Heated rear window, so be careful not to flex the glass much or you will crack
the electrical tracks. I would recommend you use a new seal, and cut the old
off as already suggested. If there's bright metal trim in the rubber, it needs
to be fitted in the new rubber seal before the whole lot is put in the hole, but
there are various tools to feed in the polastic type. I don't think the Golf
uses either, does it? If the glass shows zones in reflected light, it's
toughened and can be pushed quite hard, but may go bang into tiny shards if you
get a sharp edge catching it; if it doesn't it may be laminated and can crack
without warning if bent too much or caught with a sharp edge.

To fit the whole assembly, use thick cord (around 3mm dia), wrap round the inner
rubber groove, and overlap the bottom by (say) 10". Use soft soap (best) or
washing-up liquid (well, better than nothing, but liquid soap for washing
delicates would be better) to lubricate the rubber. I've heard KY Jelly is OK
too. Put the ends of the cord inside the car and have an assistant hold the
glass in place - you can almost get the bottom lip in place straight away. Peel
the rubber back by pulling one end of the cord parallel towards the centre of
the glass. Gradually get the rubber lip over the inside of the opening, peeling
each end of the cord in turn. Your assistant keeps an even pressure on the
glass to help it go into the correct position. As you work round, keep pulling
parallel to the glass so the rubber lip ends up inside.

If you've made a decent job, the rubber should seal by itself, but if you get
problems with leaks there are thin liquids than can be squeezed in behind the
seal lip on the outside to finish the job. Putting sealer on first can be an
extremely messy business, and shouldn't be necessary.

--
Dave.
UK VW Type 3 & 4 Club
http://www.hallvw.clara.co.uk/
------
"Antony Gelberg" wrote in message
...
On a 1988 Mk2 Golf. I've finished touching up my replacement tailgate
and need to transfer the good window from the rusty one. There is no
procedure in Haynes. How do I do this?

Dave Hall wrote:

I've heard KY Jelly is OK too.

'It's just to ease the rubber into my tailgate'

--
Steve H 'You're not a real petrolhead unless you've owned an Alfa Romeo'
http://www.italiancar.co.uk - Honda VFR800 - MZ ETZ300 - Alfa 75 TSpark
Alfa 156 2.0 TSpark Lusso - Passat 1.8 Turbo SE - COSOC KOTL
BoTAFOT #87 - BoTAFOF #18 - MRO # - UKRMSBC #7 - Apostle #2 - YTC #

Dave Hall wrote:
Heated rear window, so be careful not to flex the glass much or you will crack
the electrical tracks. I would recommend you use a new seal, and cut the old
off as already suggested.
I've managed to get a 1988 Golf tailgate glass out without cutting or
breaking it, and resusing the old seal, in order to swap tailgates. Get
someone outside the car to catch it. Push the screen outwards, trying to
not localise the push too much, and lever the lip of the rubber over the
tailgate flange with a blunt screwdriver. Feet are often good, as they
spread the load, but watch the elements.
If there's bright metal trim in the rubber, it needs
to be fitted in the new rubber seal before the whole lot is put in the hole, but
there are various tools to feed in the polastic type. I don't think the Golf
uses either, does it?

Not on my Driver, certainly. I think you're right.

If the glass shows zones in reflected light, it's
toughened and can be pushed quite hard, but may go bang into tiny shards if you
get a sharp edge catching it; if it doesn't it may be laminated and can crack
without warning if bent too much or caught with a sharp edge.

The back one is toughened, not laminated. The front is laminated though,
on all MkIIs and many MKIs.

To fit the whole assembly, use thick cord (around 3mm dia), wrap round the inner
rubber groove, and overlap the bottom by (say) 10". Use soft soap (best) or
washing-up liquid (well, better than nothing, but liquid soap for washing
delicates would be better) to lubricate the rubber. I've heard KY Jelly is OK
too.

but it might lead to awkward questions. "Why do have a tube of KY in the
car?", for example.

Put the ends of the cord inside the car and have an assistant hold the
glass in place - you can almost get the bottom lip in place straight away. Peel
the rubber back by pulling one end of the cord parallel towards the centre of
the glass. Gradually get the rubber lip over the inside of the opening, peeling
each end of the cord in turn. Your assistant keeps an even pressure on the
glass to help it go into the correct position. As you work round, keep pulling
parallel to the glass so the rubber lip ends up inside.


Thats exactly what I did. One extra tip: tape the rubber to the glass
with masking tape from the outside, over the seal, to the inside. It
stops the seal coming off, and the cord will tear through it, then you
pull it out. A mate who used to fit coach screens passed this one on.

If you've made a decent job, the rubber should seal by itself, but if you get
problems with leaks there are thin liquids than can be squeezed in behind the
seal lip on the outside to finish the job. Putting sealer on first can be an
extremely messy business, and shouldn't be necessary.

I've never found it neccessary. I've done a MK1 golf front screen too,
using the same method.

washing-up liquid (well, better than nothing, but liquid soap for washing
delicates would be better) to lubricate the rubber. I've heard KY Jelly is
OK
too.

but it might lead to awkward questions. "Why do have a tube of KY in the
car?", for example.


Gives you a reason then! We found a tube with some tools that came with a
lathe - don't know what that was for.

--
Dave.
UK VW Type 3 & 4 Club
http://www.hallvw.clara.co.uk/
------