Windscreen Replacement

[smithpaulg]

Had the day off so thought I would go for a ride as I havent had time to use my car much recently due to work and family commitments!

 

Anyway, 10 mins in I got hit on the windscreen by a rather large stone, right in my eye-line (needless to say I ducked!). Have booked it in for a windscreen replacement by Autoglass next week. I have started to read several tales of woe on Seloc, but I though it much better to post on MLOC to get some sensible responses.

 

 

Can anybody tell me what i should watch out for when they do the work ? Is it really a clam off job ?

 

All advise appreciated !

 

Thanks

Paul

[Harmy2010]

I have no idea how to replace it, but thats looks like a good job that stone did!! hopefully its an easy job and you dont have to much problems with it.

[Martin R]

They would not do mine at my House. I had to take it to the depot in Aston. They did not remove the front clam. They also did a first class job. They said they had to get their best man on it

[smithpaulg]

Have now spoken to them. It has to go in to their shop and is a four hour job. It is one of the hardest replacements they have on the books and requires their best-man as Martin says !! Lets hope his speech is a good one

[FlyingExige]

Personally, I'd pay the extra and go to a dealer!!

[Martin R]

Personally, I'd pay the extra and go to a dealer!!

 

Thats fine if you have a dealer in your area. I had mine done before Lotus Stourbridge or Silverstone was open. I think Leicester was the nearest at the time. The cost should be the same? ( just the insurance excess )

[jonnyfox]

Mine was done in my garage, a great job. No clam off required but messy as f***k. When you think it costs £60 excess, that's a whole lot of windscreen and bonded bits, quite good vfm!

[Dazzx10r]

I think I have read somewhere on seloc that you can upgrade to an electric heated screen? Might be worth considering, as the one on our Focus ST is fantastic in this cold and miserable damp weather

[smithpaulg]

My insurance (CCI) stipulates Autoglass, so i dont think a dealer is on the cards.

 

I had heard of heated screens for the S1, didnt know there was one for the s2?

[kayj_prod]

Heated windscreens are the best winter gadget ever IMO! Ah, the joy of getting in and pressing a button while the neighbours are out scraping ice. Haven't got one on my S1 though- I don't use it in the winter anyway.

[Dazzx10r]

Lakeside engineering make them for both S1 and S2 Elise; http://www.lakesideengineering.com/products/products.htm

[jhall89]

Local Dealer in Brum sends his to Autoglass Centre in Aston and charges a premium! Had my S1 done there and they do a great job - yes its 4hrs as clam has to be released and tilted forward and then there is curing time before driving. They had a nice selection of Lambos + Ferraris in there too so drool!

[Dr H]

CCI demanded I use Autoglass when I needed the 340R doing. Biggest problem was that the 340R screens are now only available through Junks (Phil Peek) - he even supplies Lotus. Autoglass were adamant they could source a screen and after about a week had to admit they couldn’t get it. So Autoglass said they would use Phil as a supplier. They wanted him to sign up to some ridiculous T&Cs and would have at least doubled the price of the screen so I would have ended up paying some as the price would have been over my cover limit.

 

Eventually they agreed I could use Phil as a supplier and get an independent to fit it. But I had to pay and extra excess as I would be using their recommended supplier. A supplier who couldn't do the job!!!!!

[smithpaulg]

Went in yesterday for the repair. Went home again 10mins later, wrong screen. Back to the drawing board........

[pa28pilot]

It's probably repairable - but for a truly good repair, you must ensure that the damage is sealed against moisture as soon as the damage occcurs. Good selotape is really good in this regard as it seals-out water, is transparent, and the wipers will still cover the windscreen with minimal problems. Always keep a small roll in your car!

 

As mentioned in a another thread, try GlasWeld (www.glaswelduk.com). Repairs are inexpensive and generally very effective.

 

I had a really bad "stike" (worse than yours) about two years ago. The repair completed by the local agent is almost invisible (and then only visible if the sun catches it "just right". A similar ding on another windscreen is completely invisible.

 

The best advice that I ever received (many years ago) was that a windscreen replacement should be considered a last-resort fix. Modern windscreens have to be cut out - and all surfaces re-prepared and properly primed. Leaks and other body/trim damage is always possible, so avoiding the replacement will avoid major hastle. If done properly, the resin-repair is as strong as the original laminate.