Taking delivery of new octavia SE estate soon, dealer told me it had ordinary windscreen and it wont interfere with sat nav or radar detection like others.

When checking out the "equipment" in the Skoda site it says the new octavia has "heat absorbing windscreen". Anyone elaborate on this ?? Any experience or is it fitted on all the other previous models ?

Had an aluminumised thingy in past and it played havoc with my navman and killed the detection range on my Valentine 1 (radar Laser) of gatso to level with the camera !!!

Have a few things planned for the estate floor......build it myself rather than buy from dealer..... raised boot floor with gas strut opening, secure compartments and housing sub, amp and electronic crossovers . Am looking around for a pair of driving/fog lamps for the front to fit myself also.

Cheers

Den

The Octavia Limited Edition VRS is based on 2008MY, so wont have this.

My boss wont buy one of those lol

Just couldnt imagine why Skoda would fit these interfering windscreens(if indeed they have?) maybe im underestimating "the power of Skoda".

In germany we can order the octavia with either std glass, the greentinted sunset or sunsafe. Sunsafe has laminated glass all round except the rearwindow.

This glass will absorb most of the IR rays and will keep the car cooler. The sun doesnt sting as much as behind normal glass.

The glass is marked with a IR sign on the left underneath the E6 circle, as on the picture below. Next to that you can see it when you roll down the side windows, you can clearly see it is laminated.

(it will also keep a bit of outside roadnoise out of the car).

Downside, it will interfere with the reception of a mobile navigationsystem. More with the older ones and less since SIRFIII.

What it does to the reception of a radardetector, I dont know (those things a more than illegal over here....).

Many thanks Magic, i will look into that tomorow.

The IR is what i need to be looking for, so will visit a dealer tomorow. The car is about to be ordered.

My previous car was a renault laguna (2004) aluminumised windscreen and it really did kill my sat nav reception and Valentine One radar laser detection. You can tell by just looking at the screen on the renaults, but hadnt noticed it on any of the octavias i had seen. Had the same problem on the Citroen C5, so much so i sold my detection equipment. I know about the legalities over there, shame.

As far as I know, the aluminumised screens are still an option. Not in all countries, but in Germany it still is. But than you will get the laminated glass all round except the rearwindow (I think it is because of safety reasons, you will still be able to break the rearwindow quicker than the laminated glass.).

This IR sticker isnt on cars with normal glass (already checked it with some other forummembers here in Germany). The option is also one of the most expensive options on the German list (around 800 euros). So I dont think Skoda will deliver these screens on the Octavia as standard (but dont know how the cars on foreign markets are equiped).

Doesnt interfere that much with GSM though, but I could see differences in perception when using a mobile navigationsystem. (doesnt matter in my car as I have a built in one with the antenna on the roof).

If the screen has the additional IR printed on it, than you will going to have the perceptionproblems, unfortunately.

I was hoping that skoda kept the cars cheaper by leaving out these "extras" ?

I will reply on here Monday or Tuesday with info of what is on the screens of the vehicles in the showroom over here in the UK. I hope it isnt an athermic screen, they are the worst

thanks again magic

I've just taken delivery of a new Elegance Estate and I cant see any marks at all on the windscreen.

Side windows are tempered.

My satnav works fine, even with it in the glove box so I assume UK cars have ordinary laminated screens.

I was hoping that skoda kept the cars cheaper by leaving out these "extras" ?

I will reply on here Monday or Tuesday with info of what is on the screens of the vehicles in the showroom over here in the UK. I hope it isnt an athermic screen, they are the worst

thanks again magic

As I've already said, the LE Octavia's we're built last year, and have been sat at a dockside having the interiors done before the faceligft was being produced. This option wasnt available then so no LE will have this screen.

This option is only orderable on a facelifted car, as factory order.

Thanks Gadgetman, but its not the LE its the SE (as first post) the cars i checked out at the dealers looked like the facelift octavia unless ive got that wrong (new grill, front stying, dash?).

Havnt had a chance to check this out yet at dealers as i do live on edge of liverpool and work over near halifax, so time is tight when travelling back home. Will see if i can get there tomorow. Fingers crossed my Valentine wont go to waste.

Sorry, I thought you meant Special Edition. Only just realised they do an SE. What was wrong the the old spec lineup?

Nothing wrong with the old spec really, its a company car that im provided with so had only really started taking a keener interest in the model as wasnt sure what i was getting or options.

I did have a message on my phone earlier from skoda customer services, they said its a "fix" the windscreen is a standard one and will not interfere in any way so hopefully all is ok. Only way to find out is to run with it cant wait......anthracite grey metallic and onyx interior, wondering if to spray the brake housings skoda green ???? Would i be a fool for doing that on a stock car ???