Two questions

[bigbroony 0]

First, can anyone reccomend a good windscreen replacement service.It's going to be an insurance job( I got a load of Autoglass bumpf with my insurance documents ) but from what I gather there are people who know what they're doing and there are other people who don't.I'm in South Shields, so either Newcastle or Sunderland would be good for me.On atotally unrelated topic, my gear change is becoming notchy and obstructive.Is this an adjustment thing or what and if so is it something a fool like me could handle?Thanks.

[Henny 0]

dunno about the windscreen, sorry, but I'd change the gear oil if I were you and see if that makes a difference... 8)

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Just make sure the garage the ins company elect for you have done Corrados before but to be honest, the procedure is exactly the same as with 90% of current cars with urthane glued screens. People are just un-necesarily scared because it's a Corrado and have heard horror stories about seals. No decent fitter will have a problem fitting a C screen.

 

If you want a new outer seal, ask them to get you one as it has to come from VW. They will just refit the old one unless specifically asked not to, which isn't a problem unless yours is really shabby?

[PhatVR6 0]

and don't be afraid to refuse to pay for shabby work either. don't settle for a botched job.

 

If you can, watch him like a hawk the whole temm, and tell him beforehand that if he puts a single finger wrong you'll rip his balls off.

[bigbroony 0]

I can do better than that, I can threaen him with the wife!!

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Oh and the car needs to be at the fitters for 4 hours to let the glue cure...... then you drive the car for a bit, the screen settles and adjusts (you'll hear the car creak like never before) and then it cures solid over night.

[Rpmayne 0]

If its done badly, be prepared for nice rusty knife marks where they took the old one out, followed by lots of that black gum to stick the the mentioned seal back together again. That was carried out by Autoglass on mine before I got it. (proud sticker inside the car :? ).

 

Think the main problem was the seal is fitted round the windscreen, then the whole thing is stuck in. Looks like they forgot that on mine, so just cut the bit which should have gone under off and stuck the rest.

 

Maybe the window is why my car creaks so much :roll: , shoddy fit.

 

I'd go down your local respected spray shop and see who they use. Hopefully the insurance will deal with them instead.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Watch out for sikaflex getting inside the car too. Some fitters like to go a bit OTT with the stuff and splurges out inside the car too...... qaulity workmanship....hmmm. I don't know why we can't do them ourselves. Not difficult.

[MoonlightVR 0]

Ask any windscreen fitter what the worst car is to do a bonded screen on and 99% will say the Corrado! It's all down to the windscreen aperture being very small and tight on space, and the actual surface between the glass and the bodywork being very small, hence the high chances it will be fecked up. This is why many fitters pump too much Sikaflex onto the bonding surface - it's a poor way of ensuring the screen is sealed all the way round. As Kev says this why so many C's have excess sealant visible around the A pillar trim when you looking from the inside the car. If they put the screen in wrongly and don't have enough sealant the screen will leak like buggery!

 

I'd suggest you use a good company like Autoglass or RAC and make sure the fitter has done Corrados before. My screen went last year (was the VW factory original!) and I used my local RAC Windscreens. They had a chap in there who always does the Corrados cos they all know how hard they are to do! He reckoned he had done over 100 in his career!! He did an absolutely perfect job with absolutely no sealant visible from inside, and completely creak and leak free :D

 

So it can be done, but the fitter has to know what he's doing.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I was lucky when I had mine done because the fitter was a 5 minute drive and he had also done shed loads of Corrados in the past. His main dislike for doing Corrados is down to the fragile trims but said doing the glass itself wasn't too bad a job.

 

He even lent me a car to use to do some shopping, so top marks for him.

 

When I arrived back to collect it, I was very pleased to find plungers all over the car holding the screen and seals down whilst the glue set. The seals on the top corners are factory tight, and *that* ladies and gentleman is where many of the feck up. If the top corners of the seals lift after a week, get them to do it again.

 

K

[vr6corrado 0]

My screen has been replaced in the past by the previous owner and although it doesn't leak and the job appears to have been done very well I was on the motorway a couple of weeks ago (chasing a blue storm) and heard a loud thud. After establishing I wasn't about to die I pulled over at the next services to find the top ection of the outer windscreen seal flapping about on the roof whilst the rest was still attached. So what is best for sticking it back? It doesn't tend to come unstuck unless I am doing three figure speeds.

[Rpmayne 0]

The bottom half of that piece of trim started flapping about on mine doing 120+. Don't know what this black stuff is but its like blue tac, bloody strong of both halves of what you're sticking is clean. Has done this job on mine now. I asked my local spray shop and they let us have a bit for nothing.

[bigbroony 0]

I used to have a Triumph Stag, many moons ago and, as far as windscreens were concerned they were figured to be the Corrado of their day.Something to do with fitting the chrome trim into the seal before attatching it to the new screen, I think.Anyway grown men used to faint when asked to do the job.

[kvwloon 0]

You should have no worries with Autoglass doing your screen, have always done right by me in the past. It's a right sod to do though, and as above the C has a reputation as being a pain in the arse to do. I would recommend pushing to get new seals fitted all round (including trim strip that is referred to as coming loose at speed). I had a garage reckon they didn't need Autoglass and had a go at replacing my screen themselves, totaly f#cked it up, including re-using original seal, result, at speed trim strip at top of screen comes out at speed. Autoglass replaced the lot, problem solved. Autoglass recommended, in Norwich anyway!