New Windscreen

[Stu Alderson]

Hi Oli, Do you have the Porsche workshop manual? If not I can extract the relevant pages and send them to you as it does not look to be a simple job, and may prove useful for your fitter when he arrives. It mentions a number of "special tools" for breaking the adhesive seal etc and offers a good few tips on how best to fit the new one. Let me know if you want the pages. Just as a matter of interest I was looking at doing the same thing as mine has a crack in the bottom drivers side, I have a spare screen but reading the manual has put me right off the idea for the time being. Stu

 

[zcacogp]

Chaps,

The windscreen on my S2 is getting scruffier and scruffier. It was replaced just before I bought the car, but the last 4 years haven't been kind to it; the number of scratches on it is immense. It is a pain to look through on a sunny day when clean as the diffration from the various scratches is dazzling, and on a wet day a drop of water won't run from the top of the screen to the bottom - it always ends up tricking along the arc of a scratch somewhere on its travels ...

So, I have a nice chap from Auto Windscreens turning up on Friday to replace it. I have heard that fitting windscreens to 944's is not an easy job, and have intentionally asked for a fitter with experience of the model. I am assured that the chap in question is 'one of our best', but my cynicism runs deep ...

So, what should I look out for? I have specified it's a top-tint screen with built-in aerial, and that I want a new trim. I have also said I am a very picky owner and that I will be exceptionally fussy about the fit and quality of the job. What should I be looking out for when the job is being done, and is there anything I can check when it is complete to ensure that the job is a good one? I seem to recall reading threads about windscreens not sitting flush with the surrounding bodywork, about water leaks and wind whistling around badly-fitted screens. I think there have been problems with people having (interior) trim damaged and paintwork scratched as well. Anything else?


Oli.

 

[zcacogp]

Stu, Thanks for the post, and thanks for the PM as well. Factory manual is a great wheeze. Why didn't I think of that? Thanks! I looked it up after reading your post; it's a big 'ol job, isn't it? I've only ever had a windscreen done on Golfs before, and those were simply held in place with the rubber trim around the outside. Something tells me that the chap won't be turning up with the specialist tools, but I will certainly print out and show him the pages from the manual beforehand, and watch the work being done with interest. I fear it will take some time to complete - pushing half a day to do a good job. Oli.

 

[jaunebox]

As a matter of interest, how much have you been quoted? Mine needs replacing soon. regards Deryk

 

[zcacogp]

Scotty, Thanks. Unfortunately, as this will be an insurance job, they are calling the tune in terms of where the work is done (they clearly have a nationwide contract with Auto Windscreens.) I'd prefer to have it done at an OPC, or by someone who is known for knowing this type of car (such as the chap you refer to), but that is not an option. (Well, it is, but the excess I pay will triple and I will need to pay in full, then reclaim the amount over and above the excess back from the insurance company at a later date.) Oli.

 

[xenon]

Was all the hoo-ha about 944 'screens simply because it was one of the very first cars with a bonded screen as opposed to the rubber-lip seal that everyone used at the time? All modern cars have bonded windscreens now so I can't imagine there would be a problem.

 

[Neil Haughey]

True but there are some catch outs, I am sure you are supposed to take the A pillar trims of in the cabin. When mine was done on the S2 I remember watching the guy and don't ever remember those trims coming off, anyway you can guess what happened when I tried to take them of to de-trim the car (they are still on and will stay on). Likewise my 968 has had a replacement screen at some point and those trims don't fit properly. The screen on the S2 was refitted by Autoglass as they messed it up the first time, leaving the screen proud of the frame such that the trim seal didn't touch the body of the car.

 

[Landroverstormer]

I had my screen removed and rebonded a month or so ago. No leaks or wind noise. The chap took a couple of hours but didn't remove the apillar trims. The only issue was that he cut through the aerial wire, which I soldered back on before refitting. Why I hear you ask? Stupidly I went third party fire and theft on my last vehicle (Discovery off roader) and shortly after starting the policy sold it so transferred the policy onto the Porsche.

 

[Peter Empson]

I use a local firm called [link=http://www.fleetmotorglass.co.uk/]Fleet Motorglass[/link] and they've been very good (hardly suprisisng as my garage recommended them as they use them all the time). This is a job I'd happily pay extra for to ensure it's done correctly - quite a lot of the corrosion you see around the windscreens on 944's is due to the paint being damaged when a screen is changed. I paid £630 (twice in fact, don't ask... but thankfully one was covered by insurance). This was for the non top tint screen that I prefer on the white car, I was led to believe there are two or more firms that make the screens and there was a big quality (and price) difference between them, but can't confirm this. Oli, I'd have thought your insurers would let you use a specialist of your choosing for the work, it might be worth checking the small print, I certainly had no problem specifying who did mine.

 

[Frenchy]

The OPC will probably get one of the national fims to fit, remove the interior pillar trims first. I had one fitted to my Alpina last year a friend who is a regional manager for Autoglass gave me the name of the fitter to ask for as National Windscreens were doing the job. Got the guy requested and he treat the car with kidgloves. If Autoglass had done the job my excess would have mysteriously disappeared [8|]

 

[944 man]

Oli, if you havent hasd the work done yet, then Id suggest having it done at their site and getting them to agree the vehicles condition before the work starts. Theyll view the job very differently having signed a condition report (no dash scratches, no paint damage etc) than otherwise.

 

[zcacogp]

Chaps, Thanks for the input. The Factory Manual certainly says to take the interior trims off, and I will expect him to do that. Snag is that there is a fine line between being a 'concerned owner' and a 'pain in the neck'. I will probably overstep it tho' ... Peter, the insurance company do let me choose another fitter, but the excess goes up steeply. I am looking to economise at the moment, but may live to regret it ... [] Do you happen to remember the two manufacturers of the screens? I bet I get one from the cheap (and no doubt lesser-quality) one ... Simon, that's a good idea about having it done at their depot. Thanks. I may just try that. One question - the factory manual says that the car shouldn't be driven for 3 hours after the screen is fitted to allow the adhesive to cure. If this is the case then how do I get the car home after it is done? Oli.

 

[Peter Empson]

I'll check what make my screen is when I get home Oli. I might suggest giving Fleet Motorglass a call and ask them for their opinion, they have done a lot of 944's and are very helpful, personally I'd say it was worth a reasonable increase in excess, but I'm fairly picky about these things. Dealing with corrosion, creaks or leaks just isn't worth the hassle for me. I believe it's true about leaving it to cure for a few hours before driving it, that's what has always been recommended to me.

 

[944 man]

The only manufacturer used to be Saint Corbain. Non-Porsche supplied kit was identical in every way, apart from the Porsche namestyle.

 

[zcacogp]

Peter, Thanks ... I've called my insurance broker again; they tell me that if I go other than to Auto Windshields then the amount that the insurance company will pay is limited to £150 (and I'll need to pay it all and claim it back.) I'll be paying the excess anyway (£80), but at a guess £230 won't cover the supply and the fitting of a new windscreen ... I have also called Auto Windshields - the company who will be doing the work. They told me (again!) that the fitter allocated is a very experienced fitter and one of their best. He apparently has experience of working on 944's, as he has been in the industry long enough to have done them previously. So, in short, while I am nervous it looks like going with Auto Windshields is the way ahead. I'll be sure to post feedback on here, but to do otherwise would be quite difficult. (And I have no reason to think that AW are not going to do a good job ... it;s just my nervousness!) I'd still be quite interested in who made your screen tho' Peter ... to see whether mine is the same, and also whether they are both Saint Corbain (as Simon says.) Oli.

 

[xenon]

Nobody has responded to my point that the 944 used to be unusual / difficult as it was one of the first bonded 'screens but now virtually all cars have bonded screens so what's the big deal? Or am I wrong? I know it has an integrated aerial and the A-pillar trim needs removing but I can't imagine it's any more difficult than my BMW which has a rain sensor, high-beam sensor and A pillar airbags.

 

[zcacogp]

Ian, I am actually sincerely hoping that your earlier point is correct - namely that the 944 screen is nothing unusual at all! It's a good one, and I am wondering how much of the concern about changing windscreens is justified. While I am nervous about my P&J not being as it should be when the job is done, I am aware that horror stories travel much more quickly and readily than success stories, and realistically many 944's must have their windscreens changed every week without any drama at all. I know that my S2 had a new windscreen and side window put in shortly before I bought it (I was told so, and found small bits of glass in the car for the first 6 months or so of ownership.) As far as I can tell that was done by the windscreen fitting company nominated by the previous owners' insurance company with no problems at all. Subtext - I think my fingers are firmly crossed, I'll be watching the fitter like a hawk, making sure that any damage is noted before and after, but hoping for the best. I'll take some photos of the way the current screen lies in the aperture and make sure that the new screen does the same. Part of the problem is that I don't actually know what a badly-fitted windscreen looks like, so I won't know what to look out for when the job is done ... Oli.

 

[xenon]

Well good luck but I'm sure it will be fine. Get worried if you see the fitter squirting in loads of mastic from a 330ml cartridge gun....

 

[zcacogp]

That's a serious point ... what sort of glue should be used to bond the new windscreen in place? (And will it come from a 330ml skeleton-gun cartridge?) Oli.

 

[Peter Empson]

Eek! That insurance sounds a real pain Oli, I can quite understand why you need to go through them! I doubt you'd be able to see a poorly fitted screen straight away, but I'd be tempted to have a look behind the external rubber trim for any scratches (before and after) and look at how neat the silicone is on the inside (but this is probably obscured by the A pillar trim I'd hope). Ian, every fitter I've spoken to has suggested that there's an art to fitting these screens and lots of places where you can go wrong. Over the years there have been quite a few horror stories (some here I think, some on Titanic) which suggests that it's possibly more involved than on most cars, but I do wonder if that's just because we're a more picky bunch who expect our cars to last a lot longer than most people... [&:]