Can you guarantee a windscreen repair? Broadly speaking, if there's damage to glass you could argue that despite carrying out a good structural repair, aesthetically, glass cannot be restored to its pre-damage condition; there will always be some evidence. Whilst you...
Glasstec Blog
Technical Talk
Porsche 993 Windscreen Checklist
The 993 windscreen is fitted using three trims: a trim frame (which comes pre-encapsulated from the manufacturer) a cover seal (or outer) and an inner 'buffer' trim. If the trim frame is damaged, or perished, the outer trim will not fit. The trim frame is not...
What is a Rain Sensor?
Rain-sensing Wipers Car evolution and the advancement of technology might be successful, one day, to eliminate windscreen wipers. It's difficult to imagine how, but with hydrophobic coatings for glass gaining in popularity, the windscreen wipers' days might just be...
Greasy Windscreen?
Effective wiper blades are a crucial part of your car and car maintenance yet they are often overlooked. Windscreen wipers are repeatedly dragged across the glass countless times a year, in all weathers. If they're not clearing bird droppings, wipers are usually busy...
Doughnuts by Donuts.
This is what you would find after cutting a windscreen away from the adhesive which keeps in in the car. Huh? Note, there is an extra blob inside the 90-degree turn. There's another one on the opposite side: This windscreen had been replaced. To be fair, it wasn't a...
Claiming for a Windscreen with Admiral Insurance
Admiral is a UK based insurance company, set up in 1993 to specialise in car insurance. They’ve come a long way since and now offer a lot more than just car insurance. They are a popular choice in the insurance industry and have managed to rise to household name...
The Stress Crack Myth
Bananas do not grow on trees. Bats are not blind. Duck quacks DO echo. Bulls do not become angry at the color red. Windscreens do not stress crack. Bananas grow on something the size of trees, but the banana 'tree' is not actually a tree. The banana plant, which can...
A Condemned Windscreen?
According to the repair criteria set out by a national and insurance 'approved' windscreen repair and replacement company, this windscreen is not eligible for repair: Why?There are too many chips. Whilst the windscreen isn't exactly peppered, there clearly are five...
Windscreen Condensation.
Have you noticed that your windscreen is fogging up more than it used to? It may just be something unavoidable, or it could be something much worse. First and foremost, water vapour in the atmosphere which occurs when your body heats the air inside the car – as does...
Lockdown Defiance and Ignorance
Why are we, the British public, so defiant? Is it just us? Yesterday I went to collect a couple of (pre-ordered) windscreens from a wholesaler. They're doing all they possibly can as a supplier and this is immediately apparent as soon as you approach the front...
Two Ways to Apply PUR
If you've watched your windscreen being replaced, you may have noticed the fitter reaching over and across the car to apply the adhesive (PUR). Or did he lay the bead directly to the glass? Only a few installers will extrude directly to the glass. Which way is better?...
It’s Just a Windscreen
. . . Whilst shaving the excess cured resin during this repair, the solar reflective coating became visible under the light in the workshop. Holograms This particular windscreen is heated (embedded within the sandwich construction of the windscreen is a mesh of very...
The Weather WILL NOT crack your windscreen.
The cold weather will not crack your windscreen. That chip you've had there for weeks or even months will not 'turn into a crack' because it's cold outside. Fast forward to the summer and the same windscreen repair 'experts' will be urging you to 'get that chip...
Aluminum Windscreens
Aluminum windscreens. Yes, you read that correctly, 'But aluminum is a metal, and a windscreen is made of glass?' I hear you ask. To help make this information easier to process, aluminum glass is actually, technically, transparent aluminum. A sample of transparent...
Audi A3 Windscreen Replacement
An Audi A3 windscreen replacement. This particular car was an RS3 (in Catalunya Red). A-pillar covers. I like to take them off. It reduces the risk of damage, and with them out of the way you can check that the bond is making good contact on both the glass as well as...
Dealer Approved Car? Check the Windscreen
Something to consider when buying a dealer-approved, used car. A returning customer got in touch after he bought an 'approved' car from a main dealer. He wanted the non-standard windscreen removed and replaced with a genuine 'OE' part. As an engineer, he's fastidious...
ADAS Recalibration After Windscreen Replacement
Have you had your windscreen replaced recently? Is your car equipped with an Advanced Driver-Assistance System? Were you advised (or even warned) about the need to recalibrate that device? Whether your 'smart' windscreen has been replaced or not, there is a realistic...
Tailgate Glass Transplant
Some of the unsung work we, as windscreen fitters do, is in bodyshops, or accident repair centres. If you get injured in a car accident, contact the las vegas car accident attorney at Richard Harris Law Firm. Working as the subcontractor for a crash repair garage can...
Dealer Part Windscreens
Original Equipment Manufacturer Versus Original Equipment Equivalent Windscreens (and Glass). “Is the windscreen Original Equipment?” This has emerged as a common question for many motorists and a growing number of consumers. The availability of information via the...
Manufacturer Warranty: Windscreens
I replaced a windscreen for an Audi dealer, however, there was nothing wrong with the glass. I asked what the change was for, and it was pointed out that there was an issue with the automatic rain and light sensor. So why was the windscreen cited as the...
To See, or Not to See
Now You See It... An illustration of Before and After stages of a typical windscreen repair. Have you recently had your windscreen repaired? Were you pleased with the results? Was there a discernible between the before and after appearances of the...
Insurance Questions: Windscreen Cover
Can I get my insurer to pay for this? Most comprehensive insurance policies will include windscreen cover as standard. As straight forward as this may appear, there are some grey areas, some of which has been misinterpreted or misunderstood, to cause confusion amongst...
It’s Only a Joint?
When butting up the PUR adhesive, most windscreen fitters are taught to run past the starting point and overlap the joint. This technique envelops the join, and is the easiest one to program the OEM robots with. Is this the best way? Why does it...
Paint it Black
A question often asked amongst motoring enthusiasts is, "I'm having my windscreen replaced today. Is there anything to look out for?" Generally, the advice will be pretty good, and mostly based on experience. However some responses are the work of...
Porsche 911 Windscreen: The 996
Headlights that looked like they were shaped from fried eggs, characterless exhaust notes and with an extremely soft suspension the Porsche 996 became known as the unloved series. Porsche wrote in their 996 brochure, "Over the years we have broken with many...
The Securiflex Windscreen
Found on some Porsche 930 and 964 models as standard, is what was offered as a 'safer' windscreen. The Securiflex Windscreen was presented as an improved windscreen with a thin, plastic inner laminate attached to the inside surface of a laminated glass. Its purpose...
The Amazing, Vanishing Windscreen Chip?
Take a look at this chip: There's a slight reflection in the mirror, so for avoidance of doubt, the damage is to the left of the mirror. This image was taken before any attempt was made to repair the damage. Here is the after: Here's the twist: no windscreen repair...
Problems with a Porsche 993 Windscreen
The Porsche 911 993 windscreen is one of the most uncomplicated and straight forward windscreens to fit, yet they can give you many problems if not done correctly. The Problems It's fairly common knowledge that the two most prolific issues which arise from the...
Contaminated Windscreens: the Missing Link
With each windscreen replacement, a key component of the vehicle's structural system is put into place. The crucial part of this assembly is the bond between two contact surfaces: the glass and the car (specifically the aperture, or pinchweld). This critical...
Windscreen Manufacturers – What do they Really Mean?
"We fit OEM standard glass" is a statement trotted out by many windscreen replacement companies, and unless you are fulfilling your offer by fitting genuine, car manufacturer-branded or OEM branded glass, you're well, misleading us all. The end users will think...
Textbook Bullseye
First, the impact mark/point is tidied. The break is then dried to remove any moisture present. Once the optimum working temperature is achieved, most of the air is removed from behind the impact: The resin injector is positioned over the break for the next step: A...
BMW 5 F10/F11 Windscreen
A few images of a BMW windscreen being fitted correctly to an F11 (2012 5 Series Touring). There are many misconceptions about windscreens and how they are installed. The aim of this post is to show the key stages so that you can gain a better understanding of how...