1) Carefully pry up and remove trim from around windshield opening. Remove gasket if so equipped (save if possible to reuse). Disconnect the rear window defroster grid connections.
2) Run putty knife, piece of wire, or other hard narrow instrument all around opening between vestiges of old glass and metal, to remove all old glass.
3) Remove all old bonding material (usually silicone). You will have to use a combination of scraping and solvent. Don't get any solvent on the car interior, and clean it off the paint as soon as possible. (Some people recommend leaving the old silicone as a base for the new sealant to adhere to. I don't recommend this, but if you do, shave the old down to a nice clean flat base.) Get the surface thoroughly clean. Also, thoroughly clean the new (used) glass where the adhesive will go.
4) Fix any rust spots, and clean all related drains.
5) Test-fit new glass. Once centered horizontally and vertically (use duct-tape to hold in place momentarily), mark a reference mark in crayon (or use masking tape) across the glass and the adjacent metal at the base of the windshield and another one at the top. This is because once the silicone is in place and you place the windshield you cannot move it.
6) Withdraw glass. Get your silicone ready (I use the black stuff you can get at hardware stores, like GE "Silicone II"; Automotive glass sealing is not a recommended use on the package, but it works fine). Run a generous bead across the top, down the side, across the bottom, up the other side, and to the start. Try to run a continuous bead, and do not leave any gaps. Work carefully but fast.
7) Align your windshield-bottom marks and touch the glass to the sealant at that point. Then lower it into place such that the upper marks line up as well. Then, working from the center out, press the glass into the silicone. Press out any air bubbles immediately; if necessary use a safety pin to press through the silicone to create an air channel for the bubble to escape. (Air bubbles usually aren't much of a problem, but you may get a few, especially if you never did this before and try to move the glass after initial touchdown.) Repeat the pressdown process.
8) Clean up any silicone drips or globs. But do not apply solvent to the glass joint; it will weaken your bond.
9) Let dry for at least the recommended cure period.
10) Reinstall any removed trim. Reconnect the defroster grid.
That's it. If an auto glass place will really do it for $20, I'd let them; when I inquired, I was quoted well over $100 for the service (which was when and how I acquired the experience at doing this myself).
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