Urgent advice Needed re off side window VWT4

Hi
I need advice about replacing the rear Off side window in my 94  VW Trophy
I was attempting to make the Black Plastic panel more secure having read the horror stories of loosing one and not being able to replace it .
and as I was in my garage I hear a pop sound went back out to the van to find the rear Off side window broken / crazed .
 Where do I go to replace this glass I take it,  it will not be a panel available at places like AutoGlass .
I have not had the black plastic panel off yet is it just a case of removing the half dozen or so screws and carefully pealing it off ?
and what is the best way of securing it back in place ?
 I am assuming that Autosleepers themselves will not be able to help on a 20n year old van

I really need urgent help / advice with this Folks
Regards
 Mike

I used Sikaflex 221 sp  forgot off hand how to spell it, I used the black bought from  E-bay, when it sticks it sticks, so make sure it is in the right position, you do have about an hour before it sets solid, it is very hard to get out of the tube, I had a bucket of boiling water, and stood the tube up right in it,left it for about ten minutes or so,  it soon cools when outside, so I kept topping it up with more boiling water, this makes the contents more manageable, it is also very messy, after I had fitted the black panel after an hour I went round with white spirit to get any surplus of and make the edges neat, if needed.
Sorry cannot help with the glass, I think you may have to see what is round the glass I  think it is the original glass window of the VW , and the panel put on top.
Hope this is of some help,
Margaret



It was on my first MH a Topaz.

I refixed my black panel on our topaz last week, the original glass is underneath with stips of plywood glued to the glass I used gorilla glue to refix mine. sorry cant help with the broken side window I would start with autoglass.

Thanks for your replies fellas I may be in luck if it is a standard VW window at Autoglass ?
 Did you have any problems getting the Black  panel off in the first place ?
 Regards
 Mike

daisy mae wrote:it is very hard to get out of the tube

I've heard this before about Sikaflex bought on Ebay, and it's probably because it's been in storage too long - it doesn't have a very long shelf life.

I've used a lot of Sikaflex before (while building replicas/kit cars), and when it's fresh it should have a consistency that's only slightly thicker than a typical silicon sealant.

When you come to put the panel back it's advisable to try to find something other than wood for the battens - UPVC would be good if you happen to have any strips the right thickness available.

-mojo- wrote:

daisy mae wrote:it is very hard to get out of the tube

I've heard this before about Sikaflex bought on Ebay, and it's probably because it's been in storage too long - it doesn't have a very long shelf life.

I've used a lot of Sikaflex before (while building replicas/kit cars), and when it's fresh it should have a consistency that's only slightly thicker than a typical silicon sealant.

When you come to put the panel back it's advisable to try to find something other than wood for the battens - UPVC would be good if you happen to have any strips the right thickness available.

It was well in the date on the tube, if it hadn`t I would have returned it, it was from a reputable traders shop who happens to also be on E-bay. I  am not the only one to say this.

No real problems removing the black panel If you take it slowly and carefully used a knife to separate the panel from the plywood battens, I reasoned that the original plywood battens had lasted for the last 15 or so years so why not replace with the same! anyway its what I had lying around.

I took the black side panel off and left it off. The window behind is blanked off anyway. I was thinking of fitting a modern style black window but the original are standard size that autoglass can fit.

daisy mae wrote:
It was well in the date on the tube, if it hadn`t I would have returned it, it was from a reputable traders shop who happens to also be on E-bay. I  am not the only one to say this.

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make here. We've already established that your experiences and mine differ, but you seem to be wanting to say something more.

Having built two vehicles pretty much from the ground up, I have used a dozen or so 300ml tubes over a period of maybe 10 years - mostly of Sikaflex, but with a couple of tubes of an equivalent by Purflex as well. None have been hard to use when first opened.

Here is an example of some work that I did with Sikaflex around a (very large) front indicator:

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As you can imagine, it wasn't an easy job, but if the Sikaflex had been "very hard to get out of the tube" it would have been near impossible, given that the whole thing had to be done in one go before it skinned. The only tubes that I had any problems with were those that had already been opened and then sealed up again temporarily for a few days. As you are probably aware, Sikaflex does not set by solvent evaporation, but by acquiring moisture from the atmosphere.

Hence my suggestion that a user of Sikaflex should not ~expect~ it to be difficult to get out of the tube. If it is, that may either be because it is too close to its use-by date, or because it has been stored in an excessively damp environment at some point in the past.