I tried to get me windshield at Safelite & the tech lifed some of the trim at top to show me some rust near the channel fo the trim piece. I couldn't really see much except dirt & this left the molding a bit stretched. I was told by a shop that Safelite doesn't like to do older cars & preferers to send you to a body shop. I have decided to live with the crack in my windshield for now, so I would like to replace this molding & in the process, clean out the channel & stabilize the rust if it's minimal. Can someone advise me on this job? It is not leaking now & the rest of the car is relatively rust free so I'm not expecting a lot under the trim. Just trying to do what I can to interrupt any degradation.
Thanks Kev
Sounds like that particular tech or that particular shop just didn't want to do the job. Try another shop.
I've had my windshield done in my 2002 Olds Bravada, twice, at my house, by SafeLite, without issue. So this story of "safelite doesn't do older cars" is mullarkey. As for rust above the windshield, I'd be a little surprised if there actually IS rust up there. It's probably just full of schmutz. My trim piece is taped in place because I had to remove it a half-dozen times or so to install (and reinstall) my aftermarket XM receiver's magnetic antenna. That trim is fairly easy to remove. If it's anything like mine, it presses in and is kept in place by tension. You could carefully remove it and very carefully clean that channel, preferably with a plastic or wooden pick so as not to damage the glass or trash the paint. A stiff plastic bristled brush would probably be ideal. If, after thoroughly cleaning that channel, you find rust, a little rust converter would take care of it. When reinstalling that upper trim, mine gets held in place by the left and right side trim, one of which broke, so I tape mine in place with electrical tape and it's not noticeable in the least.
