windscreens
Author
Discussion

terry-still

Original Poster:

14 posts

248 months

Friday 13th January 2006
quotequote all
have seen some horror posts regarding windscreens, any questions and i will try to answer them, i have been fitting for 14 years and have done just about everything so ask away, the only one i will not answer is price

Parrot of Doom

23,075 posts

263 months

Friday 13th January 2006
quotequote all
Why can't someone invent a permanent coating ala Rain X that keeps dirt and water off?

touchingcloth

11,706 posts

268 months

Friday 13th January 2006
quotequote all
Can you confirm a story I heard. It was a few years ago now but a firm were developing prescription windscreens so that you didn't have to wear glasses whilst driving, project was put on hold as in trials it scared the bejesus out of the car in front when they looked in the rear view mirror.

Sorry shamelessly stolen from (I think) Billy Connolly


Welcome by the way

GKP

15,099 posts

270 months

Friday 13th January 2006
quotequote all
Why does the current radio ad for Autoglass insist that my airbag won't work properly if I've got crack in my windscreen?


DennisTheMenace

15,605 posts

297 months

Friday 13th January 2006
quotequote all
GKP said:
Why does the current radio ad for Autoglass insist that my airbag won't work properly if I've got crack in my windscreen?




Because the passenger airbag bounces off the scree , if not properly fitted it will push the screen out

chris1roll

2,040 posts

273 months

Friday 13th January 2006
quotequote all
How do you get the bonded screens out without cracking them or scratching the paint? We managed to remove one in one piece but the A pillars were scratched to buggery inside and out by the cheese wire we used. Didn't matter much cos we then drove it into various other cars on purpose but would be nice to know.

>> Edited by chris1roll on Friday 13th January 19:05

leosayer

7,819 posts

273 months

Friday 13th January 2006
quotequote all
Any tips on how to avoid/spot poor fitting by the guys we all know who come out to replace windscreens when you call your insurance company?

Also a question, if there are small scratches and surface stone chips on a screen, is a fix possible or do I have to get a new screen?

terry-still

Original Poster:

14 posts

248 months

Sunday 15th January 2006
quotequote all
Any tips on how to avoid/spot poor fitting by the guys we all know who come out to replace windscreens when you call your insurance company?

if your not sure about the company coming out then tell your insurance company, ask for the top guy to come out and generally speaking a better job is done in the depot's by the base fitters, stand and watch the bloke, but dont hover!ask questions, ask how long they have been fitting for,if you dont like the answer then ask for someone better, who wants a trainee working on their 40 grand car?! i would not! if the windscreen is bonded then look on the inside of the windscreen, look at the trims, interior and exterior, ask questions, nothing to hide? then you get a straight answer from the fitter and always bring out the tea and biscuits, makes them relax and think "what a top bloke he is , i will take my time with this one" ,
REMEMBER ITS YOUR CAR!!!
but generally speaking you , the customer, can not tell what is a good job or a bad job unless you have been a windscreen fitter....

terry-still

Original Poster:

14 posts

248 months

Sunday 15th January 2006
quotequote all
How do you get the bonded screens out without cracking them or scratching the paint? We managed to remove one in one piece but the A pillars were scratched to buggery inside and out by the cheese wire we used. Didn't matter much cos we then drove it into various other cars on purpose but would be nice to know.

be more careful! we in the trade use various kinds of wire and air or electric cutting tools, btb are one of the best but damned exspensive, i take it you do bangers or the like

terry-still

Original Poster:

14 posts

248 months

Sunday 15th January 2006
quotequote all
GKP said:
Why does the current radio ad for Autoglass insist that my airbag won't work properly if I've got crack in my windscreen?


the windsceen is an integral part of the vehicles chassis due to being bonded in place on most modern vehicles, chips or cracks in it does weaken the screen, the actual facts and figures regarding how badly are not available to me at the moment, but as in the case of an air bag going off, have you seen a car that has had an accident and deployed the air bag? on the passenger side it generaelly blows the windscreen to pieces! yes if the screen is incorrectly fitted then it will push the screen out but the airbag is not,as far as i am aware reliant on the windscreen as support, i believe that the advert, and this is my own opinion, is scare mongering!if it was that important then we wouldnt have a once a year M.O.T, if i can be shown unrefutable fact that this is not so then i will gladly change my opinion.

terry-still

Original Poster:

14 posts

248 months

Sunday 15th January 2006
quotequote all
touchingcloth said:
Can you confirm a story I heard. It was a few years ago now but a firm were developing prescription windscreens so that you didn't have to wear glasses whilst driving, project was put on hold as in trials it scared the bejesus out of the car in front when they looked in the rear view mirror.

Sorry shamelessly stolen from (I think) Billy Connolly


Welcome by the way


have you seen the inflatible windscreens that are available from the same company?

thanx for the welcome

terry-still

Original Poster:

14 posts

248 months

Sunday 15th January 2006
quotequote all
Parrot of Doom said:
Why can't someone invent a permanent coating ala Rain X that keeps dirt and water off?


there are new windscreens becoming available that have this feature, same as the, i believe, self cleansing float glass available in the construction market, rain x is the dogs doodas and sadly missed,

terry-still

Original Poster:

14 posts

248 months

Sunday 15th January 2006
quotequote all
there are so many advancements in the windscreen trade that these type of things could become common place, as in the case of the rain sensor, but as always who would pay for it? want to keep your insurance xs down? check out how much your insurance company is paying for that windscreen, in most cases check out how much those companies are paying the windscreen fitters,
PAY PEANUTS, GET MONKEYS
we are a dying breed

livewire7116

9 posts

248 months

Sunday 22nd January 2006
quotequote all
GKP said:
Why does the current radio ad for Autoglass insist that my airbag won't work properly if I've got crack in my windscreen?


The airbags are not effected by a chipped or cracked windscreen, Autoglass just plugging for business!

livewire7116

9 posts

248 months

Sunday 22nd January 2006
quotequote all
leosayer said:
Any tips on how to avoid/spot poor fitting by the guys we all know who come out to replace windscreens when you call your insurance company?

Also a question, if there are small scratches and surface stone chips on a screen, is a fix possible or do I have to get a new screen?
When i was being trained years ago i was told the only way a customer should be able to tell if thier screen was replaced was that the crack was gone, as for small chips sometimes the smallest ones are hardest to repair so harder to notice an improvement, scratches need to polished out and depending on depth determines quality to, problem is that you get a larger deformed area obscuring vision more.

livewire7116

9 posts

248 months

Sunday 22nd January 2006
quotequote all
terry-still said:
Any tips on how to avoid/spot poor fitting by the guys we all know who come out to replace windscreens when you call your insurance company?

if your not sure about the company coming out then tell your insurance company, ask for the top guy to come out and generally speaking a better job is done in the depot's by the base fitters, stand and watch the bloke, but dont hover!ask questions, ask how long they have been fitting for,if you dont like the answer then ask for someone better, who wants a trainee working on their 40 grand car?! i would not! if the windscreen is bonded then look on the inside of the windscreen, look at the trims, interior and exterior, ask questions, nothing to hide? then you get a straight answer from the fitter and always bring out the tea and biscuits, makes them relax and think "what a top bloke he is , i will take my time with this one" ,
REMEMBER ITS YOUR CAR!!!
but generally speaking you , the customer, can not tell what is a good job or a bad job unless you have been a windscreen fitter....
All i can say to this comment from terry is what "A COCK" to make a statement that a better job is done by base fitters! i was a mobile fitter for 7 years and was requested by name from numerous main dealers to work on new cars such as Jaguars, bmws, audis also many customers who had what we called prestige cars like ferraris and rollers cos they wanted work done at home, and usually i found you were left alone to work, its psychological that they believed they have had a better fitter to work on thier car! I have found several of these comments by terry to be complete shite! And dont believe that a big company has better fitters either, the main thing about big companys are the better after sales cover if things go wrong!

DennisTheMenace

15,605 posts

297 months

Sunday 22nd January 2006
quotequote all
You know when a monkey has fitted the screen , when i go out to install a car kit and the f**king headlining is bonded in place and a-pillar trims etc have been damaged and fitted back buy bodgeing them , also when you chaps fit screens take a bit of time to move the mic cable if an aftermarket phonekit is installed eh instead of slicing the friggin cable

livewire7116

9 posts

248 months

Sunday 22nd January 2006
quotequote all
terry-still said:
there are so many advancements in the windscreen trade that these type of things could become common place, as in the case of the rain sensor, but as always who would pay for it? want to keep your insurance xs down? check out how much your insurance company is paying for that windscreen, in most cases check out how much those companies are paying the windscreen fitters,
PAY PEANUTS, GET MONKEYS
we are a dying breed
Hooray he got one thing right! we are a dying breed and if it wasnt for insurance companys screwing the prices down so much then the wages may of been better, also remember this when you call out these guys on weekends and bank holidays, "THEY HAVE LIVES TO" AND FAMILYS AND MAYBE GETTING PAID TO COME OUT BUT BE GRATEFUL THEY ARE HELPING YOU OUT! SO THINK B4 YOU CALL THEM OUT FOR A CHIPPED OR CRACKED WINDSCREEN AT THE WEEKEND "ARE YOU SURE THAT IT CANT WAIT FOR A WEEKDAY"

livewire7116

9 posts

248 months

Sunday 22nd January 2006
quotequote all
DennisTheMenace said:
You know when a monkey has fitted the screen , when i go out to install a car kit and the f**king headlining is bonded in place and a-pillar trims etc have been damaged and fitted back buy bodgeing them , also when you chaps fit screens take a bit of time to move the mic cable if an aftermarket phonekit is installed eh instead of slicing the friggin cable
oH HOW TRUE! SOME PEOPLE GET TO EXCITED WITH THE GLUE, BUT IM SURE WE CAN ALL AGREE AS FITTERS WE HAVE CUT AT LEAST ONE MIC WIRE! HOW ABOUT THE AIRBAG SENSOR WIRE ON THE N/S PILLAR OF THE JAG XK8 YET? GOTTA WATCH OUT FOR THAT ONE!!!!!

fcukruss

83 posts

250 months

Sunday 22nd January 2006
quotequote all
GKP said:
Why does the current radio ad for Autoglass insist that my airbag won't work properly if I've got crack in my windscreen?




beat me to it.

russ