Gs450H Windscreen Info

[Boxboy]

Hi all,

Have just had a crack appear at the bottom of the windscreen due to stone chip while driving.

Question is when I get it reaced by insurance company do I need anything specific in the new screen? Does it need to be heat reflective of anything?

Newbie questions I know but don't want second rate glass fitted.

Thanks in advance.

[matt-c]

Very hard to tell without knowing what screen you have in there. Is it solar (heat) reflective? Does it have a rain sensor or light sensor, is it heated? It's impossible for any of us to tell any of this without seeing it.

[coneybiller]

A windscreen was replaced on my 450h before I bought it and the windscreen fitters never swapped over the rain sensor film or pad whichever it is and my wipers didnt work very well!

I don't know if its a part that is swapped over or if its a single use item and that you need to have a new 1 fitted to the new screen once in. If I remember correctly it's not an expensive item circa £12ish but don't quote me on it. It may be swappable anyway! Just ask the windscreen fitters! :)

Oh and I would of thought that the screen will be pretty specific to your vehicle so you would need to ask your lexus dealer really regarding heat reflective ect. they will be able to see any specific codes that are fitted to you car!

[matt-c]

Heat reflective screens are easy to spot. They are typically a gluey/purply tinge, kind of like petrol on water. Rule of thumb - if your windscreen looks the same as your door glasses, then you don't have a heat reflective screen.

Here's a good example of the colour difference on a solar reflective screen;

Now, in the windscreen trade, codes are used for different types of screen. The ones in the pic above are called "CC", which stands for "clear coated". This means the glass is clear (not tinted) and the laminate between the two sheets of glass, has a coating on it to give it the heat reflective'ness. You also have "GS" and "GN". "GN stand for "green" - which means the glass is just green tinted (clear laminate), and GS means the glass is "Green Solar" - green tinted glass and a solar reflective laminate, which is clear, so as not to change the colour. They both look identical, and impossible to tell the difference (between a GN and a GS) with the naked eye.

However, the good news there is the difference between GN and GS is you won't have both options on the same model - it's either or. So if your car has a GS screen in it from the factory, then the available replacement for it will be GS. For example, a Renault Clio will have either a GS or a CC - so to look at it's either green or "tinted" (the bluey/purply tinge). There isn't a GN in the range at all, so it's not like you get an inferior screen from what you had if your screen simply looks green. In the Vauxhall Vivaro (or Renault Trafic - same thing) you have CL (clear), GS (green solar) and CC (clear coated) - again very easy to tell the difference.

So, to wrap up, if Lexus put a GS screen in there, then you'll get a GS, as they won't have put a GS in some cars, and a GN in others. Been a long time since I did a screen on your model, but I don't remember them having the CC option, and pretty sure they are all GS screens.

As for the sensor, it depends on the car. There are three types; either a "wet" gel pad (kind of like a glue, that bonds the sensor to the glass) that isn't reusable; a "fixed" gel pad (that is fixed to the sensor, and comes off the screen still attached to the sensor) and is reusable since it remains on the sensor; and "dry" gel pad (that is neither fixed to the sensor or the glass, but simply sits between the sensor and the glass) and is reusable, but needs removing from the old screen (simply peels off) and sticking on the new one.

Examples; most later BMW's, Merc's, Renault's, Nissan's use the wet gel pad. When the screen is replaced, the sensor is removed cleanly from the screen, the gel remains stuck to the glass. New gel needs to be applied to the sensor and be let to "dry" (cure - basically stop being runny, but still tacky) before refitting. Most Golf's, Mondeo's, Focus', Range Rover's use the fixed gel pad - you just pull the sensor from the screen, the gel pad is part of the sensor, and you just refit the sensor to the new screen. Some Peugeot's (306) and some Japanese car's (inc Lexus RX300's) use the dry gel pad, and the fitter needs to remember to peel it off the old screen (after removing the sensor) and stick it to the new one before refitting the sensor.

[Boxboy]

Hi all, many thanks for the above info really helps. Glad there's so much knowledge here!

[coneybiller]

A hive of information from matt-c there! Nice 1

I presume the GS will be the same as the RX and use the dry gel pad, as mine wasn't swapped over and had to buy a new 1 from the stealers uh I mean dealers!

[matt-c]

I think they are, like I said it's been a LONG time since I did a screen on a GS, and the last one I remember doing was an old GS300, which didn't have the sensor anyway (but does have THE most stupid mirror fitting assembly known to man - more on that another time!)

[Boxboy]

Well I've spoken to the dealer and they've given me the part number and details I need to pass on to the fitters for the correct screen for my GS.

[matt-c]

Whatever part number the dealer has given you, you can bet it has NOTHING to do with the part numbers windscreen companies use for glass. Because they are completely different. Glass companies use something called a Eurocode (previous to that it was an Argic Code, also know as a HT code). For example, a first gen Ford Focus windscreen could be 3556AGSHVW, and breaks down as follows;

3556 - that denotes it's a first gen Ford Focus.

A = front glass (windscreen)

GS = green solar

H = heated

V = Vin notch

W = With (this applies to if it has a trim, or other fixing, fitted to the screen.

Dealers, or car manufacturers, don't use these codes. They'll simply use their own internal code. For example, a Merc screen might be 11455468944 - which to the dealer means it's for a 2010 CLK, is green solar with light and rain sensor and aerial. But to us, it means nothing.

I'm sure it'll be fine, we're pretty good in the windscreen game and get it right in most cases ;)

(an Argic code is similar, but different, to a Eurocode - for example, using Eurocodes, a gen 3 Transit is a 3731, but using the Argic/HT system, it's an 883. Eurocodes also use left and right (ie, a door glass would be 3556LGSH5FD - Left Green Solar Hatch 5 Front Door) whereas a HT would near side (NS) and off side (OS) - of course NS and OS are no good when you're talking about right and left hand drive cars ;) )