Hello support team,
I have a question about removing a glass stopper that has already been glued in (Golf VI GTI).
I glued your stopper in place a few years ago with the adhesive that came with it. I would now like to restore the whole thing. I have already tried to cut with a wire between the stopper and the washer, but the stopper fits without a gap so that you don’t get in between.
Do you have any tips on how to remove it? Is there a way to dissolve the glue chemically?
Thank you for your feedback!
regards
Patrick
We receive a lot of inquiries of this kind – the short answer is: We advise you to ever remove the wiper hole plugs.
The adhesive and the construction of the glass stopper for the wiper hole at the back are explicitly designed to provide a long-term seal and to remain elastic in the event of temperature fluctuations. Once the plug has been cleaned, it usually remains installed. The consequence of this is that you cannot really downgrade again.
We do not recommend trying to remove the plug again! Whoever wants to do it or has to do it should know the following:
- There is a risk of destroying the pane
- There is a risk of harming yourself or others
- There is a risk of damaging / scratching the pane
If you want to remove the wiper cleaning plug for the rear window wiper hole again, this is only possible as follows:
- Mask the painted area around the stopper with duct tape
- Put on cut-resistant gloves and protective glasses
- Make sure nothing is hit near falling glass or glass being blown through the air (e.g. nobody should sit under the glass in the car when you are working outside on the stopper, for example)
- Cut in / off the glue as much as possible (razor blades work very well because they are flexible and you can get into the gap / cutter knives, on the other hand, are not suitable because they are too thick / rigid)
- This also applies to the gap between the plug and the rear window from the outside – also cut as deep as possible
- Carefully heat the adhesive with a heat gun (CAUTION! Do not overdo it, otherwise the pane will crack)
- Take a pipe wrench and lay it flat on the duct tape and try to turn the stopper (the edge will break off safely, but if you have cut everything properly it should be enough to break out the rest)
- Please do not try to push the stopper inwards or even “hammer it” – any hard / hitting force carries the risk that the disc will break into a thousand small pieces
- Please never work without protective equipment! The stopper is made of glass and that can cause nasty injuries!
HOWEVER: If you plan to remove the cleaning plug again, then you should rather use one made of plastic or acrylic or a blind plug for screwing – that is our serious recommendation!