Screen rubber replacement

The front and rear screen rubbers on my 1996 Rover 100 are perished. I’ve got new ones made from better quality rubber and the seller reckons the job is well within DIY capabilities, although the Haynes manual advises otherwise.

I once renewed the windscreen seal on a Vanden Plas Princess, but that was a long time ago and the Rover’s rear window is a heated screen. Do you think this is a DIY job or should I get the seals replaced by a windscreen replacement firm? Martin Rubenstein

Before the onset of bonded screens, most windscreens were held in place by the rubber surround and there were two types: straight and insert. The insert type was easier as the screen and rubber could

be fitted before being secured by the insert – this pushed the screen rubber out, both holding it firm and sealing the rubber tightly. The straight type, as used on the Rover, is slightly trickier, but as long as the rubber is warm and lubricated, fitting should not be any different to the Vanden Plas Princess.

The rubber should first be fitted to the screen, ensuring that the screen is perfectly clean and smooth. A weak mixture of water and washing-up liquid is a good lubricant. Once the rubber is in place, a nylon cord should be fed around the recess in the rubber, travelling all around the rubber with the ends crossed over at the base. The screen should then be lowered into place on the lower lip, ensuring that the rubber is sitting correctly on the lip, with outer and inner edges showing fully. The screen then needs to be gently pushed into place as the inner lip of the rubber is pulled over the lip by drawing out the nylon cord. Light tapping on the edge of the screen as the cord is pulled should see it slip into place.

But words of caution: old glass does become more susceptible to fracturing and while I have fitted many new screens in the manner described, the tolerance of an old piece of glass may not be so forgiving.