Out and about in the NC1 at the weekend, having just released it from hibernation, only to collect a stone at the base of the windscreen which quickly turned into a crack across the middle of the windscreen.
So, with only a week before a trip to Germany, I quickly booked a windscreen replacement.
As it turned out the windscreen fitter was a fan of the Mk3 and very knowledgeable so we had quite a chat.
Apparently he has replaced many Mk3 windscreens with owners thinking that water in the passenger footwell was coming from the windscreen seal. But as I (and many on here) already know the scuttle grommets are usually the culprit. Mine were sealed with silicone some years ago and inspection shows them to be still in good order.
However the fitter was telling me that in his experience there is a further source of leak as indicated on the first picture, due to a foam strip under the trim that deteriorates with age.
This was a new one to me but luckily the fitter agreed to seal around this area while the scuttle was removed to hopefully avoid any future issues - see the second picture.
Good read. Thanks for the advice! How was he fitting the new screen? Considering trying got get a new one, but I heard they can be quite a fiddle.
FYI that black panel he sealed may have to come up if you ever need to get at the rear of the engine. It covers over a couple of fittings on the central black service panel which also serves as the mounting bracket for your OEM strut brace.
Photo of mine out of placement and sat on my engine here:
Fitting was very straightforward. Remove the seals, cut through the sealant and the old screen is out.
Clean off all the old sealant, fit new seals to the new screen, apply sealant to the car and in it goes.
Probably not as easy as he made it look, took about an hour.
The new screen came with the mirror mounting already attached and he even refitted the bracket for the French Motoway Toll Tag, ready for next week.
The fitter says its better than later models which have clip-on pillar trims that are a faff and also come in different colours. And, of course, there are no sensors etc that need recalibrating.
Just wait an hour or so for the sealant to set and good to go
I’ve got three chips now. Still holding onto the the original screen whilst I can. Two added recently. Covered with wide cellotape to keep out dirt. They are very close to each other so I’m thinking I will need two different systems to fix them. The lower for the first, them the one above to not interfere with the first repair…
Mine is some very annoying scratches. Without thinking I cleaned some bird deposits off the screen and it must have had some grit in it. I won’t make that mistake again.
Had my screen replaced twice now by the same guy from Autoglass in Elgin. Did a fantastic, very tidy job. They do seem to turn a chip in to a crack very easily.
Possible, but don’t get paranoid. There aren’t many days I don’t clean bird shite off my cars and I’ve never had damage. I’ve two gulls trying to nest on my Volvo at the moment.
Show a chip to Autoglass and they will recommend a new screen. Apparently it’s part of their deal with insurers. But their guy did point to local Indy’s.
In fairness, both times the screen had already cracked before i called them. They just seemed to crack very quickly after the chip. Possibly due to the stiffish suspension?
It’s said a convertible screen is more stressed than a normal car. I’ve had my last two chips for a couple weeks now with no deterioration.
I’ve a couple of DIY kits as in pics above but in the first the epoxy had dried up! Still on my todo list…
I heard a stone hit mid journey and when I reached my destination there was already a crack about four inches long extending upwards from the passenger side wiper. By the time I got home the crack was around 12 inches and going right across the centre of the windscreen.
When I arrived home I called my insurers to request a new windscreen as I’m off to Germany on the 29th March.
So Auto Windscreens didn’t recommend a new screen, they were just appointed by my insurers to fit one.
And what a great job they did - big thanks to Amos the Auto Windscreens fitter
Fair enough, but, this came from the guy at Autoglass. He may have been forthcoming because my car is 18yrs old? He suggested a local Indy (typically £50) rather than the typical excess for a new screen (double that at least).
My take was he was helping out those that have old cars not worth much and he was happy to chat to someone/anyone as he was the sole employee in this cavernous shed on a rural industrial estate where he was surrounded by empty units🙂
I won’t make that mistake again.
