Only Meeee, Advice Pleased

[FuntimePhil]

hey guys, woke up this morning, defrosted front windscreen to see a big dirty crack down the front! Unfortunately im not covered for such an event so i went windscreen shopping! AutoGlass £510!!! YEAH RIGHT! The screensaver.com £250, bit more my language, but then... National Mobile Windscreens £148! FITTED!

Obviously im loving that price, but has anyone used them? any advice at all??

Thanks in advance guys

[FuntimePhil]

someone must of!

[janet]

Oh me duck, no-one answering, don't feel all alone!

Me no use them... but (sure you know anyway) windscreen replacement is cited as being a prime cause of water getting into the fusebox near your right sock...suggest you talk to fitter about it to take extra care.

[Parthiban]

Is national mobile windscreens the same as national windscreens? If so I recently had them do a repair of a crack on my screen and they did a good job.

Make sure you're getting the right screen though, that price makes me wonder whether it's the one with the heating element at the bottom........

[FuntimePhil]

we dont have heated screens do we? at least i didnt think i did? i have 2001 SE

[Parthiban]

we dont have heated screens do we? at least i didnt think i did? i have 2001 SE

Not the full screen, but there's an element at the bottom to defrost the wipers.

Also make sure it's the right screen, pre-01 cars had a different screen to post-01 cars (one has the rear view mirror on the screen but can't remember which)

And as mentioned above, the bottom of the screen needs to be sealed well as this is a common cause of problems as it allows water to get into the fusebox.

I'm assuming you don't have fully comp insurance then?

[FuntimePhil]

it is fully comp but doesnt include windscreen replacement, its a value insurance :( my rear view is attached to roof. If they gave me a window without the heating elements is that a big problem?

[Parthiban]

it is fully comp but doesnt include windscreen replacement, its a value insurance :( my rear view is attached to roof. If they gave me a window without the heating elements is that a big problem?

No not necessarily, just could explain the reason why it's cheaper

[JollyRoger]

Nearly all Auto Glass is manufactured by the same companies, so you can buy a genuine Lexus screen made by securit, or buy one from national made by securit,

Both made by the same company but you will find prices can vary quite a lot,

Some businesses just want to make a larger profit on the screen itself,

some companies also charge more because they dont want to be out of pocket for any warranty issues.

some companies need the work and so will keep the costs down to get the business.

A bonding kit costs less than a fiver, and a remove & refit will usually cost around £40 - £50 labour making the Screen cost about £90.

Makes you wonder why some companies charge £500, But thats because they play on the our notion that a cheap job will be a poor job, which isn't always the case.

As for a heating element at the bottom, seems a bit silly for the wipers only to defrost when the rest of the screen will be frozen,

A drop of warm water usually does the trick

[stani1029]

Its easily done yourself if you have the confidence. If not national windscreens are good

[Parthiban]

A drop of warm water usually does the trick

I don't think warm water on a frozen screen is a particularly good idea......

[sprinter2012]

A drop of warm water usually does the trick

I don't think warm water on a frozen screen is a particularly good idea......

Thats just asking for trouble. I had a stone chip in the windscreen of my old car last winter, turned on the fans to de-ice one morning...CRACK. It spead from a small chip to a crack nearly the full width of the windscreen! :(