Windscreen Replacement - Options

br1anstorm · October 14, 2015

Last week I had to have a replacement windscreen fitted to my 2002 IS300 Sportcross. I had to do a lot of telephoning to check on insurance and to fix an appointment for the work to be done. But I did have time to browse the forum briefly to see whether there were any particular issues to look out for. I found matt-c's comments in various threads - including this one http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/81081-stone-chip-is-cracking/?hl=%20windscreen%20%20replacement

very helpful.

Seems to me there are three questions that have to be tackled:

(i) repair or replace? These days the special glass-repair superglue-stuff seems pretty good, especially for fixing chips in the outer surface of the screen. However the stone-chip in my car's screen (near the RH edge) developed overnight into a crack about 4" long. So I assumed it would probably extend further in time..... and probably be an MoT failure item. So despite being worried about the risks (leaks, scratches, etc) of replacing the original, I figured it had to be done. Next question.....

(ii) OEM Lexus, or unbranded replacement? I go along with those who say that it's not essential to have a Lexus-label "OEM" (made in Japan....) replacement screen. UK suppliers are unlikely to source screens from Japan (or only at huge cost) and the unbranded alternatives are - or ought to be - technically up to standard. What matters more, as matt-c has said, is the quality of the fitting work. Which leads on to the third question...and possible controversy!

(iii) which windscreen firm to choose, and mobile or depot? To me this seemed crucial. While waiting for a callback from my insurers, I contacted all three main firms who covered the area (I was away from home, visiting family in the Newcastle area for a week). Autoglass said their mobile service could do it within 2/3 days. Auto Windscreens said probably up to a week to source the glass, and they too would send a mobile fitter. National Windscreens said 2 days, and either in the local depot or mobile.

Turned out that my insurers' preferred company was Auto Windscreens - but they were also prepared to agree that the work be done by National Windscreens.

Who to choose? I opted for National. One simple reason. The weather for the whole week was forecast to be bad. I figured that fitting a new screen from the back of a van in a wet and windy car park (even under a tent-shelter) was not the ideal way of ensuring a perfect job. I discovered that Autoglass and Auto Windscreens now have no depots: all their work is done from mobile vans. National offers the choice: depot or mobile .... so, no question, I took my car to their depot. The work was done in a dry workshop, with all the tools and equipment on site.

They seem to have done a good job. The replacement screen appears to fit perfectly, it has the heating element along the bottom edge, the mirror is located right, and all seems well. I'm curious to know who made the glass (there is no logo), but I think it came from a firm called Hughes - presumably a wholesaler or warehousing operation?

The guys who did the job were clearly experienced. Time will tell whether the replacement is 100% weathertight and well-sealed. But my conclusion is that getting the work done indoors has to be better than out in the open especially if the weather is dodgy.

The interesting point is that when I chatted to the National guys, they said that Autoglass (who are the market leader...) had recently disposed of all their depots as a way of saving overheads and cutting costs, and that their reliance on mobile van fitting was not proving very successful. Maybe they would say that, wouldn't they, about their competitors? It would be interesting to know what other owners (and/or matt-c) - think.