Technical Cracked Windscreen

[Muppet1]

Hmmmmmmmmmmm Swift cover here too and just renewed it with a windscreen replacement but i do have maximum no claims with them so it hasnt affected me but insurance still went up £50 though.

Bunch of thieving barstewards all of them.

 

[vladof]

Just brought the car back from Pilkington, they put the original glass in, mark-up free from FIAT. Only 90 pounds for the windscreen and another 20 to put it in the car.

They tested the wiper sensor, was working ok. Light sensors - I will see tomorrow.

 

[Oakley28]

autoglass want near £600 to do this job on a stilo....my mate had it happen to him, he didnt have windscreen cover...ended up finding a cheap small company that did it for £250

The quote Auto Glass gave me if i didn't go through insurance was £614 for the part. Christ knows what it is with fitting. So that just isnt an option for me especially seems its bloody christmas tomorrow.

Windscreen replacement on a Stilo can sometimes be a tricky job as complaints are often found on the Forum.

For example - some reports of auto lights/auto windscreen wipers not working properly afterwards (not such an issue if you don't have them of course)

Which I'm pretty sure I wont have. But yeah they did say that it is more tricky if you have these.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm Swift cover here too and just renewed it with a windscreen replacement but i do have maximum no claims with them so it hasnt affected me but insurance still went up £50 though.

Bunch of thieving barstewards all of them.

Been reading up on them for the past day or so and apparently they are a pain to deal with if you have an accident. I can fully believe this if they are so arsey about needing a windscreen replacing. I most certainly will be changing, although like muppet i too have just renewed, Well August.

They always come out cheapest for me when I do a multi-quote thing.

 

[vladof]

While driving home last night for Christmas, with my new windshield on on very thick fog, guess what.. I noticed it was starting to crack. The line was getting bigger and bigger by the minute until it stopped. Then, suddenly, it went all the way to almost the middle of the windscreen.

The new windscreen was on for 20 hours when this happened. This morning I saw that some kind of stone or something hit it, the hole is very small, 1 mm thick, but the weird thing is it went to the middle of the windshield and not the its extremity.

Most of all, I haven't felt ANYTHING hit it, just pulled on a gas station and noticed there was a 1 cm crack. Now it's about 30 cm.

I have a warranty of 24 months on the windscreen which covers improper mounting and windscreen defects. I'm pretty sure this is a defect because a stone so small could not have ever caused suck a large damage.

I'm gonna fight till death with them even if it means suing them. I need to go to Brasov in 3 days and then back to Bucharest from Suceava with a large crack in my face.



Merry Christmas everyone and all the best to all of you.

 

[Muppet1]

Trouble is these bonded windscreens are i think under more stress than one's held in with rubber and as a result do chip and crack all too easy in my opinion.
When i had mine done in may it was small chipping type material when they tar and chip roads so wasn't a huge stone.
I know windscreens are under more stress and being bonded are ment to add strenth to the shell and therefore i think cracks and chips are the norm and when they do crack they travel so much quicker as they are under stress.
I dont think you will get any where with trying to get them to replace it as something has plainly hit the screen, worth a try i guess but i think you will waste your time!!

 

[vladof]

The windscreen is suppose to stay freely on the bodywork of the car so that any stone would bounce off, unless it is a big hit and the shock wave would actually cause immediate cracking.

I didn't even know when it hit the car, and most of all, the cracking started progressively, with about 1 cm per hour until it finally went all the way to where it is now. If it was properly installed it would have just stayed where it was. My other Stilo received a stone so huge in the left down corner of the screen I actually saw it coming, 3 cm to the corner of the windshield. It chipped it, but only at the surface, and it stayed there, didn't move an inch. The other windshield on my Stilo received an actual bolder from somebody who purposely hit the car. Again, it cracked the surface but it stayed there.

If they don't want to admit it is a fault in either the windshield or in their mounting, I will get a professional written opinion and sue them. We will see how they react to that. Even for 120 pounds.

 

[Oakley28]

I hope mine doesnt do the same thing as this. Mine was replaced this morning and its says in their T's & C's that they use 'genuine' parts for each specific car so i hope mine will be ok now.

 

[Muppet1]

The windscreen is suppose to stay freely on the bodywork of the car so that any stone would bounce off, unless it is a big hit and the shock wave would actually cause immediate cracking.

I didn't even know when it hit the car, and most of all, the cracking started progressively, with about 1 cm per hour until it finally went all the way to where it is now. If it was properly installed it would have just stayed where it was. My other Stilo received a stone so huge in the left down corner of the screen I actually saw it coming, 3 cm to the corner of the windshield. It chipped it, but only at the surface, and it stayed there, didn't move an inch. The other windshield on my Stilo received an actual bolder from somebody who purposely hit the car. Again, it cracked the surface but it stayed there.

If they don't want to admit it is a fault in either the windshield or in their mounting, I will get a professional written opinion and sue them. We will see how they react to that. Even for 120 pounds.

Sorry but you are so wrong with all this, As i understand a bonded windscreen gives the bodyshell alot more strength and thats the reason why you should aways get it repaired or replaced as soon as possible.

Chips can and do spread sometimes as quick as what yours did or they might not move for weeks then all of a sudden go travelling. As you gan see plainly something has hit your screen you have no chance of getting it replaced free of charge as its not a fitting error.
Best of luck trying to sue them but alas i think you would get laughed out of court!!!!

Just get used to the idea that no matter what these things happen when you own cars, My last windscreen was covered in hot sparks from a disc cutter cutting up steel mesh on site the day after it was fitted, Bl**dy annoying to say the least but thats life.

 

[dan-the-man]

You wont get anything free from them as there is obvious damage, which more than likely has caused the crack, just bad luck really

Cracks can be repaired, as long as the crack is not from one end of the windscreen to the other then it doesn't matter how long it is. Although the windscreen company will want to replace it rather than repair as they will get more money from the insurance company (around £200 rather than £50)

 

[GrandeGuy]

I'm just replacing it today because the last owner used the original wipers until 2008. Imagine the damage.

Got a quote of 150£ directly from Pilkington Romania, with Bosch AeroTwin wipers included.

Getting it back this afternoon, hope everything will turn alright.

Jewelers Rouge could of fixed that for very little £ and elbow grease
I just used it to polish out wiper scratches from my work van my Uncle told me bout it He used it at Autowindscreens

http://www.priorypolishes.co.uk/shop/front/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=15

 

[vladof]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I still think it chipped way too easily. I know there's some damage on it, I can see it myself as well.

Truth is I am very pissed that I cracked it less than 1 day after installing it.

Legally speaking, I can prove it and no, nobody is going to laugh at me in court. I know, I'm a law school graduate, everything is questionable, it's just a matter of whether you are willing to go through the trouble just for the sake of it.

I can also see some stripes, minor cracks, on the upper side of the windshield that are in no relation to the bigger crack. What about those?

How can a bloody car run for 9 years without a chip in the windshield and crack in 20 hours after a new replacement?

 

[Argonought]

How can a bloody car run for 9 years without a chip in the windshield and crack in 20 hours after a new replacement?

I go along with that

Not impossible of course - but mighty suspicious all the same.

Was the screen of inferior quality (dubious history etc.) or had it been overstressed :chin:

 

[vladof]

Hi Argo. I purchased the screen directly from Pilkington Romania, brand new. I say it is overstressed because the impact point is needle thick and inside it looks like it made an implosion or something. Moreover, I can see small cracks on the upper side of it as well, that have nothing to do with the crack itself because it's nowhere near the impact zone.

We will see what they have to say. I am fullt insured anyway so either they change it, the insurance company change it, or I go fix the crack at some shop.

Anyone tried that?

 

[dan-the-man]

The impact point is always tiny and you either get a bullseye chip (a big circle around the impact point) or a star chip (loads of small crack coming off the impact point) or sometimes both.

If there are cracks which aren't connected to the chip then yes it's either a fitting fault (over stressing) or the windscreen is faulty so complain to them and get it replaced

 

[Big Black Stilo]

well, just had the misfortune of our 306's windscreen cracking. its gone from the edge into the screen by 5 inches. no impact damage, no signs of a chip.

this is the original screen thats been in 9 years. dont know why its gone now. using insurance, as it has no effect on the no claims bonus at all

when the stilos went i either hit an owl or low flying hedgehog. instantly got a chip and star crack the size of a £2 coin. before i could stop. the crack stretched 16" accross the screen

 

[dan-the-man]

well, just had the misfortune of our 306's windscreen cracking. its gone from the edge into the screen by 5 inches. no impact damage, no signs of a chip.

this is the original screen thats been in 9 years. dont know why its gone now. using insurance, as it has no effect on the no claims bonus at all

when the stilos went i either hit an owl or low flying hedgehog. instantly got a chip and star crack the size of a £2 coin. before i could stop. the crack stretched 16" accross the screen

It doesn't affect your no claims bonus but most insurance companies add a premium on your next renewal to cover the cost of the repair/replacement "if" you renew with them.

 

[Oakley28]

It doesn't affect your no claims bonus but most insurance companies add a premium on your next renewal to cover the cost of the repair/replacement "if" you renew with them.

Are you sure about that? I'm assuming you meant to say "it doesn't affect MOST no claims bonuses"

I had the misfortune of a cracked windscreen, checked cover: Windscreen Replacement was present Great stuff.

Rang insurance, Yes, Mr.Oakley your will lose 1 years no claims for a replacement windscreen Not so Great stuff.

Wasnt an option for me to stump up cash, so I had to do it, but I most certainly will not be renewing with swiftcover.

 

[vladof]

About that, while I traveled to the mountain side for New Years Eve, guess what, another crack appeared on the windshield, on the other side.

This is actually very funny because this time I cannot see ANY point of impact just the a straight line on the other side of the windshield. I now have 2 cracks, kind of simetrical, on each side of the windshield.

They are so in for it. If I don't manage to repair it through them for free, I will have to do it on insurance as well as I will not pay for the damn thing all over again for no reason. The bad part is that the same company is going to replace it.

I will post a picture of it later on, but it's definitely a disappointment thinking that the car spent 9 years in the same glass with no crack and the new one lasted for 20 hours.

 

[dan-the-man]

Well it used to be that it never affected your no claims bonus, but insurance comapnies are starting to change windscreen cover now, for example for repairs a lot of insurance policies now have an excess of around £10 for repairs, it used to be free.

 

[Oakley28]

Well it used to be that it never affected your no claims bonus, but insurance comapnies are starting to change windscreen cover now, for example for repairs a lot of insurance policies now have an excess of around £10 for repairs, it used to be free.

My excess on the replacement was £65. So £65 and Frozen No Claims. Would expressing my disgust in writing make any difference what so ever?