Hi, I'm after some urgent info regarding Fabia Mk1 windscreen replacements.

A couple of weeks ago I was unfortunate enough to be involved in a minor accident in my 2001 Furby. To cut a long story short, the car went into an approved repairer for the necessary work - this included a new screen as the bonnet had impacted and cracked the old one.

When I collected the car it was immediatly clear that the work was sub standard. There were numerous screws missing from the arch liners, one liner was not fitted correctly, the bumper skin was missing two screws from underneath.... However, the most alarming fault was with the windscreen replacement. It had clearly not been fitted centrally - uneaven gaps on each 'A' pillar and it didn't have the small rubber fillet seal which fills the gap and hides the adhesive etc. Needless to say, I returned the car and insisted that it was put right to my satisfaction.

Anyway, I've been away for the past week and have just rang the repairers for an update. They tell me they've sorted the bodywork 'niggles' but have yet to fit another replacement screen as it too does not have the seal. They are telling me that according to their supplier, Skoda no longer supply the 'earlier' screen with the fitted seal!

Does this sound right? Has anyone recently had a replacement seal and does it have the fillet seal or just a gap around the glass?

I need answers quickly as they are now waiting for my approval to fit the screen they have. I've just rang Autohaus Skoda for an official take on things but they say it'll take 24hrs to get a reply from the central warehouse.

Please help!

I had a new one about 4 months ago (Autoglass) and it had the rubber strips on top and sides. May be worth giving them a ring?

I had an Autoglass replacement put in about two weeks ago on a 2001 Fabia Estate. It's a Pilkington one and came with the rubber fillet seal. Not as neat as the original (I think the black opaque bit around the edge is slightly smaller so the headlining is "just" visible) but OK nonetheless.

Thanks for the reply guys. I've spent much of the afternoon on the phone trying to get this sorted but it's all still in the air.

Apparently the type of screen I'm after is refered to as an 'encap' - encapsulated; and it's what was originally fitted to the car by Skoda. Ringing around the independant windscreen suppliers/fitters confirms that all the available aftermarket screens for the Fabia are indeed encaps. My problem is that the car is presently with my insurance approved repairer who are authorized only to use genuine parts. Their genuine VAG supplier (not VAG themselves) can only supply the screen without the seal. So this is where we're at!

I'm still waiting to hear back from VAG as to whether the genuine encap screen is actually still available and my insurance company will not authorize any other action until their engineer gets involved. All this for a blessed windscreen - AHHHHHHHHH!

what a nightmare! hope its back soon