I get a new windscreen at least once a year on my nissan juke. Nothing to do with a fault, more to do with stones hitting the screen and eventually weakening the glass.Its probably just coincidence that the fitter had to replace two yeti screens in a day.
I have had plenty of screens replaced in other vehicles...all caused by stones or objects thrown up by vehicles in front of me on the freeway.
Even if a stone chips your screen it may not crack immediately, but may develop after a couple of months or so. Normal flexing of the windscreen, hot and cold cycles...I have even had a loud thunder-clap lengthen a crack by an inch one time.
In my opinion though, nothing beats throwing warm water over a cold/icy windscreen to make a crack develop from a stone chip.
Went to tesco's, parked the Yeti with windscreen intact, when I came back about an hour later, there was large crack at the bottom of the screen extending upwards for about 6 inches. Close examination did not reveal any chips or other evidence of an external influence. Weather was nothing out of the ordinary (April this year). Repair man said he had replaced Yeti screens previously.
Quite few years ago I owned a British made car, when it was just a few days old, it was parked and locked on private land. Returning to the car a couple of hours later the windscreen was still in place but had shattered, there was no other traffic or pedestrians. The windscreen fitter said the original had probably been fitted under stress, modern screens are "glued in" so perhaps for some reason your car was flexing, (heat, uneven ground perhaps) and the screen could not cope with the additional stress.
Mine went near side of centre in about the same way
The reason for my post was to establish if this is a common theme as many cars in the past have not been stress relieved by design
It's been at least three years since I last needed a windscreen repair, butwas hit by a flying stone on the A1 yesterday evening (saw the stone coming just a fraction before it hit the windscreen). I now have a larger than average stone chip driver's side sight line centre,roughly 5" down from top edge. Well within the area swept by the wipers.This instantly developed a 5-point star pattern crack, approx. 1.5 to 2.0 cm across, maximum.
I was therefore wondering what are members' more recent experiences of booking for repair or replace?
Do I callmy insurer first (I have fully comp insurance with NCD protection and a windscreenexcess of £25 for repair or £75 for replace)?
Or is it better generally to call a recognised repair/replace company first and see what sort of deal they can offer, off the insurer's record? I know some national repairers who have recommended this route in the past.
I have a Ford Maverick, it still has the original windscreen, and that is over twenty years old...
That is bonded in.
This vehicle has a proper ladder chassis, so is probably much stiffer than the modern cars.
There are a few stone chips, one was resin repaired by Autoglass once.
The Maverick windscreen is much higher than the Yeti, which must make a difference, and the average road speed is less than our current Yeti.
Our neighbour has a T5 VW van, and he has had three screens in three years.
One cause was a build up of Rust on the screen edge, as it is an old van. Another... he tried to push a ladder through it from the inside... doh... The other was a huge stone. So a valid reason for every one, it's when they go for no apparent reason that is the mystery. Maybe there was something on the dash board, say if it was black, that caused a radiant hot spot to the screen?
Either way, modern windscreen fitters do a great job, often in extreme conditions, by the roadside.Edited by: rustic
Modern screens form part of the structural rigidity of the car, they're a load baring component. This is why when they get a bad chip they often crack.
Hi Flintstone, if you haven't already get in touch with your insurance company as they will have a preferred glass repairer (often Autoglass) and will either give you a phone number or arrange for them to come to you and carry out the repair at the insurers cost minus any excess. Should not affect your No Claims, but then I don't know who you have insured with.
I've dealt with windscreen repairs before, over the years. Booking both with the repair company direct and via the insurer. Was just wondering which route members have found best recently?
What with Admiral having a £25 excess for even resin injection repairs, I was wondering in today's economy, if it was worth bothering with the insurer and just going straight to the repairer?
Seems mean of Admiral as other insurance companies often will pay for a repair and only apply an excess for a windscreen replacement. From your description it sounds repairable though. The Hood had a windscreen replaced a while ago but not sure which other member has. Hope that they will come along and help with some fresh data.
OK - thanks for the extra info. Here's an update:
- Thought I'd try my insurers first (Admiral). Called their "glass claims" line, got transferred directly to Autoglass anyway, who "will deal with your glass damage claim directly on behalf of Admiral". So no chance to buck the system it seems.
- Seems the size of the chip and star crack, at 19mm max diameter currently, is greater than their repairable limit of 10mm. So it will have to be a full replacement at the £75 excess.
- The chip/crack is actually on my Beemer, not the Yeti (see sig line). Due toits age and as an MSport spec model this has a green tint band across the top of the screen. Keeping it original will mean they can't source and delivera new windscreen to my expected place of work that week(near Watford, Herts.) till next Tuesday. 8 days away. No real problem to me, I'm frequently there 2-3 days out of 7 anyway. Just means if the cracks expand, I'll live with that for a few days. Drove a Chevy pick-up in Canada with multiple cracked screen for 6 months over winter of 75-76.
- At least this means I get a completely fresh screen. There are anyway a couple ofmore minor chips on the passenger side that have been there some time. Plus a lot of very fine surface marks that are a slightly a pain in the dark. So this will cure those too.
- So now just left wondering if £75 is a typical windscreen replace excess, or not.......? Might be an interesting fact to have to hand at renewal time in August?
I had my screen replaced a little while ago courtesy of a stone thrown by a Q7. The fitter came up from Southampton and replaced it on my drive. I decided to be brave and watch, he made it look easy, especially when he put a big sucker with a cranked arm on the driver door window. He then put another sucker with an arm on the screen and "mounted" the two, the screen was then just swung round on the articulated joint and it went in a perfect fit.
You won't get a screen for less than your excess and it should not affect your NCB, so it isn't worth shopping around. Just make the fitter happy with lots of tea and he will treat it as if it were his own, well that worked with mine.
Hi Flintstone, I got a stone (felt like a brick) hit the top part of my screen back in Feb this year, put the car in the garage that night and in the morning a nice crack across the screen.Phoned LV and put through to Autoglass, arranged for them to come to my home. Paid £75 over the phone to Autoglass.
They came about 5 days later and fitted the new one. I did not bother to watch it being fitted, I should have done.
Anyway, a few days later washing the car I noticed the angled side piece down the side of the screen was chipped top and bottom. Too late to complain then.
Next time I will stand there and watch them like a hawk.
Hi Jimmy
The parking clip was not moved, it is clipped to the pillar and the old screen lifted off and the new placed on top of it. He even removed my TUV sticker and YOC sticker intact with a blade.
Very interested to read your problem about the windscreen as almost exactly the same thing happened to us. We have a 2014 4x4 Yeti (bought secondhand in February of this year) and last weekend a crack started up from the bottom of the windscreen - half way between centre and right hand edge. Pretty sure that we have not collected a stone hit and it does look to have started right at the bottom edge of the screen.
Currently wondering if the problem is caused by the car's bodywork flexing when we encounter an unseen speed bump too fast. We have to regularly visit someone who lives down a private road which has many speed bumps - and many of them are almost diagonally across the road. Always manage to miss at least one of them.
Judging by the forum postings it doesn't appear to be a particular problem with the Yeti.
Is this a gasket change, or is the usual route a complete replacement assembly? I have an oil leak and slight coolant loss which I think is coming from the same area. Any advice on this is welcome.
Does anyone know about batteries? My 2012 battery was beginning to get a bit weak and slowing turning the engine,so asked the local garage to get me a replacement,the came up with a same size one 52 amp,for £60.The original is 60amp.I assume that wont make any noticeable difference in every day use?
As a "lockdown" job I began an overdue clean of the engine compartment today. During this I found that the top of the air intake plenum is only clipped lightly in place, suggesting that it might be a part one should remove for inspection of the chamber itself. As there are no moving parts in the...
1. The tailgate wiper parks in 2 positions....1. right down against body; 2. just a little further up. Apparently the position depends on the number of sweeps (after 2 sweeps position 2, then next time position 1 and so on) When parked in either position the wiper occasionally fails to work...
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