M20J windshield replacement - shop recommendations

[BaldEagle]

I just got through my first annual, and as there were no nasty surprises I'm planning on getting the windshield replaced sometime next year.  Can anyone recommend a shop, preferably in the Southwest?  It looks like a big job and I'd rather have someone who has done this job before perform the work.

[flumag]

Hi,

I did it in my M20K and it came out very nice including the color touch up. It's quite some steps and I decided to not go with a thicker windshield. (the difference thickness  would not make a difference to me -  https://www.udayton.edu/blogs/udri/18-09-13-risk-in-the-sky.php ). Maybe it a bit quieter inside but you facing significant higher labour cost (10 to 15 hours more). I was using the same color tint and the UV protection for the replacement. I also renewed the retainer as recommendation from the avionic shop. I flew more than 50 hours since and have no issues.

The labor was around 30 hours for the work and it was done at ThreeWing Aviation at KBDR. I like the result a lot and it was well done. I especially was impressed by the color touch up and the over all quality. 

Maybe not the shop for you since its 2138Nm. But you have a Mooney, why not ;-)

Hendrik

[jetdriven]

They did a great job fitting and riveting that lower retainer on. I see a lot with oversized rivets, offset re-drilled holes, and even sheet metal screws.  This is a very high-visibility area and needs to be perfect.  In your case it is. 

[Igor_U]

On ‎10‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 5:25 PM, flumag said:

 

Hendrik

 

 

 

 

 

 

It looks like they did a great job.

Out of curiosity: what was the reason to install a new lower retainer and not reuse the old one?

 

[flumag]

11 hours ago, Igor_U said:

It looks like they did a great job.

Out of curiosity: what was the reason to install a new lower retainer and not reuse the old one?

 

it was a strong recommendation from the shop to get a good result. You never get the old one fitting like before. So better sealing (with les sealant), more even surface of the bolds, and full coloring and not a touch up for bolds and scratches. the overall fitting on the ends is another point.

As mentioned before I did it first time in a Mooney and I was positively impressed by the result.  

[Jeev]

I would call LASAR up in central Cal for a quote, they are very experienced up there.  If you want to come to Vegas I could ask the shop I partner with EGA aviation how many they have done and how many hours it takes.  They work on a lot of Mooneys and have maintained mine for 10 years. 

[Bob_Belville]

On 10/8/2018 at 1:25 PM, BaldEagle said:

I just got through my first annual, and as there were no nasty surprises I'm planning on getting the windshield replaced sometime next year.  Can anyone recommend a shop, preferably in the Southwest?  It looks like a big job and I'd rather have someone who has done this job before perform the work.

@kortopatesis based in San Diego and may have a shop he can recommend...

[kortopates]

1 hour ago, Bob_Belville said:

@kortopatesis based in San Diego and may have a shop he can recommend...

We actually discussed it last week.