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Windcreen Replacement - RAC anyone?

snarf

snarf

PCGB Member
Member
Nice day so went for a short drive, after 100 miles and within 3 miles of home a stone hit the windscreen and left an irreparable crater. Just checked with my insurance company they will only pay £150 towards cost unless I use RAC. I read some while ago of problems with Autoglass fitting, so am I right to be worried about using anyone other than an OPC?

Anyone here had a screen replaced by RAC?
 
Would that be due to the fact your Insurance company owns the RAC [;)]

Price the screen up Allen, I had one on the van replaced recently and the whole thing was only £170.00, luckily the Insurance paid and I only had the £60 to pay. Autoglass did the job and were OK.

garyw
 
Moving up the learning curve rapidly here.

I now have an OPC quote (hold on tight)
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£913.20[:mad:] but with PCGB discount this falls to £867.

So starting to think that I may try the insurance companies approved glass replacement firm which I have now been told is Autoglass[&:].

David at A-Plan (Thatcham), my broker, is doing his best to persuade the underwriter to sanction the use of an OPC and he has learned that while the Autoglass screen is designated as "manufacturer's glass" it does not have the Porsche stamp. On learning this I raised the issue of diminution in value so he is now trying to get a quote from Autoglass for fitting a screen with the correct Porsche markings.

As I was writing this David called back to let me know that OPC replacement has been approved[:D].

Really very grateful to A-Plan/David and as I've said before in other threads if you're looking for insurance you could do a lot worse than give them a call.
 
my wifes x5 had a cracked windscreen phoned insurance company said use auto glass, but i told my insurance company only wanted bmw dealer to carry out glass change only problem i had was to pay dealer and wait for my insurance company to pay me norwich union.
 
I used Autoglass well over a year ago. Only question I asked was did they use original equipment to whcih the answer was yes, and I have no probs at all. Wouldn't worry, if they c*ck it up, they can do it again.
 
ORIGINAL: Julio Geordio
. . Only question I asked was did they use original equipment to whcih the answer was yes . . .
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Pleased to hear you had no problems but despite the Autoglass assurance that they use original equipment there is a difference - no Porsche stamp. I believe it was this fact that persuaded my underwriter to fund the OPC replacement.
 
That's interesting as I remember looking at the original screen for markings and locations of tha antennae and then comparing it to the replacement and they were identical. Having said that, I don't remember a Porsche stamp being on either! I'll have a look in the morning. I suppose that there is a pretty good chance that they are made by the same manufacturer just the ones sent to the Porsche factory are stamped at Porsche's request. No facts, just guessing!
 
They will all be made by Saint Gobain, Pilks etc.

Wonder if they do a 'cheaper' version for the mass market or literally it is exactly the same product ?

Either way, I would want OPC fitment peace of mind and hang the cost !

Yves
 
ORIGINAL: Julio Geordio

That's interesting as I remember looking at the original screen for markings and locations of tha antennae and then comparing it to the replacement and they were identical. Having said that, I don't remember a Porsche stamp being on either! I'll have a look in the morning. I suppose that there is a pretty good chance that they are made by the same manufacturer just the ones sent to the Porsche factory are stamped at Porsche's request. No facts, just guessing!
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I will also be taking a close look at mine in the morning to see just where it is. For the moment I am just pleased that the broker discovered this potential difference. I don't know but I think the broker asked Autoglass to quote for an identical glass i.e. with the Porsche stamp and they were then either unable to quote or, under this restriction, were uncompetitive compared to the OPC.
 
The other thing to bear in mind - if you have been to the 997 production line you would remember that the only part of the assembly process that is not completed by hand is the installation of the windscreen and the rear window.

They are installed by robot as it is the only way to get the correct amount of glue and the perfect alignment.

Having seen that I don't think I would ever let a guy fit a windscreen to my 997 based out the back of a Transit van.

Come to think of it, not sure that the OPC are going to do a much better job though....
 
These are the only markings I could find:

IMG_9086_r1.jpg
 
It took Rent A Clown four attempts to sort my Cabby screen out earlier in the year.

They are a shambles, good luck.
 
Just checked mine, and it is exactly the same as yours Snarf, so I'm happy it's original spec.
Guess the advice is similar to that of Chipsaway, the quality depends on how good the individual is who carries out the work. So like I said before, if you're not happy, they do it again until they get it right!
Quite frankly, £50 excess for Autoglass vs £850 for OPC for the same piece of glass.....that's a no brainer to me! And let's be honest, the Autoglass man does it all day long so he should actually be better than Mr OPC. But you takes your choice and you pays your money!
 
Agreed that it depends on who fits the windscreen and not the company that fits it. I would watch the process and make sure they do not cut the paint around the frame while removing the old sealant as that will lead to rust subsequently. If the paint is damaged you should tell tem to stop and make them pay for painting the defect they created before the windscreen is fitted.

Harry
 
ORIGINAL: Julio Geordio

Just checked mine, and it is exactly the same as yours Snarf, so I'm happy it's original spec.
Guess the advice is similar to that of Chipsaway, the quality depends on how good the individual is who carries out the work. So like I said before, if you're not happy, they do it again until they get it right!
Quite frankly, £50 excess for Autoglass vs £850 for OPC for the same piece of glass.....that's a no brainer to me! And let's be honest, the Autoglass man does it all day long so he should actually be better than Mr OPC. But you takes your choice and you pays your money!
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Fair comment but as I said above the underwriter eventally agreed to OPC replacement with just a £50 excess so also a no brainer for me. I guess Autoglass do fit more windscreens than an OPC but how many of these are on Porsches?

ORIGINAL: harry

Agreed that it depends on who fits the windscreen and not the company that fits it. I would watch the process and make sure they do not cut the paint around the frame while removing the old sealant as that will lead to rust subsequently. If the paint is damaged you should tell tem to stop and make them pay for painting the defect they created before the windscreen is fitted.

Harry
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Thanks for the tip.

ORIGINAL: 993RS

I have my doubts that an OPC would fit the screen - they will sub it out.
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You are right some OPCs do sub it out but I checked and Solihull claim to do their own fitting. Sutton Coldfield said they could not offer a PCGB discount because they sub it out, I am also still waiting for them to ring back with a price - so another no brainer. - Edit they did call back and were circa £100 cheaper but by then I had already committed to Solihull and since my excess is the same regardless not too concerned.
 
Don't know about Porsche windscreen manufacturing but given the specifics I wouldn't be surprised if the windscreens all came from the same factory, mark or no mark. I had a VW windscreen replaced by Autoglass about 5 yrs ago and noticed that the VW mark had simply been ground off.

I might be inclined to Autoglasss as they do this all the time, rather than an OPC who don't typically do this work. It's often better to take your car to Autoglass if you are using them as they do it within their own garage.
 
I've not used Autoglass on the 997 but did so on our A4 Quattro when some nerd invaded a side window and 'borrowed' the Road Angel (silly, I know). Autoglass seemed OK at first but, to cut a long story short, we had to take the car to Audi to rectify Autoglass's efforts. Good luck.
 
Also had a nasty chip few weeks ago , it has gone through to inner layer so I think it will need to be replaced , if so would like original equipment .
Had RAC change a screen on my Alfa 156 in March job was done at their place in Oxford , found them very plesant and efficient and did a good job but noticed screen has RAC logo on it !
 
ORIGINAL: Julio Geordio

Just checked mine, and it is exactly the same as yours Snarf, so I'm happy it's original spec.
Guess the advice is similar to that of Chipsaway, the quality depends on how good the individual is who carries out the work. So like I said before, if you're not happy, they do it again until they get it right!
Quite frankly, £50 excess for Autoglass vs £850 for OPC for the same piece of glass.....that's a no brainer to me! And let's be honest, the Autoglass man does it all day long so he should actually be better than Mr OPC. But you takes your choice and you pays your money!
Click to expand...

Julio, just collected mine from OPC. Not very happy with the quality of the work, please take a look at http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=322366 and let me know if your's is better. Thanks
 
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