[Duckman]

My 968 coupe is now 15 years old and has almost 168k. Like many of the coupes that have been out there on the roads and parking lots a lot, my rear hatch glass had delaminated at the top and the glass was separating from the frame. I'm not referring to a little delamination that is an irritation because I know it isn't perfect. I'm referring to some MAJOR delamination that caused severe wind noise and leaking. I was afraid the glass would pull out of the frame completely.



I'd tried to have it fixed once before and it held for a little while. Like most things that suffer relapses, the second time was worse than the first. I checked around and found a couple of hatches from dismantlers but I was afraid I'd only be buying more of the same problem. After all, those hatches, like mine, aren't new and they certainly haven't been sitting in a garage.



What my hatch needed was someone who really knew what they were doing to completely disassemble the hatch, clean off all the old glue and paint, and reassemble it correctly. I had spoken to several auto glass shops looking for someone to make the needed repairs and always received the same message. "If you have a broken window, we replace it. If not, go away." By the way, I received this message from all the glass shops to which Porsche shops referred me.



Finally, a friend that's never owned a Porsche recommended a garage that then recommended a glass shop here in Charlotte: Glass Doctor. It's a franchise, so I don't know if all of there locations are as accommodating or as talented but the guys at the Charlotte shop were great.



I had to take the hatch off the car and carry it to them and it took several days but the results are simply terrific. I picked it up Friday and installed it this morning. Thanks to the do-it-yourself advice, by the way. My hatch looks and even feels as new. When I close the hatch now, it thumps with a sound similar to the door closing on a new Rolls.



Only time will tell if it lasts but, at least for now, I'm a happy camper.

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[hot968]

hello Duckman, I have had a terrible time with my hatchback and your repair sounds like a sucess. I have spent $1700.00 on a re-installed used one only to have this one delaminate also. May I ask what it cost to have the work done? Do you know if there are any of these shops in New York, Thanks <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/unsure.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[rhudeboye]

[quote name='hot968' post='58695' date='Aug 30 2008, 06:45 PM']hello Duckman, I have had a terrible time with my hatchback and your repair sounds like a sucess. I have spent $1700.00 on a re-installed used one only to have this one delaminate also. May I ask what it cost to have the work done? Do you know if there are any of these shops in New York, Thanks <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/unsure.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />[/quote]



They're known in the DC area as well.



Try giving the 800# a call or search by zip.

http://www.glassdoctor.com/

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[FRporscheman]

Duckman, if you don't mind me asking, how much did that last shop charge you?

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[Lonestar968]

Good to hear someone finally cracked the code on this issue. I'm in the same boat with the delaminating hatch glass thing. I , like others, also wonder how much you paid for the repair. Can you post a picture or two? I've never seen what a "normal", not-delaminated back hatch looks like! Thanks!

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[Duckman]

First, as to cost, the shop didn't know what to expect and said they'd work on it hourly. Their estimate was 3 or 4 hours and they quoted $80 per hour. I had few options, so I said, "Go for it."



In the end, they spent in excess of 8 hours on the job but only charged me for 5. I paid the $400 bill gladly.



I try to upload some pictures.

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[Duckman]

Here is an attempt to attach some photos.

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[Kim]

Duckman - these photos are huge and I can't see all of any of them at one time. I have the same issue with my hatch and if it is possible to somehow make these photos smaller it would be helpful. It would be nice to see what a good job looks like.

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[Lonestar968]

Wow Duckman... awesome!!! GREAT PICS!!! I hope the hatch is really as good as the pictures look. WOW!!! I'll have my car back in the U.S. next year and this is one of the (many) things that will be fixed sooner rather than later. Please keep us posted with how the repair holds up in the coming months and beyond. Thanks for sharing!

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[Seadweller23]

Duckman,



That repair looks very good, it looks as new.



Joe

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[perbal]

HOT968,

I looked the nearest dealer up on their web site. It is:



Glass Doctor® of Great Neck

780 Northern Blvd

Great Neck, NY 11020

800-924-5152



Let me know what you find out and in particular, if you go ahead, how it turns out? <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Perbal

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[Duckman]

Sorry, Kim. I don't have a clue of how to make them smaller.



Yes, the hatch and glass appear as new, now. The test will be time. How well and for how long will it last?



Don't forget that every Glass Doctor location is an independent franchise and the response and quality you may find is dependent upon the individual technicians. Good luck.

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[RPM]

Don't forget that every Glass Doctor location is an independent franchise and the response and quality you may find is dependent upon the individual technicians.

True enough, but Charlotte is not that far from Raleigh...

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[xrad]

Looks good. mine was peeling so I scraped off the visible black coating.

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[hot968]

[quote name='perbal' post='58726' date='Aug 31 2008, 10:48 PM']HOT968,

I looked the nearest dealer up on their web site. It is:



Glass Doctor® of Great Neck

780 Northern Blvd

Great Neck, NY 11020

800-924-5152



Let me know what you find out and in particular, if you go ahead, how it turns out? <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Perbal[/quote]

Hi Hope guys are good, this has been a terrible busy summer for us. I will call this place in Great Neck and see if they understand what my hatchback problem is and if they can fix it. I we will let you know what they say, Happy driving <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[Duckman]

[quote name='xrad' post='58747' date='Sep 1 2008, 03:25 PM']Looks good. mine was peeling so I scraped off the visible black coating.[/quote]



xtrad and others: The visible black coating that has deteriorated (prboably caused by UV rays and time) is the culprit. It is a black paint that adheres to the glass, and the adhesive bonds the paint to the frame.



The fix (keep your fingers crossed) I received cleaned/scraped all the old paint and it was repainted. Then the frame was re-cemented to the paint on the glass.



Good luck to all.

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[jpk]

As an alternative, I had a shop simply shoot some urethane between the glass and the frame on the inside. I took some time and scraped away as much of the mastic (delamited "primer" from the factory) and old urethane. I got better than 90% of it out. I took it to a local glass shop (Henderson glass, a franchise in this area) to have them shoot some urethane into the gap. This left an unsightly line, but my intent was to simply mask off and paint it from the outside. It turns out, I didn't even need to do that - the guy at the glass shop painted it off for me with black glass primer.

As my car is not (nor ever will be) a concourse car, I'm pretty pleased with the outcome. The bond is very good - if I flex the hatch a bit, I can see that the frame moves exactly with the glass, unlike before when I would see gap open up. The best part was when I went to pay the glass shop, they said "no charge - it was a pleasure to work on a Porsche"

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[flash]

has anybody contemplated resolving the design flaw?



maybe a flexible third component between the hatch and glass - typically i have seen a foam tape work very well in situations like this



alternatively, reliefs in the frame so that it can flex independently of the glass

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[Duckman]

You raise an interesting question, Flash. I've thought about the situation and tried to imagine ways that we could fix the design flaw. I haven't really come up with a solution.



Typically, Porsche over-engineers everything. Things are built well and built to last. This hatch assembly surely isn't one of them. Think about it. The basic hatch assembly has been around since the 1977 924. From then through the 1995 968, the hatch itself has stayed pretty much untouched, with the only changes being made to the wing.



IMHO, based upon the technology then, the hatch frame should have been more substantial, surrounding the glass more at the top, and possibly had a bolt-through design. That could have been accomplished subtly, without turning it into a gaudy clunker.



Porsche did a lot of stuff right with the 968. It really is an awesome car. The hatch assembly isn’t one of their shining moments.

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