Any experience of polycarbonate windows?

[itannum990]

I will most likely need to fit polycarbonate windows to my project to get it through the biva.

How bad are they for the road? I understand fogging is an issue, as is scratching, is it worth me buying the cheapest set I can find and swapping them out for original (non biva compliant) glass after the test or getting the coated 'glasses' and speccing large vents in them?

[PhillipM]

They scratch like buggery, even coated ones, we replace the sliders every year and the windows every two or three, because you just can't see clearly through them after that...using tear off strips helps with the scratching mind.

[itannum990]

So not great then... obviously the windscreen will be glass. A set of plastics is only 300 poundsish if I don't buy coatings and sliders etc, so perhaps they'll have to fall off after the test like so many other parts then..

[un1corn]

I've found them to be a bit of a tt.

The windows if electric sometiems struggle to go up or down and sometimes dont sit flush in the window seal. The tops of the windows sometiems have to be trimmed depending on how thick your glass is, to get it to sit inside the seal.

Fair bit of wind noise at high speed too.

[itannum990]

PhillipM said:

They scratch like buggery, even coated ones, we replace the sliders every year and the windows every two or three, because you just can't see clearly through them after that...using tear off strips helps with the scratching mind.

Are they easily polished up again actually? I do have a DA, and will start using a rotary soo enough when my order of brave pills comes in

[PhillipM]

You can, but it takes some work, they're pretty tough for polishing but you have to watch the heat buildup for discolouration at the same time, so it's a bit tedious.