Dave
Is your windlace new and the rubber supple?
I had a recent similar experience installing a windshield rubber gasket. Despite reading numerous testimonials praising Steele Rubber products, I trudged onward using the new gasket a previous owner bought. Finally, got the thing installed and about 10 days later discovered it has split. A Steele replacement was ordered and it installed in less than an 45 minutes. Soapy water or other similar was not needed, only the plastic pry tool.
My lesson learned was to bite the bullet, pay the extra for a quality product and save hours of frustration and wasted time.
