Replacement Windscreen

[ikeja]

My vehicle has a long crack caused by a stone and will need to be replaced.

My insurance company will cover this up to the market value - whatever that means - without effecting my NCD

I have not contacted my insurers yet, but would welcome any advice.

Has anyone had a new windscreen fitted, and what was the approximate cost?

 

[Malc]

does your insurance include replacement glass ...  most comprehensive policies do

there's usually a clause that you only pay say £75 towards the cost if done at one of their nominated fitters, otherwise the cost to you could be much higher methinks

the stand alone cost of a new refitted windscreen can cost loads £££  there's sometimes all sorts of nuances with sensors etc to be considered

why not advise your insurer and just ask ?

Malc

[ikeja]

Thanks Malc, and yes I will talk to my insurers but would like to benefit from the advice of others who have had this done before contacting them

[Mincey]

I had the screen replaced on my IS250 through Hastings Direct and boy was it a pain in the Aristotle. It took a month - no kidding - to get it done (and this was pre-Covid, so no excuses for "parts shortages"), even after explaining that the crack was all the way across the windscreen at almost eye level thus causing a multitude of refracted light annoyance when the sun was on it. Still, on the upside, the fitter did leave a very nice ratchet screwdriver behind. I really must contact the company to ask if he wants it back.... Ahem.

[Malc]

had my Honda Legend windscreen replaced a couple of months ago ....  a VERY rare car indeed .......  OEM Honda screen available off the shelf within a couple of days and all done via Saga insurance and £75 excess .......  easy peasy for me thankfully

Malc

[NemesisUK]

I had the screen replaced on my RC, also through SAGA. It took 3 weeks before a genuine Lexus screen could be sourced from Europe.

Was the Legend built in the UK back then?

[Rabbers]

3 hours ago, ikeja said:

My insurance company will cover this up to the market value - whatever that means ….

If the glass damage clause in your policy does not specify maximum claimable amounts,  I suspect that “market value” in this context means that the insurer will apply the current second-hand percentage value of your car in respect of new to the cost of replacing and fitting the windscreen, the choice of an OEM or cheaper generic product being the policyholder’s.   So, for example, if the current value of your car is 50% of the manufacturer’s list price, the insurer will want to settle for no more than 50% of the cost of the new windscreen. 

Whichever way it goes, I strongly recommend you opt for an OEM Lexus screen.  Generic ones look a lot flimsier and shoddier and, I’m told, are badly noise-proofed by comparison. 

[NemesisUK]

1 hour ago, Rabbers said:

Whichever way it goes, I strongly recommend you opt for an OEM Lexus screen.  Generic ones look a lot flimsier and shoddier and, I’m told, are badly noise-proofed by comparison. 

Aren't windscreens now a structural part of the car, being bonded in place adding rigidity to the shell?

That being the case any screen must be of sufficient strength/thickness and comply with type approval.

Where pattern parts may differ from OEM  is in tint shade and optical clarity.

Speaking with the manager of our local Autoglass depot and most recently the mature chap who fitted my RC screen, 'pattern' or non-OEM screens are in 99% of cases, simply OEM screens that do not quite meet OEM specs. Very often the non OEM labelled screens are just that, genuine screens not labelled as such. Sold at cheaper cost, to keep insurance costs down.

[Robertdt]

Hi Barry,

                I had my screen replaced about 9 months ago and it was done in Autoglass Perth, although a fitter had to come from their Dundee branch as he had to calibrate the camera that fits to the screen. Was hassle free, genuine lexus screen and i think 50 or 75 squid excess and didnt affect my insurance premium.

Rob

[Malc]

14 hours ago, NemesisUK said:

Was the Legend built in the UK back then?

mine's a Sept 2006 56 plate car with 135k miles now ......... I doubt they made them in the UK,  they sold so very very few of these cars, just a few hundred I think over the period from 2006 to maybe 2012 ? before they withdrew the model from the UK market 

yet it's a very fine 3.5 ltr limo ...  just to my mind not as good or as comfy as my Ls400 

Malc

[ikeja]

Thanks for all the advice. I will contact my insurers today and request that a genuine Lexus screen is used for the replacement although I guess this will be more expensive.

 

[McRattlehead]

My car must have had a replacement screen before i got it,all the other windows have Lexus etched on them but the windscreen says Pilkington.All the sensors are attached to the glass and the auto wipers and DAB radio wotk faultlessly.

 

[LenT]

20 minutes ago, McRattlehead said:

My car must have had a replacement screen before i got it,all the other windows have Lexus etched on them but the windscreen says Pilkington.All the sensors are attached to the glass and the auto wipers and DAB radio wotk faultlessly.

 

Ian, if you go to Lexus.co.uk and ‘My Lexus’  then, when registered, you should be able to see the Service History of the car if it’s been done by Lexus.

I would expect a replacement screen to be listed, unless it bypassed a dealer completely.

[Rabbers]

21 hours ago, NemesisUK said:

Speaking with the manager of our local Autoglass depot and most recently the mature chap who fitted my RC screen, 'pattern' or non-OEM screens are in 99% of cases, simply OEM screens that do not quite meet OEM specs. Very often the non OEM labelled screens are just that, genuine screens not labelled as such. Sold at cheaper cost, to keep insurance costs down.

When I had the windscreen replaced on an IS300h, the guy who did the job (a counterpart of your "mature chap") claimed, in reply to my question about the price of the OEM screen (which I asked out of pure curiosity since the cost was entirely covered by my insurance), that Lexus and Toyota screens, like those of most new cars, premium or otherwise, are made to "significantly higher" material and dimensional specifications than those purveyed by Autoglass et al., whose aim is to meet regulatory standards and not much more.  I remember receiving the same explanation years ago when I had a windscreen replaced by BMW, and, all things considered including wide differences in operating costs and achievable profit margins, the explanation makes sense.  Having said this, I also recognise that all operators in this sector have vested commercial interests and individual axes to grind, with the result that the whys and wherefores of pricing and quality claims are opaque to say the least.

Regarding the physical appearance of non-OEM windscreens, my comments are entirely my own, and derive from my years of aimlessly wandering around dealers' used car lots while waiting for my cars to be serviced.  Without consciously trying, I have rarely not been correct in spotting vehicles with non-OEM replacement windscreens as confirmed immediately afterwards by checking for etched manufacturers' names or, more frequently, the absence thereof.  That the cars have in my recent experience been mainly Toyota with a sprinkling of Lexus is, of course, immaterial.  I honestly can't put my finger on exactly what distinguishes OEM and non-OEM screens even when seen adjacent to each other on the same models of car, but, if pressed, I would point to combinations of factors that might include more or less subtle differences of tint, individual ways of reflecting light, possibly the degrees of optical continuity with other glass surfaces, and, more generally and perhaps most tellingly, consistency of aesthetic impression in relation to the car's other constituent parts judged in their totality.

While on the subject I should mention that it has long been my intention without ever having followed up on it because of forgetfulness, to embarrass the sales people at my dealership by asking whether they point out the presence of non-OEM windscreens to prospective customers or let them find out for themselves.  I suspect the latter to be a likelier scenario, but maybe I'm being cynical.

[NemesisUK]

9 minutes ago, Rabbers said:

While on the subject I should mention that it has long been my intention without ever having followed up on it because of forgetfulness, to embarrass the sales people at my dealership by asking whether they point out the presence of non-OEM windscreens to prospective customers or let them find out for themselves.  I suspect the latter to be a likelier scenario, but maybe I'm being cynical.

I very much doubt the subject is ever raised by any prospective buyer, so the saleperson will be completely ignorant on the subject.

Now what really worried me this afternoon, as I collected my car from the dealership after being serviced and I returned the UX300e courtesy car, commenting If that was AWD I'd be very interested. The service manager said but it is AWD! Really I said are you sure? Erm.... let me check. He asked a passing salesman, yes, I think it is...but... He reaches for the sales brochure and furiously searched through it... The service manager disappears into the sales principles office and I hear .. " The UX300e is AWD isn't it?" The answer was quite brusque and clearly shocking "NO! FWD only!!"

Now I don't expect a service manager to know every in and out of every model but, seriously, something that fundamental???

[Rabbers]

10 hours ago, NemesisUK said:

Now I don't expect a service manager to know every in and out of every model but, seriously, something that fundamental???

You just can’t get good help anymore.

[route66]

16 hours ago, NemesisUK said:

I very much doubt the subject is ever raised by any prospective buyer, so the saleperson will be completely ignorant on the subject.

Now what really worried me this afternoon, as I collected my car from the dealership after being serviced and I returned the UX300e courtesy car, commenting If that was AWD I'd be very interested. The service manager said but it is AWD! Really I said are you sure? Erm.... let me check. He asked a passing salesman, yes, I think it is...but... He reaches for the sales brochure and furiously searched through it... The service manager disappears into the sales principles office and I hear .. " The UX300e is AWD isn't it?" The answer was quite brusque and clearly shocking "NO! FWD only!!"

Now I don't expect a service manager to know every in and out of every model but, seriously, something that fundamental???

Why not just have a quick look underneath for driveshafts ?

[First_Lexus]

Windscreen on my NX was replaced this week by National Windscreens in Newbury. They did a very fine job, and the windscreen is genuine Lexus.

This was completed through my insurance - Aviva - and they were totally hopeless to deal with. However, once the booking was approved National Windscreens took over and all went smoothly.

Excess cost was £115. Having completed a 250 mile round trip on Wednesday, I can confirm that all the radar gubbins works perfectly.

[Malc]

1 hour ago, First_Lexus said:

Excess cost was £115

Blimey, was it £75 before with Aviva do you know or did you have summat special to worry about with it all ?

Malc

[First_Lexus]

38 minutes ago, Malc said:

Blimey, was it £75 before with Aviva do you know or did you have summat special to worry about with it all ?

Malc

This is the first year I’ve been with Aviva. The excess looks standard to me. It’s specifically for windscreen replacement with radar calibration.

[Andrew888]

Had my screen done a few months back with Sheilas Wheels (Esure) I HAD to go through Autoglass as they are the recommended installer/repairer. Prior to booking an appointment, I requested a genuine screen with the following - the 2 Side windscreen trims (they will break no matter how careful you are) windscreen clips for the trims to clip in (again they are brittle and snap easily) and a brand new rain sensor pad.

3 weeks later , Autoglass called me to book in an appointment as Esure approved my request. As I work on cars in my spare time, I removed absolutley everything prior to the installer turning up. All he needed to do was to remove the old screen and fit the new one.

He had on board the parts (genuine) and gave me the trims and clips but he didnt have the rain sensor pad in which I had a few spare genuine Lexus ones in my tool box so no drama.

He agreed with a genuine windscreen as he said there were a few screens hes fitted in the past that was obviously cheap and they were "wavey" when you look at it from certain angles.

[Herbie]

On 9/10/2021 at 12:39 PM, route66 said:

Why not just have a quick look underneath for driveshafts ?

Because it's electric and driven by motors so they don't have driveshafts.

[route66]

1 hour ago, Herbie said:

Because it's electric and driven by motors so they don't have driveshafts.

Then how does the power get from the motors to the wheels? There is an in wheel/hub motor technology but it's not used here.

AWD EVs typically have 2 motors and therefore don't have propshafts, but they and 2WD EVs will have driveshafts.

[Herbie]

4 hours ago, route66 said:

Then how does the power get from the motors to the wheels? There is an in wheel/hub motor technology but it's not used here.

AWD EVs typically have 2 motors and therefore don't have propshafts, but they and 2WD EVs will have driveshafts.

Sorry, as the 'merkins would say, "My bad."

I was getting my shafts mixed up 

[ikeja]

On 9/10/2021 at 1:08 PM, First_Lexus said:

Windscreen on my NX was replaced this week by National Windscreens in Newbury. They did a very fine job, and the windscreen is genuine Lexus.

This was completed through my insurance - Aviva - and they were totally hopeless to deal with. However, once the booking was approved National Windscreens took over and all went smoothly.

Excess cost was £115. Having completed a 250 mile round trip on Wednesday, I can confirm that all the radar gubbins works perfectly.

Was the total cost for the genuine replacement £75 + £115, thus making £190 in total?