In case it helps anyone else...

[James Shunt]

Here's my recent windscreen/rust experience in case it helps any fellow owners.

I had a stone chip my windscreen a week ago - v loud and scary - on the M6. I thought it was a repair job but the guy from my insurer (Admiral/RAC Autowindscreens) said it may be an MOT failure (eye level but just on the driver's side of the aerial). He said it was best to replace so I had to take it to the workshop.

There, the guys said fixing the chip may well be OK but I could choose (free repair vs £50 excess for new screen). They also pointed out the few, small bubbles of rust I have in the usual places around the windscreen and planned to sort out in a few months' time - "we can't see what it's like underneath until the screen is out," they said. Having come this far, I opted for a new screen (they cost £385, apparently).

Sure enough, once the screen was out the rust underneath was much worse than you'd expect from seeing the outside of the car. There was a small hole in the surround too and RAC Autowindscreens' chaps were sure a rust repair and/or windscreen replacement had been bodged by a previous owner. Nothing dangerous, but it would have been best for me to have everything fixed in one go. I was left to choose between:
- the windscreen guys adding some anti-oxidant and patching it up, then getting the rust fixed by a specialist later but with the risk that the screen may break when it is taken out;
- paying to truck the car to a body shop while the screen was out, sorting out the rust and getting it back to the windscreen workshop. Admiral wouldn't help with the cost of trucking, unsurprisingly.

I decided to patch it up as a trusted body shop couldn't fit me in quickly. I suppose the conclusions could be these.

- If there are rust bubbles then it's likely to be worse than you'd expect underneath as mine looked trivial... until the screen was out. The water collects out of sight and does a lot of hidden damage.
- If at all possible, be sure to see your car with the windscreen out if you are getting any work done that requires it. Only then can you see the extent of the rust or the quality of any repair because once it is fitted, the screen can hide bodge-jobs and all sorts.

James

 

[Mark Elder]

Almost worth taking it straight to a body shop if the windscreen needs replacement, and getting Auto-glass (etc) to come out to the body shop!

Will definitely bare this in mind.

Is the water collecion point under the rubber seal (ie between the seal and the paintwork) or is it on the inside of the car (ie below the seal on the inside).

 

[Pickled Piper]

I had exactly the same experience. The independant garage that I use reported a large amount of corrosion around the aperture when they removed the old screen. They gave me the option of having it repaired by a bodyshop before fitting the new screen. I opted not to do this as I had not budgetted for it (in hindsight I should have just got it fixed). The garage kindly took some digi photos of the corrosion before fitting the new screen. I'll post these up when I I get a chance.

I've used the photos to show my local OPC in the hope that they may contribute to the repair. However, the car is outside the ten year corrosion warranty and is also missing a number of stamps. They have rejected the initial claim, as I expected, but I am going to persist in the hope that they may make some contribution. It may amount to nothing as the OPC repair cost with their contribution may still be more expensive then having the repair carried out at an independant body shop.

pp

 

[James Shunt]

Mark

It's not inside the car but between the seal and the aperture - there is nowhere for the water to go so it sits there and works away at the metal. Once it has rusted through then it can leak into the car itself, I understand, but not in great quantities. I asked about getting the windscreen fitters to do the work elsewhere but they said they couldn't do that. Whether it was really thanks to a lack of tools in the van/couldn't be bothered/not part of the service, I don't know. I presume that if your screen smashes on the road, they truck your car to a workshop or try to fit something temporary on-site.

James