Glass rubber cover, windshield & rear window (E39)

Anyone in Southern California want to help me out here.....

Ah, some pics! Very good...very good. Well, maybe I'll take a shot at this. I forget and am lazy, but were BMW part numbers given for the front and rear 'seals', 'covers', 'gaskets' or whatever we're calling them today?

Here are the part #'s. Also, it's a really great site. http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...49&hg=51&fg=05

Originally Posted by McCandless

Which it won't. At least not as a result of me replacing the cover.
There is a reason BMW calls it a "cover" and not a seal. It seals nothing! The seal between the glass and the body is made via the ADHESIVE used to BOND the windshield into the body opening. A good read of the windshield installation procedures in BMW's own service documentation (TIS) shows that this bonding process even contributes to the structural rigidity of the car and can take anywhere from 4 to 20 HOURS to achieve maximum bond.
Like BMW's "lifetime" transmission and differential lubricants, the insistence of the BMW service personnel that the windshield and rear window must be removed and replaced to change the cover(s) SHOULD be taken with a great big grain of salt and not blindly followed just because "they say so".

I had the same problem with my 2000 528it, couldn't take it anymore and had the dealer (Vista - Coconut Creek) replace the cover. They didn't tell me I had to replace the windshield. It was still expensive obviously at around $275(about 4 months ago) I think. But like everyone else the back window is fine no cracking.

Originally Posted by McCandless

See attached thumbnails. These are of the rear window cover removal I did a couple of days ago but the front is the same process. Dig out an end making sure to NOT touch the glass with any metal object and you are home free as "pilotroger" said.

Oh yeah, before I forget. I switched from using a lacquer thinner dampened rag to mineral spirits. It's a considerably gentler on the hands (and the paint) and cuts the **** almost as well.

Looks easy enough.. what holds this rubber piece in place? Some type of glue? Or does it just sit snugly in the channel?

Just fits snugly in the channel

Do you remove the metal piece out as well that is touching the glass?

What metal piece? On the front windshield the only metal is within the rubber seal. You would never see it unless you dig it out of the rubber. Maybe you are seeing something I did not???

Pics, people, post pics. They will help explain a lot.

I DID post pictures! Two of them of the rear window cover removal and one a shot of the tools and supplies I used. Fairly high resolution ones so you save them to your hard drive and then zoom in on them with Preview or a photo editor. Pics posted 7/25.

The windshield cover remove/replace is identical except for removing the big chunk of foam/rubber at the lower corners of the windshield to ease access to the ends of the cover.

Please READ what I said in my posts on 6/9 and 7/23. The 7/23 one includes a link to RF for another how-to version.

Well I finally broke down and replaced the front windshield molding. I bought it at Pelican Parts for $36.25 and I was able to get free shipping since I also ordered a fuel filter. The part number for the windshield strip is 51-31-8-159-784. I called the dealer (Braman-West Palm Beach)and they told me the part number and were charging $56.46 inc tax. Unless you really need it wait the 4-5 days for delivery. From reading some of the other posts, yes I do agree that BMW should pay for such poor workmanship but if its only going to cost me $36, I can live with that. Anyway the only tool I used was a small flat head screwdriver. This was used to start off the in the top corner of the passenger windshield. I could have probably tried to start at the lower corner and try to get the strip out in one piece but I didn't. I just pulled on the strip and to my amazement the rubber strip started appearing. I pulled even more till I got to the end and I had to curl the strip inward to remove the lower part. I then went for the upper piece and sure enough one long piece. I tried to get the driver side piece with the upper but the upper corners were both badly deteriorated. I went ahead and pulled the driver side strip and that came out with ease. Now came time to clean out the gutter where the moulding sits. There isn't that much in terms of dirt, just small chunks of cracked rubber that did not make it out during pulling of the molding. I took a shopvac and vacuumed the residue and then took some Goo Gone on a paper towel and cleaned out any sticky residue. Easy so far and it only gets easier. Once you are finished cleaning it's time to put on the new moulding. I again started on the passenger upper corner and worked my way down the pillar. All I did was push down with the palm of my hand and the moulding pushed its way snuggly onto the windshield. I then started with the upper piece, still no brainer just push down with palm and it fits snuggly onto the windshield. Same for the driver side pillar. The only tricky part was at the lower end of the moulding near the hood where there is a rubber sheathing. I just used my pinky to push the sheathing on top of the moulding and once the moulding was in place, I tucked the rubber sheathing back into the moulding. DONE. Very easy, no windshields were replaced or broken and only took 30 min. It took more time worrying about what might happen since it was my first time doing this procedure. Of course I had to take pictures. Let me know if there is a better way to do this or if you want you can come over if you live in the Palm Beach County, FL area and I can spread the word. Enjoy, Gary
The first four pics are of the passenger side pilar moulding removal, the fifth starts the upper moulding.

The next five pics show the removal of the upper and driver side moulding, the last picture shows the entire windshield with the moulding removed. Enjoy, Gary

more pics of the windshield with out the moulding. The last pic shows the start of the installation of the new moulding. Enjoy, Gary

In the last set of pics, I mentioned the last pic was the start, this is where I start the pics of the installation, sorry about that. Remember, just push down with the palm of your hand. Enjoy, Gary

the last four pics are of the installed moulding, again this a very easy change. At first this was intimidating just like radiator replacement or water pump replacement but I can tell you this is actually easier than changing your oil (unless you use an oil extractor like myself) under your car. Have fun and ask me any questions, hopefully this will help many people in the same situation I was in till I replaced the moulding. Also this moulding does not contribute to the adhesion of the windshield to the window frame. If it did my windshield would have flown off years ago. BTW, the Goo Gone bottle was already at a low level, I only used 5-6 paper towels with a splash of Goo Gone. Enjoy, Gary

When I called up Braman BMW, they asked for the last seven of the VIN. There are two other types of windshields for the 540, I think they are called protective or security. Maybe BMW has a bulletproof front windshield option. Anyway I had the standard windshield. Enjoy, Gary

Gary! most excellent...and many thanks! What do you think about the rear window? Both upper corners of the molding on my 2001 530i are gone/chunked off.

Agent99,
I looked at my rear window before ordering the moulding for the front and the moulding was fully intact with no cracking or splitting. From looking at the pictures provided by McCandless, this would be the same procedure as the front windshield. Actualy this looks easier as there is no interference from any additional parts. I looked a my moulding this morning after my commute to work and the moulding is fully intact. Good luck with your rear moulding, let us know how you make out and provide some pics too.
Regards,
Gary

Just realized it's totally crumbling on my 2003 (and I live right at SoCal coast, so almost never very hot or very cold here). I'm pissed, just got the car back from the dealer for a service and now have to make another appt. Still under warranty/maint plan, so they are gonna pay!

Fellow 5-series owners,
I finally received a return email from Leonora.Vlaovich@bmwna.com after many weeks of no reply....apparently my email was "mis-directed" and "fell through the cracks" (no pun intended). Leonora assigned from BMWNA Mr. Lew Moore to look into my cracking and disintegrating windshield rubber issue. I gave Lew all my 1999 528 information. After several phone calls speaking directly with Lew back in New Jersey, he contacted my local dealer in the area (Pacific BMW) along with a service manager to discuss the situation and whether BMW would replace the rubber moulding around the windshield. The verdict? They decided that it would be my sole responsibility to make the necessary repairs. Lew said BMW did not know of enough owners with similar defects. Now Lew said to me that they have employees that scour the web for threads about BMW issues, so I don't understand this decision. They had my direct link to my photos here on this site (click here for photos.) I mentioned to Lew about the many owners on this site with the same defect. Didn't seem to sway things. Also, the car was not even taken to the dealer for a direct inspection, which he mentioned as something he wanted do, but we never got to that stage.

Lew Moore is at BMWNA at (201) 307-4000. I will be calling him Monday August 21 to send him more direct links to this site with all of our issues. Clearly there is an issue with these vehicles and it needs to be properly handled by BMW. We should not be required to perform our own dicey surgery on these expensive vehicles, nor should we be required to have to pay for a defect that appears throughout this series of vehicle. We all need to voice our concerns with this, so get on the phone and email, too!

I guess my two emails to Leonora are still swirling around the drain then....

Well, at least you got some info from BMW regarding this even if it wasn't what you wanted to hear. I think a few more of us need to drop Lew a phone call or re-email Leonora and see if we can't get BMW to foot this bill although, admittedly, it doesn't look to tough to replace on our own. However, I understand not everyone is able-bodied enough or has the time for this repair.

Good Luck!

I dropped an email... I am finally excited about this again! WOOT! I'll be making a phone call to Lew as well.

I have a 2002 525i and had the exact same problem. It go to the point where everytime I washed my car, I'd lose 1-2 inches of molding. After calling the local BMW dealership and bitched and complained, they gave me a name of local auto glass place that they use. The auto glass shop owner has a technique that he uses where he's able to pull the old weatherstripping/molding and squeeze in the new one WITHOUT replacing the windshield. It took less than an hour and costed me less than $100 (including the new BMW OEM molding). I must have called about a dozen auto glass places before this one and all said the same. . . .$300+ for a new windshield and molding.

Hello,

Can someone please let me know if the glass (window) needs to be popped out to replace the front rubber seal? Can someone please let me know if I could do this myself? Thank you!

Mike

Hello,

Sorry about that, I have a 2001 530i. Thank you!

Mike