Does Your Car Need a Windscreen Replacement the Correct Way?

     

Your cars front windscreen is a fundamental safety aspect of your car, representing up to 30% of the structural make up of the vehicle. In the event of a low speed impact the drivers or passengers airbag is designed to activate in a split second and deflect off the front windscreen, cushioning the occupants. If the front windscreen is not installed using the correct procedures and the correct products then there is a chance that the force of the airbag deployment could eject the windscreen from its aperture, rendering the airbag useless and causing untold injuries to the occupants.

A reputable windscreen replacement company should be able to ask you the relevant questions to be able to determine the type of windscreen that you have. The options are, but not limited to, clear glass, tinted glass,solar coated glass, acoustic glass, heated screen, heated wiper area only, top tinted, rain sensor, light sensor, defogging sensor, self dimming interior mirror, lane departure warning, and heads up display. The glass we use for your car is OEM glass, conforms to all British standards and is exactly the same as the one used when your car rolled out of the factory.

When the windscreen technician arrives at your house, they should first check that the windscreen they have brought is a direct replacement, like for like, and that they have any necessary clips and trims that may be required to complete the job to the highest possible standard.

After the replacement windscreen has been checked for conformity, the technician should then inspect the customers vehicle for scratches and visible defects, pointing these out to the customer before commencement.

All prone areas of the vehicle should be sufficiently sheeted or masked up. this is including, but not limited to the seats, bonnet, wings and A pillars. Any internal and external trims,clips and fittings are removed to provide an uninterrupted view of the outer edge of the old windscreen.

Windscreen technicians vary in their windscreen removal methods, some opting for the "fastknife" method and some opting for the "cheesewire" method, or a combination of both. Whichever method is chosen, the experienced technician should be able to remove the old/damaged windscreen with minimal further damage caused.

After removal and safe disposal of the old windscreen, the technician has to trim back the polyurethane bonding that the windscreen was previously bedded onto. This is the glue that holds your windscreen in place. This is trimmed back leaving approximately 1mm thickness on the aperture. Any scratches caused by the removal of the windscreen or cutting back of the polyurethane beading is treated with a special primer or activator. Any rust spots on the aperture are rubbed down and also treated with primer or activator depending on the type of polyurethane product used.

The new windscreen should be visibly checked for marks and defects again then the black banding, obscuration band, around the edge needs to be cleaned vigorously with a silicone removing compound to remove all traces of the manufacturing process. The technician should be wearing nitrile gloves at this point to eliminate fingerprints on the cleaned area, as any grease,damp or dirt can stop the windscreen glue from sticking properly to the windscreen, resulting in leaks, or wind noise, or as previously mentioned hindering the effectiveness of the airbag, should the vehicle be involved in an accident.The totally cleaned obscuration band now has primer or activator applied.

Now the new windscreen and the aperture have been prepared using correct procedures and products, the new polyurethane or glue can be applied. this can be done with a manual or electric applicator gun.

A uniform bead is applied to either the aperture or the windscreen at a thickness of about 10mm using a V shaped nozzle. This makes the polyurethane stand up at the correct and uniform height. For more information about Mini Parts have a look at our own internet site.
Butt joints are used to prevent air holes or gaps in the glue, which cause leaks. The technician then lifts the windscreen into place, carefully, onto the aperture making sure that the windscreen sits squarely in the aperture and that it is sat directly on the glue.

After checking that the windscreen is sat in the right place and is a proper fit, any trims clips and fittings can be refitted, and all sheets and masking can be removed.

The new windscreen has now been installed using the correct procedures and products and the technician should check that the bonnet is shut properly and that the windscreen wipers are set in the right place and that windscreen washers and rain sensor works.

All that is left now is for the technician to hand the keys back to the driver, let the driver inspect the vehicle and inform the driver of the safe drive away time.

I, Jim, ensure that all of my staff are trained to a high standard and adhere to all of the above enabling your windscreen repair or replacement to be carried out to the highest standard.