Windshield Removal Using Harbor Freight Tool

[@AndrewKellman]

Used this today. Worked perfectly. Wire only broke 1 time getting the whole windshield out. Having 2 people helps

[@noxplanationgaming]

I am going to try it with some thicker wire, hopefully that will stop the breaking

[@ryang5441]

took me like 2 hours but I was able to get it out. Don't give up if you're doing this y'all

[@d-s-ll2378]

I m thingking always start in the middle of an edge, pull toward the corner, more easer pull, the string will be more parallel to the edge and better cutting.

[@joehall8752]

It calls for three feet because pull wire is only really meant to cut the bottom of the urathane bead. Use a cold knife for top and sides and then use pull wire to finish the bottom.

[@punktalley]

Push your tool from the inside out so you don't risk breaking the glass or damage to inside trim if its not removed.

[@LucidAutowerks]

I’ll do that next time. This was my first shot at a windshield removal.

[@sirajmagboul3608]

I wasn’t sure about buying one of these but after seeing this review video I think I am going with it and just use the long wire method and maybe different wire. Thanks for the review

[@mr84ttop34]

Thank you for sharing. I have to get my windshield out so I can have my t-top header panel welded in. I’m pretty sure I can do it now thanks to you.

[@jss3018]

Thanks. It's nice to see how it can be done.

[@Ben-tr]

I ordered this tool and another with blade both didn't work for me .so remembered I had an oscillating tool ,I sharpened the square bladevon all 3 side it worked great except when it came to cut at the bottom the blade wasn't long enough

[@LucidAutowerks]

That's a great idea, actually. I'll have to remember that one especially if it's a windshield that's cracked and just needs to be removed. Did you have any problems with the tool blade scratching the paint on the window frame or was it pretty easy to control?

[@Ben-tr]

@@LucidAutowerks it was easy to control ,the wire tool scratched the paint ,they done sell a longer blade for the rockwell

[@Ben-tr]

@@LucidAutowerks you're cutting from the inside so you won't hit the paint plus it's very easy to control

[@LucidAutowerks]

Thanks, I’ll definitely keep that in my “bag of tricks” for the future.

[@benjiquis3_]

Your the best person ever , suck at the junkyard rn tryna figure out how to take it out with a flat head ... Didn't work I cracked the whole glass

[@lorenapatriciaquinteroaria6398]

Use esa herramienta en mi TOYOTA CAMRT 1998 que estoy despiezando Pero en el parabrisas trasero en la parte superior tiene dos guias plasticas que obvio no pude cortar y no se si se deban cortar o hay alguna forma de retirar el parabrisas con las guias plasticas. . Gracias

[@ZERONEINNOVATIONS]

I wanted to watch this before headed to the junk yard. I cracked the best and only one non-cracked windshield at the yard by starting with the cold knife. I guess I should NEVER EVER use the cord knife ; ; Great video. Next time I will use this stainless wire method.

[@jrv858]

I need to remove a back and quater glass was thinking on buying this tool and trying out welding wire

[@LucidAutowerks]

I actually need to do the same. Not sure if the wire is best or if other tools would be better. I saw someone online showing a tool that is like a flat chisel blade that attaches to a reciprocating saw that they said they were going to use for a quarter glass but when I asked if that was the preferred tool I didn’t get a response. I still need to do some research on it. Edit: maybe it wasn’t a tool for a reciprocating saw. It looked a lot like the tool in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpfLkGOeg72cZ7c

[@jrv858]

@@LucidAutowerks i seen that tool on a video as well i might get that as well. All the body shops i have worked at there was the glass people that would come and use a similar tool wich is like $900 worked great they would take them off in no time

[@LucidAutowerks]

Yeah I'll probably buy that one when it comes time. I'm worried that the wire won't be able to get the right angle to work well. Amazon has the GT Tools cutter for a decent price amzn.to/3XnD1B2 A lot better than $900 lol

[@dronemacha]

The wire breaks, how well it last depends on the sealant used, how much the wire is scratching against the glass itself. And ofcourse, with some time and practice, you can control your angle thus making the wire last long. Another factor that makes the wire break, is, heat, you wanna cool it off a few seconds between cutting trough. And I use brake wires, but you'd need to untangle the smaller individual wires from one thicker wire. It my experience, this wire last the best, and also cuts trough easier due to the rough nature of the wire.

[@LucidAutowerks]

I did another windshield using “music wire” and it was much more durable and didn’t break at all. Definitely a good upgrade to a useful tool 👍🏼

[@OldSchoolNoe]

I bought this tool today, along with the Laguna 57516 tool

[@LucidAutowerks]

I have one of those T-handle tools like the Laguna and they work well, but you need to be pretty careful. I’ve seen pros use them no problem but I’ve had one get stuck and I cracked the windshield that I was removing. It’s also easy to gouge the paint on the frame around the window (under the glass) if you’re like me and don’t know how to use it well.

[@mylodge312]

Appreciate your taking the time to video- much different than my ‘mind envisioned’! Haa!

[@lukeweyant6771]

Awesome video brother! Thank you for this commentary as well.

[@davidlozano2130]

Thanks for your video saved a lot of money doing it myself

[@randyyeager3405]

I think the 3ft of cable to be able to pull from the opposite side Just a thought

[@markbro4427]

Could this be used to remove bonded on side skirts...I believe it's similar adhesive.

[@keithballantyne4255]

Super helpful. Thanks for putting it together.

[@Robiobass2]

Music wire? Was it guitar string? I just removed an Elcamino rear glass with heat gun and a couple of E strings. Heat was a key factor.

[@LucidAutowerks]

Similar stuff. Music wire is sold by the roll so you get a lot to work with.

[@GarageSpeCivic]

Nice video man. I did mine with fishing wire. Still was a pain. But why pay someone else when u can do it cheap. Corner adhesive sucks

[@LucidAutowerks]

Thanks! I was surprised by how well it worked. Windshields aren't cheap to buy anymore. Now I'll be sure to remove the good ones from parts cars. It'll also be helpful to be able to take out the windshield when I add a roll cage.

[@EverydayProjects]

Very well done! Good explaination of the different lengths of wire that work. Thanks for sharing this tip!

[@toyotacamry1239]

u know if i can remove it this way without braking it if i wana re use it or grab one from junkyard my self?

[@LucidAutowerks]

It’s a gamble. I did this one no problem but I was removing one from my project and it broke bad. It looks like it was replaced and too much adhesive was used though. A glass tool called a “long knife” (or something) would be helpful. I also tried it with “music wire” and it worked without the wire snapping.

[@toyotacamry1239]

@@LucidAutowerks thx for the advice will try it and let u know how it goes

[@gpt5002]

Think they gave you the length bc your supposed to pull not push the wire. But what do I know

[@Penfold8]

The wire from Harbor Freight is made from Chinesium.

[@LucidAutowerks]

It really is. I actually used it again with some vintage Music Wire (steel spring wire) and it worked way better.

[@ddemier]

​@@LucidAutowerkswhat size music wire did you get? I just got on Ebay and orderd some music wire not knowing what size so I hope it works.😊

[@andylatham3527]

Hi I do this for a living 😎 pushing a wire in from outside is a big no no u can feed a wire from outside using a pair of long nose pliers but if ur saving glass don’t use spike from outside also the wire will snap if u allow it to slacken the wire will curl like a pigs tail then when u pull u create a kink this snapping wire 😎 if ur saving glass for another vehicle u need to keep wire away from glass try an keep it against body of car if it goes into glass it’s game ova and will break u did well going solo but then u had no roof glass so easier across top my advice to anyone going to try this just ask a mate it’s so much easier with 2 people one in one out 👍

[@LucidAutowerks]

Thank you for the tips! I appreciate it.

[@andylatham3527]

Also guys bear in mind this is a skilled trade diy glass removal in my opinion don’t bother 🤣🤣 pay a professional

[@billlee1724]

@@andylatham3527the original comment is from a professional and he just said grab a friend, your not a wizard you work at safelite auto glass 😂

[@abitoffcenter383]

Hopefully you're still getting comments from this vid. I know it's 5 yo, so we'll see. If not no worries, but I'm glad you posted it. Even though it's short, the info looks like it's going to help me considerably. But I do have a quick question. I picked up that exact tool from HF. Do you think stainless steel wire is over kill? I have some that's the same exact gauge as what's in the kit that I have left over from a welding project. It's flexible, but you've got to use side cutters to cut it. Edit: I was thinking about using a heat gun to soften up the adhesive. It doesn't matter if I do damage to the windshield. We, the house, truck, the wife's Jeep, and I took a direct hit from an EF2 tornado when hurricane Beryl came through last month (July 2024). Both the truck and the Jeep had trees fall on them. Both have broken windshields, along with A LOT of body damage. The truck is in the worse shape. The back passenger side of the cab is crushed in. Anyway, sorry for this getting so long winded. Again, thanks for the vid.

[@LucidAutowerks]

Sorry to hear that you got hit by a tornado. I don’t think that stainless wire would hurt. The tougher the better in my opinion. I would try using a heat gun as well. It definitely can’t hurt. Good luck with getting everything back in order 👍🏼

[@abitoffcenter383]

@@LucidAutowerks Well this wire I have is actually meant for tying down nuts and bolts on aircraft and race cars. So it's pretty tough. I just wasn't to sure about it because its smooth and not braided. Thank You Sir for responding!! I really appreciate your help!!

[@BobSmith-mc7uq]

Get yourself an old inside release hood opening cable, no more wire breaking. Sometime a little bit of WD40 goes a long way on the cable.

[@punktalley]

Wd40 is hard to clean up and risks adhering between glass and pinchweld.

[@williambrucesanders6878]

thanks man i like ur style. all the other vids are not very good. you made it easy to understand. god bless . stay save

[@bandkid3282]

Great video, thanks for the help

[@jobabhernandez9690]

I was looking at this video and that same tool I'm going to use to saw down the top of a vinyl top that has glue thanks for video

[@juliancruz3362]

I plan on replacing my windshield soon this helps! And do you have any tips for a vr6 swap into a gl Jetta? I’m picking up a gti parts car this weekend and want to have the vr in by summer!!

[@LucidAutowerks]

If you have the whole car it's a pretty straightforward swap. Are you switching to 5 lug or keeping it 4 lug? One thing to look out for is that you'll probably have to bypass the alarm like Christian just did in one of his recent videos. There is a 2 pin connector that you can unplug and put a fuse into the female side of connector. Removing the harness is one of the harder parts but if you feed them through from under the dash one plug at a time starting with the smallest and working to the larger relays it's not too bad. To get the relays off of the top of the fuse block you'll want to use a couple small screwdrivers to release the tabs.

[@juliancruz3362]

Thanks for the tips. I’m keeping the four lug for my rims. Will I still be able to use a 98-99 key fob?

[@LucidAutowerks]

I believe you can still use the key FOB but I'm not 100% sure.

[@juliancruz3362]

Thanks

[@amc9915]

Please do it yourself and post a video! We all need a good laugh!!

[@AlphaModSquad]

Awesome on my way to buy one now 👍

[@AlphaModSquad]

Worked like a charm, i started in the middle and pulled to me.

[@robstuckey]

great video

[@LucidAutowerks]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ocskywatch1]

so basically a screw driver, guitar string and two wood dowels sweet

[@LucidAutowerks]

Pretty much 😆 I use a regular guitar string once and it broke pretty easy. The "music wire" that I use now holds up a lot better.

[@BLACKRAIN390]

WARNING!!!! ALWAYS HAVE EXTRA MONEY FOR A NEW WINDSHIELD JUS IN CASE..

[@fredjones1238]

piano wire is the way to go

[@ddemier]

What size wire?

[@toddp4383]

Good video , how long did it take to get the job done ?

[@LucidAutowerks]

Not too long at all. I did another one a couple weeks ago and it was a lot longer. Someone had already replaced the windshield and there was a lot more adhesive at the bottom than there should have been.

[@lizzutube1]

How long is not too long? Can you give a timeframe for this particular removal?

[@gergemall]

Thank you

[@sebspeed6403]

love your vids man. How do remove the windshield trim of an mk3 ... im scared of breaking mine

[@LucidAutowerks]

Thanks man! Do you mean the trim on the outside that goes up and over the roof, or the trim on the inside that covers the A-pillar?

[@sebspeed6403]

@@LucidAutowerks the one that goes over the roof to the front windshield

[@LucidAutowerks]

Usually you can remove them without breaking the clips. Sometimes the clips stay on the car and sometimes they stay on the trim. You just want to lift up on them enough to get some leverage and then you want to sort of twist them a bit so that you're not just lifting them straight up. If you lift them straight up they can get a kink in them. You just want to lift them enough to get a grip with your fingers near the clip and then pull the side closest to the center of the car towards yourself. It's harder to explain than it is to actually do it. If you have a junkyard nearby it wouldn't hurt to practice on one of their cars and pick up a few extra clips while you're at it.

[@sebspeed6403]

@@LucidAutowerks awesome stuff. Thanks for the info I will try it out.

[@derrickparker7662]

hey using this tool if you used a blow torch to melt down some of the glue, would it easier cutting through or would the heat destroy the glass

[@LucidAutowerks]

I would use a heat gun instead of a torch. An open flame might be too much

[@nedoscarsandfishingvideos5500]

Thank you I am going to try it

[@tonyceeone]

Thanks for this

[@saad.0011]

I have tried this OMG what a time waste , it cracks the windshield so you would be better of just break the entire windshield using glass cutting tool, a lot faster and you don’t have to waste so much time .

[@LucidAutowerks]

Depends. I’ve had factory installed windshields come out in one piece like in the video and I’ve had ones that were replaced before crack when removing. To me it seemed like there was way too much sealant used in the ones that broke.

[@LucidAutowerks]

I actually needed this one to come out in one piece to put in another car.

[@marcelonator]

Good video

[@alexandergilliard4815]

Not protecting the vehicle with dash protectors is wildddddd 😅

[@LucidAutowerks]

There isn’t a dash in there to protect 😂😂

[@jessihawkins9116]

I got an as for harbor freight before the video played 😒

[@Confirm_selection]

Removed all of the interior except A pillar trim... WTF? People, that plastic molding should be the first thing to go when removing or installing a windshield.

[@LucidAutowerks]

It was a parts car. The interior was removed to sell/use. I couldn’t care less about damaging the A pillar. When Safelight comes to remove your glass, they normally don’t pull anything inside the vehicle…

[@brozae9539]

Couldf borrowd the neighbor for a bit😂

[@LucidAutowerks]

Most of my neighbors are antiques 😂 I usually fly solo

[@brozae9539]

Man i woulda bought wire and rapped it around a screwdriver😎

[@sonofsteve566]

pull not push

[@LucidAutowerks]

Thank you. It definitely works better when pulling.

[@boduncan1044]

I've been in the auto glass business 25 years and have owned my own business for 20 years. Watching you novice people do this crap in your driveway literally makes me want to throw up. If you're going to do this you need to at least know a little bit about what you're doing. You do not Saw using short wire with one hand inside and the other outside...... Start your wire in the top corner from the INSIDE pushing the wire out. Then go to the bottom corner pushing from the inside out. Roll out your wire about 6 ft then tie onto your T grips. Take some plain water and spray the edges all the way around, do not use anything with silicone. Once you have the wire threaded through your T handles walk to the other side of the vehicle and saw from the outside. You'll have the glass out in about 2 minutes if you're using the correct wire. I recommend gorilla wire.

[@LucidAutowerks]

It was my first time, on a parts car, with $15 tools. I didn’t watch any videos beforehand and got it out without breaking the glass. I’d call that a success in my book. Thanks for the tips though?

[@CajunWon1]

Difficult to visualize. Push wire out of top and bottom corner, then pull across. Gets 3 sides done, then reverse to finish. Does seem easier with longer wire to pull, instead of pushing as shown.

[@juniper646]

Would love to see a video tutorial.

[@chiil034]

Vomit alert. :P

[@ezwa9979]

typos - mr bo Duncan, Ur directions apparently make no sense. 1st push from inside out top corner then same thing on bottom corner, what’s that even mean? then have 6’ of Yr & saw from outside - how is it possible to saw only from outside?? is not 1 handle on inside & 1 on outside? & 1c U get to a corner, & are going up from corner, how can you hold handles from 3’ away?(if your not 7’ tall) your directions are rather not(directions)✋. wait mAB I figured oOt wat U dudNt Dscrib wL, do U mEn fEd tool/Yr from inside 2 oOt on 2 corners & then cut N entir side from the inside to out(from the outside)? wL if that’s what U meant, you didn’t say from what angle to hold the 2 ends of wire, or how to keep it aligned with exact bottom of winsheild all the way across when moving it repeatedly & when it’s exactly where you can’t see it by this technique, & how it would line up &/or be flush with the concave(inside) part of winsheild, or how it would be any faster only touching 2 corners? etc. etc. I don’t see any advantage to this technique OR how it would take any less time. If I’m wrong gr8, please do tell👋

[@juliusrachel2867]

If you had help it would have gone faster

[@adamwest4987]

Wayyy too hard. This is NOT an easy way to remove a windshield. Buy yourself a side cutting electric blade off Ebay or whatever and use a HackOPS™ 1” Multi Tool Cold Knife Blade Windshield Removal Auto Glass Cut Out. Cost about $20 per blade.