Now that's encouraging... I just got trims for front and rear glass, and for doors - all made by URO, are they really that bad?

Thanks for everyone contributing here, I feel it will help me a lot when I venture into replacing windows trims.

One question - how do you use sealant/mastic? When doing front for example(fitting rubber to the body first), do you put a little sealant into the groove in the rubber trim as you install it on to the body? How about on the glass side - same thing: fill a little all around before installing the glass?

 

I used URO on my front and had no issues at all.

 

As I did, and with no problems with the gaskets.

Other than finding out that the rear chrome trim must be installed before installing into the body opening after I had already installed it.

I am reporting back that I have completed removal of the rear glass and rear gasket, cleaning the sealant off the glass and the gasket to start from scratch, then:
- use caulking gun to run a bead of sealant around the inside of the gasket's glass channel
- install the glass in the gasket
- install the chrome trim onto the gasket (not so easy to do even with everything on the work platform instead of installed in the body opening) ... I had difficulty getting the bottom chrome trim into its groove, I finally resorted to sliding the bottom chrome trim from one side and that worked ... the top curved chrome trim was a bit difficult getting it into its groove, however, I found that the areas which did slid into the groove, I used a 5-In-1 tool to push the rubber up under the chrome trim
- use caulking gun to run a bead of sealant around the outside of the gasket's pinch weld channel
- install a rope or heavy string into the outside grove with the sealant, pushing the rope/string against the inside flange of the gasket
- now comes the fun part ... installing the assembly into the body opening
- - set the assembly into the body opening so the pinch weld goes into the outside channel ... making sure that the two bottom corners go in correctly (otherwise you will have a fight on your hands trying to pull the inside corner of the gasket to the inside - I know ... that happened to me)
- - now, from the inside, pull the rope/string inward to pull the inside flange inside (while an assistant gently keeps the window assembly in place and gently pushes the window assembly in when needed)
- - the sealant I used is easily cleaned off by wiping with a rag or paper towel wet with mineral spirits (no need to worry about getting the sealant on the paint, it wipes right off, of course, if there is a coat of wax, the mineral spirits may wipe of the wax too?)

End result ... looks very nice.

I thank all for your help.

 

Sounds like the right way to do it! Now let's see some pics?

 

Will do pics in a day or two - the only phase that there are no pics of is the installation because I couldn't stop and take photos ... once started I had to just keep going.

 

I had no problem with them either, as far as front glass, I put a bead around the body trim, adding a bit extra to the corners. place the rubber (center as best to start) from the top working outwards and down and around to finish up on the bottom, I believe the workshop manual has to start middle bottom, but I started at the top, also taped the top in about equal sections to hold until the mastic set up a bit. when placing glass, set into bottom first, I used what I have always called a "bone" to work the rubber over the glass.




plastic 'bone'

Then after the glass is set in place, I mastic around the rubber channel and glass

This is not an XJS but same principle

 

Photos and description of work is in the attached pdf file.

Let me know if you need any additional information.

Jerry

That should keep the out now.

 

Thank you for the document and pics, I am going to use it to install rear window and with your doc guidance hope to do it only once!

Yesterday I was circling my car with carpenter knife, thinking to start... but...

What is the trick to remove the rear window? Do I need to remove seatbelts/ side panels and cut gasket from inside the car? Or remove chrome trim first?

 

Doing it only once would be good.

Getting ready for the kill, huh?

(Some of these are not the order in which I did them, but in the order in which I should have done them.)

First, remove two 'A' pillar trim pieces, there are two screws holding each in place, they go from the dash up to, and cover, the front end of the bottom strip on each side which runs from the front, across the top of the doors and windows, to the back and covers the bottom of the headliner. Set these two trim pieces and their screws aside someplace safe and clean.

Second, remove that bottom strip - they pop out with 4 push-in type retainers (I believe there is 4 in each of them, might be 5 in each of them), set these two pieces aside with the front 'A' piller pieces you removed.

Third, remove the two 'B' pillar (flying buttresses) covers which also cover the bottom of the headliner - also pop out with push-in type retainers (I think there are two in each of them. Note that the side dome lights are mounted in these panels, you can either leave the panels hang there (like I did) or remove the lights and set the panels aside with the other panels in a clean area (as I should have done).

Fourth, the rear window defogger/defroster has a flexible flat connector on each side which unplugs. The left hand side in my car unplugged from a wire. The right hand side in my car has a terminal lug attached to the pillar sheet metal with screw, you can either remove the screw (being careful not to lose it) or unplug the lead from the window, I removed the screw. If you unplug the lead, you will want to remove the screw after the rear window is removed and plug it into the window lead as I found it easier to insert the screw than to plug the window lead into it after the window is reinstalled (I learned that the first time I replaced the window, and relearned it the second time, I had it down pat by the third time).

Fifth, while there is no need to remove the bottom chrome trim before removing the glass, the glass comes out easier if the top chrome trim is removed: a) remove the two corner pieces (they pry/pop off without much effort); b) start at either end, or both ends, of the top chrome trim and slowly/gently pull/pry the top curved chrome trim up and out ('up' means 'away from' the gasket) ... making sure not to bend the top chrome trim out of shape (take it slow and easy ... you should not have a problem with it).

Sixth, and the delicate part, use a plastic 'bone' (one was shown in another post), a plastic putty knife (that is what I used), wood paint stirrers ... DO NOT USE ANYTHING METAL - otherwise you might crack the glass ... pry up the glass side edge of the gasket, slowly work your tools (have more than one handy) over the edge of the glass, then work the tool(s) so you can stick it/them in over the edge of the glass so the glass slowly comes out of the rubber gasket - I started about halfway between top center and the right curve. Now work outward in both directions, easing the glass out of the gasket - once the top of the glass, from below the left curve to below the right curve is out of the gasket, you can grasp the glass (yourself or with an assistant, if it was sealed in place you may need an assistant to help pull the glass up from the bottom of the gasket).

FIRST BEFORE MY FIRST THING ... ... make sure you have a clean, flat, soft work space to lay the glass on!

Seventh ... or would this now be eight? ... pull the glass up and out of the gasket and put the glass on your clean, flat, soft work space (hopefully you did not put the other pieces on this space, unless the space is big enough for everything).

Next (whatever number step it is) - pull the rubber gasket down from the top of the opening (if it has not already fallen out by itself), the pull the gasket up from one end (making sure not to bend the bottom of the gasket or the bottom chrome trim) and out of the opening.

Lastly (this is actually only the beginning) - lay the gasket on a flat work surface (which does not need to be clean or soft, but you want it flat) and remove the bottom chrome trim.

NOTE: You could remove the bottom chrome trim after removing the top chrome trim, as I did, but there is a risk of bending or warping the bottom chrome trim (as I did) and then you have to be careful when bending or unwarping it back as it was (which I had to do and managed to do without adverse effect on it, i.e., without bending it and making the situation worse).

The installation of it is in the document I posted.

You shouldn't have to cut anything.

 

Abridged version after interior trim removal.
Bottom corner trim pieces need to be removed but the rest of the trim should be left in place. The glass should not be removed leaving the seal in car,rather the trim stays in the seal, seal stays on glass and the complete assembly removed from body appeture.
On refitting, glass is fitted to seal first then it is fitted to car as a unit.

 

Doing it that way means the initial starting of the removal process of the assembly (getting the inside lips of the gasket to go through the opening) means the work is done in a confined work area at the rear shelf and getting the assembly out far enough to be free enough from the opening to finish removal from the outside. Seems like more work to me, but I haven't done it that way.

I guess either method works, the end result is the same.

 

Your document actually details the correct procedure for installation as a unit (other than trim corner pieces) which avoids direct contact with the edges of the glass which does not always end well. Removal should be the reverse. The chances of damage to trim (as you found) and glass are better avoided by following factory procedure.

 

... removed rear window(old rubber just fell in pieces), cleaned all, installed gasket on window... installing trim turned out to be a pain.... bottom piece went in ok but top piece does not want to go in on one side. I am not sure who to blame... my thumbs are numb for 2 days now after pushing trim in. As far as I can see trim is grabbing to the edge of the rubber as it is supposed to but other side does not want to stay in the small grove/cut. Looks like it is not a 'precision fit'.... I am looking how trim sits in my xj8 - so much better, but I think it is designed better.

getting ready to install it back...

 

Well... it does not look like I will be able to "do it once".

Installed window fairly easy: put sealant into the grove all around, then inserted cord(rope) all around with free ends in the middle of the bottom part(now I think having them in the corner would be better), inserted window into the opening with one corner going into place, pulled the rope and window was in!

The bad part is that on the sides rubber is not sticking to the glass, there is a gap which is bigger on left side(pic attached). Because of this gap chrome trim got out of place and I couldn't push it back. The gap is too big to fill it with sealant. On the inside everything looks good, no gaps or twists....

Anybody had results like this? I am not sure if it is my fault or the seal/rubber is bad quality (that URO part).

 

Are you certain it is fully engaged along the top? There is an extra lip on the seal which is meant to hold the headlining and it may be possible this is what has been engaged. I only say this due to you apparently needing little effort to get it in and your pic shows seal too far from body at top. Body enhancement book states to start by fully engaging bottom of window first before moving to sides and top with the cord.

 

Thank for the response.

Yes, the top is fully engaged and seal seem to sit correctly inside. The body is in the second grove and extra lip is available. When I installed bottom was fully engaged first, and I pushed window down as I got bottom corners in.
It did take some effort to pull the cord and to make sure everything goes in, but it wasn't difficult.

I am going to shop around for another seal, I think the one I got wasn't good. It was all twisted when I got it and didn't sit tight on the glass from the beginning. I was hoping that once in the body it will all get tighter, and it got on the top and bottom, but not on sides.

 

The after market rubber seals are bigger than the originals, and they do not fit well. I had two sets of aftermarket seals installed, and between the shoddy workmanship and ill fitting seals, I managed to hunt down some original Jaguar seals and now I am afraid to have anyone touch them or the window and wreck the seals! Besides not many glass shops have people who know how to work on old cars, which is one reason the botched the job twice...which got their sorry asses sued to the tune of $3000. I am looking into replacing the window myself, after all, I can't a much poorer job than the "professionals".

 

Would you share your hunting places? :-)