New Screen.

[Shiner]

Hi Pepe

I had my ls430 windscreen changed by Autoglass...they quoted £405 but the final cost was just under £400. No insurance claims as I had it replaced because the million or so pock marks and it was dangerous to drive when the sun was low and in your face.

The only trouble is the rain sensor they fitted hasn't worked but they will fix it.....

A great service. And I highly recommend them.

Stay well away from fraud...just not worth it !

Shiner

[Shiner]

Hi Pepe

I wish I had checked out this forum before having my original Lexus windscreen replaced...might have had it polished by Glas Weld....

BTW the Autoglass fitter said he never looks forward to replacing Lexus windscreen as they are so well put in the first place , they are a pain to take out.....as indeed was the case...

Best regards

Shiner

[PEPE]

Hi Shiner

I agree with what the Autoglass fitter told you. At least he was honest. This is why I opted for GlasWeld because even though the results are not 100% perfect this method minimises the chance of damaging or disturbing something else whilst fitting a completely new windscreen.

In any event, many greetings from Sussex. I've been enjoying my two immaculate LS 400s during this lovely dry weather. This morning I got up at 6 a.m. and drove 16 miles over the South Downs in the Mk4 just to buy the morning papers. (I should point out that our newsagent is only a mile away.) Absolute bliss . . .

Happy motoring

Pepe

[matt-c]

Lexus really are no different to most Toyota's when it comes to changing the glass. LS's are a pig to do, usually, but so are old Carina's and Camry's. IS200's are no harder than a Yaris. and the IS250's aren't too dissimilar from doing the according age Avensis.

BTW, AG won't have fitted a new sensor. It will be your original sensor, fitted to the new glass. We, the glass replacement industry, rarely ever fit new sensors, just as we don't fit new interior mirrors; the sensor simply unhooks/unclips from the screen, as does the mirror, and we fit it right back when the new screen is in.

If it's not working there are three likely reasons;

1) it's unplugged.

2) the ignition was turned on while the sensor was either unplugged or not attached the glass

3) the gel pad that sits between the sensor and the glass wasn't replaced/refitted, or was refitted incorrectly.

Delving into each of the above;

1) there's rarely ever a reason to unplug a sensor. On most cars it can be left hanging from it's sub-loom for the duration of the replacement. There are some cars that you need to disconnect it, but the LS isn't one of them

2) Some cars, usually Mercs, but also some others, will do a fault check when the ignition is turned on. If the sensor is unplugged, or plugged in but not attached to the screen, the ECU assumes there is a problem and "turns it off". The sensor will then not work again until the manufacturer has plugged their software into the ECU and reset it. Again, this isn't common with Lexus', but it can happen

3) the most likely cause - because I see it all the time - is the gel pad between the sensor and the glass either wasn't put back, or was damaged (they can tear) and wasn't renewed. Good fitters will carry spares of this type of thing - I myself have a box full of varying sizes and shapes, for different makes and models. In the case of the LS, the gel pad is a small rectangular piece of self adhesive clear gel, that you simply peel off the screen and put on the new one. Sometimes they come off attached to the sensor, sometimes they don't. He may well have missed this during fitting (although it's no excuse, as a) the sensor should be checked both prior and after replacement, and B) he should know to make sure the gel pad is present when refitting the sensor). On some models the gel pad isn't reusable, like it is on the LS and many other Lexus/Toyota models, and the gel is applied from a syringe in liquid form, which then needs to be cured before it can be fitted.

Off the top of my head, I can't picture the LS sensor bracket, so I won't tell you how to remove it. It's probably really simple, but I haven't done one in a year or so so I can't visualise it. If you can look at it and work it out, you can take the sensor off the glass and see if the gel pad is present. If not, it needs a new one. If it is, then the other scenario's might be the culprit.

[Shiner]

Hi Matt-C

Thanks a lot for your post! I am now really confused as to why the Autoglass fitter actually chiselled the old sensor out and discarded it and put in a new one which is actually quite big and much uglier than the original Lexus one...strange if the original could have worked and reused!

I will contact AG but do not wish to get the fitter in trouble....but I shall print your post and hand it him if he's the one they send back to fix the problem....when I put the wipers on to Auto they stay on as if on the intermittent mode....annoying to say the least!

How come all the people who could be helpful to us Lexus owners in Buckinghamshire ...all live miles away!

Thanks

Shiner

[matt-c]

I've never heard of a sensor being replaced by a different sensor altogether. I've had to chisel off the mounting bracket for a sensor on some screens (mainly later VW golfs), because you run the risk of breaking the sensor casing by trying to prise it out, but it's a different setup on the LS screen, and not the same as a Golf. The only reason I can think of removing the bracket on an LS is to glue it to the new screen - and the new screens comes with the bracket fitted, so the only reason that would be done is if they brought the wrong screen (and non sensor variant) and attempted to swap the bracket over to the new one rather than come back with the correct screen. Which is not cool. But, even if that was the case, the original sensor would be reused - not a new one fitted, and certainly not a different type.

Something is very amiss here, but it's hard to grasp without seeing it all up close and taking it apart.

[Shiner]

Thanks again matt-c

When I contacted AG , they double checked the windscreen had rain sensor on it. The screen is obviously one supplied by AG and not Lexus.... But I am not sure why the original sensor was discarded...seems very strange! You would think AG would know the routine and have trained fitters.

I will be in contact as and when they come to repair or replace the sensor!...if it has to go to Lexus dealer for ECU to recognise the new sensor then AG can cover the cost as far as I am concerned. I paid for this job myself and have not involved my insurance company..because I was worried about safety!

You have been very illuminating...just goes to show how much we folks depend on expertise such as yours.

Do you by any chance bring LEXUS LS models up to show room standard! If not I have a lead from Pepe of a certain mr Hill...and will be contacting him when I recover from my minor surgery.

Best regards

Shines

[matt-c]

The fact it's supplied by AG and not Lexus has no bearing. All the glass is made to OE specs and is, for all intents and purposes, the same. Without looking at your car and inspecting it, I can't say for sure, but I know AG don't carry Lexus sensors. None of the replacement glass companies do. It'd be a main dealer order only, and even that would have to come from central holding, most likely in Japan.

I also don't understand your comment about not involving the insurance company because you were worried about safety? Likewise, I'm not sure where you're going about "bringing LS's up to show room standard"...

[Shiner]

Hi matt-c

Sorry about the confusion...I haven't involved my insurance company because I chose to have the screen replaced even though it wasn't cracked or in any other way defective other than having a lot of pock marks which made driving when sun in your face extremely difficult... I shouldn't have even mentioned it!

Secondly.. Re show room standard , I have had this LS430 for about 7 yrs and it's now 10 yrs old. I wish to have it refurbished so that it could see me out! I am thinking of spending a few quid ( at most £5k ) in doing this rather than replacing it....

Thanks

[matt-c]

Re the reason for glass replacement - you still could have done that on the insurance, but that would be down to you and the replacement company to sort out.

Re the showroom, I'm still confused - you asked if I bring them up to showroom standard? I'm not a car restorer - I'm a windscreen fitter. I suppose you could say I bring the car up to showroom standard as far as replacing glass goes, but that's were it ends. I don't restore cars, do bodywork, or anything else like that.

[Shiner]

Hi all and especially you Matt-c

Auto glass came and fixed the rain sensor...it happened to be the same guy who replaced the original screen. I challenged him as to why he had replaced the rain sensor. He said he hadn't! And I must have got the wrong end of the stick when he said he was changing the gel pad and not the sensor! So thanks a lot and the new gel

Ad has worked a treat!...Everything works fine!

My mistake and sorry to have wasted a few people's time!

[matt-c]

Ah, just the gel pad then. Must have not seated correctly, causing it not to function.