Has anyone else experienced trouble, with new windshield trim clips breaking? Options

[ChrisFoley]

We have to remove a brand new windshield to replace all the New trim clips made by a popular vendor. They're so brittle they all break as soon as you try to install the trim. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/WTF.gif)
More than 3 hours of labor generated by using substandard parts. Seems unfair to charge my customer and I'm not happy about eating that either, except that I'm the one who recommended the vendor. Never again. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)
Buyer beware. I'm going back to Genuine Porsche.

[raynekat]

OK....round 3 for the windshield install.

This time I used the Porsche factory clips and 5/16" butyl.
Windshield went in like a breeze (guess practice makes perfect).
Using the smaller butyl cord vs the 3/8" I mistakenly used last time, the windshield sat down into the opening much lower.
It looked promising for getting the windshield trim properly snapped in this time.

I put the lower trim in 1st with the two corners attached.
All the trim clips had a nice positive snap as the trim snapped into place.
Next I went with the 2 sidepieces.
These all go in as one unit with the center piece holding them together at the top of the windshield.
Along the top of the windshield....those all snapped in easily.
It was the sides that are the challenge still.
Especially the first clip up from the lower corners.
The corner pieces hold the trim far enough away from those 1st clips up the sides that it's tough to get those to snap in.
I eventually chose to gently bend the trim in those locations such that they could more easily get into the clips.
Then it was snap, snap, snap up both side and I was done.

Zero of the factory trim clips broke.
That's one data point for ya.

My only issue is the small corner pieces don't really wrap around the trim enough.
It's easy to flatten out the little bend that's supposed to hold them onto the trim.
Same with the top center connector.
A nice re-design would be to add more material to where these small connector pieces wrap around the actual trim.

Take away from all of this.
This is not a trivial project.
It takes a lot of planning and be prepared to re-do it....unless you get extremely lucky.
Pre-install the windshield without the butyl a few times to understand where it sits amongst the clips.
Understand how high your windshield will sit depending on the size of butyl you plan to use.

[mepstein]

OK....round 3 for the windshield install.

This time I used the Porsche factory clips and 5/16" butyl.
Windshield went in like a breeze (guess practice makes perfect).
Using the smaller butyl cord vs the 3/8" I mistakenly used last time, the windshield sat down into the opening much lower.
It looked promising for getting the windshield trim properly snapped in this time.

I put the lower trim in 1st with the two corners attached.
All the trim clips had a nice positive snap as the trim snapped into place.
Next I went with the 2 sidepieces.
These all go in as one unit with the center piece holding them together at the top of the windshield.
Along the top of the windshield....those all snapped in easily.
It was the sides that are the challenge still.
Especially the first clip up from the lower corners.
The corner pieces hold the trim far enough away from those 1st clips up the sides that it's tough to get those to snap in.
I eventually chose to gently bend the trim in those locations such that they could more easily get into the clips.
Then it was snap, snap, snap up both side and I was done.

Zero of the factory trim clips broke.
That's one data point for ya.

My only issue is the small corner pieces don't really wrap around the trim enough.
It's easy to flatten out the little bend that's supposed to hold them onto the trim.
Same with the top center connector.
A nice re-design would be to add more material to where these small connector pieces wrap around the actual trim.

Take away from all of this.
This is not a trivial project.
It takes a lot of planning and be prepared to re-do it....unless you get extremely lucky.
Pre-install the windshield without the butyl a few times to understand where it sits amongst the clips.
Understand how high your windshield will sit depending on the size of butyl you plan to use.

Thanks for posting your results and glad the 3rd time was a charm.