[bretthans]

Does anyone have any hints on removing the plastic molding that runs above the door and down the side of the windshield? I finally got around to looking for the source of my wet seatbelt and I think I've traced it to one of the clips holding this molding in place. However, I can't seem to get the molding off without breaking it.

Thanks!

 

[Yves M.]

You need to pull. The clips are made of blue plastic and they are round, not like a pin tree.
So you will probably need new ones to reinstall.

That is what happend to me. The molding did not hold at all with the original clips after the removal. The plastic is skined and then it is loose.

In my case, it was not the clip that was leaking but the windshield was not over the hole of the car. The passenger upper coner was not coverred by the windshield

So the delaer had a company specialized in windshield replacement put the glass at the correct location to cover the entire hole.

 

[bretthans]

What I can see along the inside edge (toward the roof/window) are several brass-colored metal clips. Each is about an inch long and has a rectangular base with a thin rectangular gasket underneath to seal the hole in the pillar.

Something else seems to be holding the outer edge (toward the door) of the molding in place, however. Could this be the set of round blue clips you are referring to?

I'll try pulling harder today and hope I don't break anything {else }. The molding already does not go back into place under the metal clips, so I may have damaged something.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

The windshield moldings almost always break upon removal along with the clips. The clips that don't break often have their "tooth" edge rounded and also need replacement for full locking action. This is true of most Honda's, not just the Insight.

Repairing windshield leaks is a specialized task and is rarely successful without complete glass removal which always requires new moldings and clips and often requires glass replacement.

Isolating leaks to the windshield area simply requires a garden hose with moderate flow, careful positioning starting low and working upward, and patience.

I don't see how a seat belt can get wet from a windshield leak, but is isn't impossible.

HTH!

 

[Yves M.]

I did not understand well the first messsage. I was refering to the molding besides the windshield. When I had that, the water leaks diretly on the passenger seat.

For the wet seat belt, it is the molding rear to the door. Not the pillar next to the windshield I wrote about.