Windscreen Crack

[CorradoWannabe 1]

Driving through the roadworks on the M11 on the way to work - hear a bang from the windscreen - look and ther's a crack running down half of the winscren a a small dent too :roll: must have just been a stone or something - it was only at about 50mph

 

I guess i will need a new windscreen - any possibility of any type of repair on this? Its only the very top layer [i can guess what the answer to this will be - but gotta ask :( ]

 

Will i have any trouble getting a Corrado front windscreen from say Autoglass? Also is it illegal to drive the car with this windscreen crack?

[Roger Blassberg 0]

No problem with availability, but it's about a six hour job and they will insist on having the car in the depot. The fitters hate it too. I hope you have fully comp. insurance, because the bill for mine (to my insurer) was over £600.

 

If it has cracked it's an instant MOT failure, you are only allowed very small stars outside of the wiped area.

 

Make sure they fit the rubber trim properly - mine ended up being crucified by the so-called tradesmen at RAC Windscreens, all shaven-heads and tattoos, and needed a second attempt at doing it right.

 

Best wishes

 

RB

[CorradoWannabe 1]

:shock: £600! Nope - its not covered by insurance - Jeez - sounds like i'll need to take out a mortgage to pay for this! Any other price estimates?

[coolrado 0]

it would probably be cheaper to change to a different insurance company :wink:

[CorradoWannabe 1]

Sounds like a plan - especially as the whole car only cost me £900! So £600 is about what it would cost for replacement windscreen?

[coolrado 0]

with most insurance companies you just pay a 50 quid excess and it dosnt effect your premium

mine has a small circular crack just outside the wiped area which passed the mot but the rac windscreen bloke said they would change it under the insurance so its booked in for next week

 

does anyone know if they supply a new rubber trim when they fit the screen?

[CorradoWannabe 1]

Any chance of me getting a windscreen from a breakers / ebay / forum and then using my normal mechanic to replace it?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

£600!!

 

That's just utterly ridiculous.

 

Although done under insurance, my top tint screen cost £110, 1 hour to fit and 4 hours for the polyurethane glue to set (needs 24 hrs to fully harden).

 

When I dropped the car off to him I was expecting him to whince as it was a Corrado, but no...he just wheeled into the workshop and got on with it. A little chat afterwards - He said C screens are just glued in like 1000s of other cars and there is nothing special about the C in that respect at all. He went on to say people only ever have problems from cr@p fitters that are careless with seals and trims. If care is taken, there is no risk of leaking or busted trims etc.

 

When I picked it up later that day, I couldn't tell they'd even been in the car and the outer seals were all perfectly seated to the bodywork.

 

So it doesn't have to cost £600 - far from it. £200 tops for private work.

[Jim 1]

I had a windscreen done on my last Corrado at a place in Coventry for £240 all in. Wasn't a genuine VAG screen, and admittedly it leaked the first time I tried it blasting it with the hose. I took it back and the guy was genuinely apologetic and took my car in immediately to sort it, and fair play he did and I never had any problems with it after that.

 

So I guess it can be done for a lot less - £600 is taking the mick quite frankly.

[CorradoWannabe 1]

Ahh thanks Kevin - i will give Autoglass a call and see how much they say it will cost - i think i may leave it till after Christmas!

 

Could i get pulled over for a crack in the windscreen? Its about in the middle n runs down across about half of the screen :roll:

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Autoglass are quite expensive mate....

 

Where are you based?

 

I got mine done at 'Car Glass and trim' in Ipswich, a small outfit, but the workmanship was faultless.

 

You shouldn't get pulled over for a cracked screen - hardly your fault - but some bored copper might have a word to tell you to hurry up and get it replaced, at worst.

[CorradoWannabe 1]

I work in Harlow in Essex, rent a place in North West london, and on weekends I am around South West london.

 

I'll have a look for some glass places - in the meantime is there anything that can be done to stop the crack spreading - any kind of spray etc?

 

Ok - i think i'll live with it for a while then - a real pain as i only just had the passenger glass replaced after a break in for the stereo :roll:

 

I gotta admitt when i read the £600 quote i went to Autotrader!! :wink:

[Roger Blassberg 0]

Sounds like I started something there........!! Apologies if any heart attacks have resulted.

 

Only reporting what was written on my copy of the worksheet from RAC. It's no wonder that insurance premiums are what they are. I'm glad to see that this level of extortionate over-pricing is not the norm.

 

Best wishes

 

RB

[_leon_ 0]

I had the windscreen done on my old car by Autoglass and they made a right mess of it. Leaked the first time...badly. Took it back being furious and then they ended up puttying round the screen at the corners to cover it up and cracked the scuttle shield. I suppose that can be the service to expect from insurance jobs. I personally wouldn't go back so its worth checking out from people what place close by does a reputable job.

[Big-ted 0]

Make sure they fit the rubber trim properly - mine ended up being crucified by the so-called tradesmen at RAC Windscreens, all shaven-heads and tattoos, and needed a second attempt at doing it right.

 

HAHA!! You guys need to hear about my experience with RAC windscreens!

 

So, I buy my car on the 3rd of March 2004. On the way home, I'm following a lorry, stone flies up, cracks windscreen... yadayadayada.

 

Fortunately, I knew I was buying the car that day so I had already taken out a fully comp insurance policy for the car the day before.

 

A few days later I phone my insurance company who put RAC windscreens onto me. I explain the problem, the guy moans as it's a Corrado. To be fair to him, he explaing that he wants to send out one of his senior fitters as it's a right PITA to do. It takes SIX WEEKS for them to get the windscreen in stock!

 

Finally the fitter comes to my house. He's really nice. Explains the problem with the way the screen is fitted on the C, cleans and refreshes the rubber seal and fits it all inbto place, except he breaks the drivers side skuttle board. :( He apologises, makes a note of it on the job ticket, and explains they'll get a replacement in and come and fit it as soon as it's availabe.

 

 

Another 6 weeks pass, during which I regularly phone up to check on progress, aswell as explaining to my insurance company how unhappy I am.

 

I receive a number of excuses, including that skuttle boards are no longer available.

 

Eventually I get a phone call saying the board has arrived and they can come and fit it tomorrow. I say, "Great! But I'm at work tomorrow. Can you come to my work address?" "Not a problem." We're getting somewhere!

 

The next day the fitter calls me. "I'm outside your house." Really? I'm not! :roll:

 

Fitter apologises and comes to my work.

 

20 mins later and he comes in to get me. "You're not going to believe this!" Guess what?

 

Keep guessing...

 

 

 

 

The skuttle board supplied was for a left had drive car, and has a big hole in it where the wiper is supposed to go!!!!

 

The fitter says, "I know it's not quite the same as before, but it'll be ok."

 

"Are you kidding?! I had a small crack in it before. I now hava an F-ing great big hole!!!" :mad:

 

Apparently they now have the correct skuttle board. But my car is now in storage at my Dad's 'till I get back from uni for xmas. When I get back I shall give them a call and see how it goes!!

 

Wish me luck!!! :lol:

 

Bottom line: Having brken my windscreen almost 9 months ago, it still isn't fixed!!

[CorradoWannabe 1]

Wow - sounds like you had quite an experience - has the crack got bigger over these 9 months??

 

Also - how can u afford to run a Corrado as a uni student :wink: i graduated this year and only after getting a job could i afford one + insurnance + fuel etc

[Big-ted 0]

The windscreen is no longer cracked. That HAS been replaced. The only problem now is that there is a large hole in the plastic trim at the base of the windscreen where a wiper should go!

 

I graduated in July of this year. I'm now doing a doctorate at St Andrews uni. Right now, I'm getting payed to study... :wink:

Also, 16v isn't TOO heavy on fuel/insurance costs, and I can officially call myself a "Radar systems engineer" rather than "stoodent" which helps, obviously! :lol:

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I don't know what the RAC bloke was on but there is nothing unusual about the way the C screen is bonded to the A frame compared to other cars of a similar configuration. The main problem stems from the fitters not replacing the captive seal and breaking the scuttle panels as you say. But if they're careful and use the right tools, there shouldn't be a problem.

 

I was lucky as my fitter had done loads of Corrados and it was a walk in the park to him......but some of us have not been so fortunate by the sounds of it :(

[Reggit 0]

Last time I had a broken windscreen and third party insurance, I put up with the ever growing crack until my insurance was due for renewal, and guess what, I upgraded to fully comp and claimed a week later. OK, a little naughty I suppose!

 

As to RAC autowindscreens, I've nothing but good to say about them. When my side window was leaking last winter/spring, I took car to several screen places to ask if they could remove, reseal, refit it. Most said they would have to smash it to remove it and £300+ for new one. Visited RAC and fitter wandered out to it had a poke and prod about and told me he 'thought' it could be done. An hour later, the job was done and has been fine ever since.

[bigpants baby 0]

im breaking a l reg corrado,i have a perfect windscreen that i can have taken out(fingers crossed) next week,you can have it for £60

[Guest]

fitting your own screen, good luck, its not like fitting one to a mk2 golf... bit of string. They have a bonded seal to start with-then bonded to car and external seal inserted....

 

Its well worth getting it done proberly. Done wrong you start risking lives... windscreen is about 60% of roofs strengh.

 

A friend of mine works for auto glass and has said if i ever need a wind screen fitting he;ll do it. He;d want money for screen about 130 i think and money for fitting sunday job 50ish quid.

 

Pm me if you would like to ask him.

 

regards

 

Luke

[CorradoWannabe 1]

I chose not to have someone fit it - better to take it to the experts - i got it done at budget windscreens who were able to replace the windscreen within an hour + an hour for the glues to set etc.

 

It cost me £195+ VAT in total - and it does come with a lifetime warranty - the new glass has a nice tint at the top too and looks immaculate so im chuffed :)

 

Thanks for the offers Luke and uhh.. bigpants.

 

When i picked it up the guys that fitted it complained about how complex it was to change on a Corrado, i told them that doing it in an hour (altho 2 ppl were working on it) was not bad at all - and id heard of 5-hour horror stories - it didnt come as much concelation for them tho :)

[Kevin Bacon 5]

When i picked it up the guys that fitted it complained about how complex it was to change on a Corrado, i told them that doing it in an hour (altho 2 ppl were working on it) was not bad at all - and id heard of 5-hour horror stories - it didnt come as much concelation for them tho :)

 

They're lazy gits then as a hour's work is hardly 'complex'. I saw my car minus a screen and there is nothing at all complex about the job, which the fitter mirrored in his comments. As mentioned, it's the bodging few that give put the frighteners in people and I don't know what it is about the Golf 'cum' Passat coupe that people find so difficult??!?

 

The 5 hour horror stories would include the urethane glue setting time too :wink:

[Guest]

CorradoWannabe, no probs

[G60Jet 1]

The Problem with fitting the C screen is

the positioning of the screen has to be spot on otherwise the seal is damagaed or basically fits to loosely. the screen on mine was replaced and they had to stop the screen sliding down towards the engine bay.