A sunny trip down the motorway the other day gifted me a nice large stone chip in the bottom corner of the drivers side windscreen. Its going to need a new screen (so the expert girl on the phone told me! ) and I have got it booked in for this Wednesday with Autoglass.

Checking on the forum search I can only find good reports from Autoglass but being that I am Mr Paranoid when it comes to my car is there anything I should look out for when its fitted? I just hate anyone else messing with my car!

A sunny trip down the motorway the other day gifted me a nice large stone chip in the bottom corner of the drivers side windscreen. Its going to need a new screen (so the expert girl on the phone told me! ) and I have got it booked in for this Wednesday with Autoglass.

Checking on the forum search I can only find good reports from Autoglass but being that I am Mr Paranoid when it comes to my car is there anything I should look out for when its fitted? I just hate anyone else messing with my car!

Most Insurance insist on Autoglass, I have had several replaced by them no real problems, a few finger marks and a possible small scatch which I only noticed after a replacement, might have been there before but only noticed it after the replacement, the screens were all bonded type. I think their recomendation of only waiting an hour for it to cure is too short, especially as it forms an integral part of the vehicle strength, when I had my front valance fited which is also held by a few screws the dealer want a 24HR curing time.

It wont be going anywhere once its fitted and today I will be giving it a good clean in preparation for the show next Monday. I will be having a good look over it before its fitted.

Got a grey sun screen strip at the top?

Not all replacements have them.

Got a grey sun screen strip at the top?

Not all replacements have them.

The person I spoke to actually asked and I physically went and checked so yes it is and they have ordered a grey top one

Most Insurance insist on Autoglass, I have had several replaced by them no real problems, a few finger marks and a possible small scatch which I only noticed after a replacement, might have been there before but only noticed it after the replacement, the screens were all bonded type. I think their recomendation of only waiting an hour for it to cure is too short, especially as it forms an integral part of the vehicle strength, when I had my front valance fited which is also held by a few screws the dealer want a 24HR curing time.

Ive only had one bonded screen replaced on another car years ago, it was with the RAC depot about mile from house, they told me to leave it overnight with them.

I was told, because the car body flexes going over bumps etc it could weaken the bonding so i left it with them. I walked there following day and collected the car, I ever had any screen leaks.

At the very least, as the weather is warm now, wait a few hours before driving, I really dont think an hour before driving off is long enough to allow the adhesive to fully cure.

Peter

insist on a genuine skoda screen, not a cheapo pilkington copy - you may need to pay a wee bit more but trust me will be less hassle in the long run

insist on a genuine skoda screen, not a cheapo pilkington copy - you may need to pay a wee bit more but trust me will be less hassle in the long run

Doing a bit or research it turns out that Skoda do not actually manufacture there own screens and Autoglass are supplied by the OE supplier. So basically it gets stamped on the assembly line with the Skoda badge. Whats wrong with Pilkington windscreens?

ask mbames about his experiences - i got my screen replaced by national windscreens with a skoda one - only cost £35 more than the pilkington one

also the genuine screens are not made by pilkington - someone might be telling you porkies (autoglass maybe trying to sell you one of their screens for more profit for them)

genuine are made by splintex and are a perfect fit. For the small extra cost I'd insist on genuine but you pays yer money and takes yer choice...

ask mbames about his experiences - i got my screen replaced by national windscreens with a skoda one - only cost £35 more than the pilkington one

also the genuine screens are not made by pilkington - someone might be telling you porkies (autoglass maybe trying to sell you one of their screens for more profit for them)

genuine are made by splintex and are a perfect fit. For the small extra cost I'd insist on genuine but you pays yer money and takes yer choice...

Autoglass have not said Pilkington are oem I was just reading on another forum that they are suppose to use OEM suppliers. I will check the screen thats been ordered and make sure its the OEM quality one.

Here is the little bugger!

just insist they source the screen from tps - the giveaway is it should have a skoda logo on it - if it doesn't don't let them fit it

Whenever I have used Autoglass, they have turned up with OEM glass for everything from my Octy vRS to Porsche Boxster. For some reason when driving my windscreens seem to find all the big stones, not got one in the superb yet but there is plenty of time.

Right quick call to Autoglass.... They were unable to tell me which brand of glass would be supplied so I have requested a genuine screen. They are checking the cost and order time so waiting a call back.

Spoken with Autoglass Sheffield. All the stock items are Pilkinton and when I asked about some distortion issues on Octavia's they were already aware of them. I have ordered a genuine item.

if you want a ballpark - the total cost for my genuine replacement and fitting was £200

insurance obviously paid some of that though

edit: to make it clear - i paid much less than £200

Edited 19 April, 201115 yr by STSKODA

ask mbames about his experiences - i got my screen replaced by national windscreens with a skoda one - only cost £35 more than the pilkington one

I have not had any problems with my windscreens, apart from stones keep breaking them

My first screen cracked on a cold night when the car was left in a carpark for a couple of hours, the next one broke when it got hit by a stone on a section if dual carriageway. Both replacements have been carried out by RAC Autowindscreens and covered by my insuranace policy. During the removal of the last screen, the chap managed to cut through the wire I had run to power my w8 mod :( He did have the manners to tell me though.

I have Autoglass replace a screen on a Felicia and they did a cr@p job... it leaked like a seive and filled the fusebox up with rain . I got my local garage to take it out, clean up the seals and stick it back in. Was fine until the ex then broke the car a year or two later

Edited 20 April, 201115 yr by mbames

sorry mbames, must have been confusing you with someone else

the pilkington octavia screens have a long history of not giving a clear view throught the glass - it looks all distorted and banded - well worth the small extra to get a genuine one you know will be OK

sorry mbames, must have been confusing you with someone else

the pilkington octavia screens have a long history of not giving a clear view throught the glass - it looks all distorted and banded - well worth the small extra to get a genuine one you know will be OK

No worries :-)

I am not sure the glass in mine, but I have not noticed any distortion or non-clear image. I'll have a look in the morning and see what glass I have.

Interesting........ still waiting on the word for how long it will be and how much

Mine was AutoGlass, seems to be clear to me, only minor issue was they originally ordered the wrong one, gray rather than green, or vice versa.

However...

My Father had his replaced by them, and they appear not to have centred the screen properly, net result the trim on the drivers side didn't seat properly and popped out and was lost. Got a replacement one from the knackers yard, but not fitted yet because of the screen off centre (that's how we found out it was wrong).

Strangely enough, my driver side trim popped out last week while I was driving, just for extra fun the window was open and the darn thing nearly swipe me in the face. Luckily (or not) on the estate the strip runs further up onto the rood and is held by a clip, so it kept hold of it. Down side is it resulted in the creasing the bit so it's still knacered!

Tom

My new screen has arrived and is going to be fitted tomorrow. They better get it right, I am going to take the interior trims off myself so they do not break them!

It's not the interior trims, it's the thin trims down the outside of the window. They just pull off/push in.

Tom

Cheers Tom, I will leave that to them but I will be keeping an eye on the car when its fitted.

take wipers and scuttle panel off too then !