent windows and mirror brackets on hand if needed. I think Dave may be a bit light on his one hour estimate, I've spent almost an hour on removal alone. About the same to put it all back right, so for someone comfortable with the process probably two hours. For a novice, probably three plus as there are a lot of details in this job that are easy for a first-timer to overlook. Again, a factory service manual is highly suggested.

KDirk

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For anyone new to Reattas........the glass was never available.   The only way to get a replacement glass is to buy the entire glass and frame assembly.

I do not recommend trying to move a good glass to another frame unless you have a very bad frame on the good glass,  again the glass was installed in the frame at the assembly location.

You do need to inspect the lower guide and glass guide before installing one ....if the guide is bad (broken) the door window glass can jump out of the guide channel when it is raised and lowered creating

a new problem.     There was a fellow in the Flint area making replacement windows out of plastic but he recently passed.

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Barney, you raise a question here (for me anyway). I didn't think the glass was removable at all and while I had seen the ad in the Reatta Road for replacment lexan pieces you referenced could never figure out how one would get the glass out of the frame. Can you offer any insight on that process? I have one spare vent window unit here with a bad run channel. If I can save the glass from it for reuse I'd like to do so.

I would note that it always looked to me like the glass was sealed in when the outer rubber part was vulcanized onto the steel frame. A means of disassembly was not readily apparent to me, though I didn't look that closely at it.

KDirk

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 Not to start anything but I went to the 'vert [in storage at the widow Schneider's] and swapped out the headlight switch in 7 minutes including exiting the car I was driving, grabbing the tools, removing and installing the switch and bezel, putting the tools back in the trunk, and getting back in the car.

 That is per my GPS as I was going to an appointment and had the GPS destination programmed. 

 That has to be close to a record.

 Anyone else have a "fast" time?

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