Windscreen agro

ignatzcatz · May 6, 2018

Whilst driving back from Brooklands I got a stone chip on my windscreen which was right in my line of vision. So I called up my insurance and put the wheels in motion to have a new screen installed. This was done in a few weeks and everything seemed fine. However I noticed there was a wind noise coming from the front of the car and eventually it took one of the technicians from my service garage Cridfords in Ewhurst to confirm that the noise was emanating from the upper offside part of the windscreen. Although my insurers were a little reluctant to accept this finding the windscreen company said the fault was probably theirs and that they would send out a new screen to be fitted. So last week the fitter rocked up and he duly fitted a new screen. Unfortunately when he was finished I was heavily into a bit of gardening, mowing lawns and planting hanging baskets etc, that I didn't inspect the finished job as closely as I should have. I didn't use the car for a couple of days after the screen was fitted but with the hot weather I thought I better put the car in the garage and the first thing that greeted me was the rear view mirror swinging in the breeze. The second thing I noticed was the seal around the upper offside section was not sitting flush with the body. The upshot of all this is I will now have to wait for another screen to be fitted and it was whilst all this matter was continuing I saw a program on the box about construction of the 911 and it stated that the only part of the build of a 911 which requires the constant precision of a robot is the fitment of the windscreen. It will be third time lucky but I don't hold out much hope!

Glassman · May 7, 2018

The windscreen is not recessed which suggests the extrusion (trim around the glass edge) has not been seated correctly.

One of the most common problems on 997 windscreen replacement is wind noise on the near-side, and this is from the [PUR] adhesive bead not making contact with the glass as it should. This is usually because the bead was knocked over on [windscreen] lift on, or that the bead was applied in the wrong place.

If the windscreen is not a genuine Porsche branded product, it will not fit as well as the OE version.

waxman · May 7, 2018

Sorry to hear of your problems - for this type of reason I insisted my windscreen replacement last year was OE and fitted by a Porsche approved centre/ repairer (Guildford use Premier Panel in Farnham )which does not sound too far from you if you use Cridfords who I have also found good - I’d reject what has been done so far and go down this route

Rodney Naghar · May 7, 2018

If I were you I'd ask Glassman to fit your windscreen for you (and anyone else). He's had umpteen recommendations on Pistonheads. He'll come to your place. I've used him to change over my windscreen, my insurance company paid, and he's an absolute pro!

BrianJ · May 7, 2018

I shouldn't get too excited about the robot precision story. I went on a factory visit when they proudly pointed out the robot fitting the windscreen to 997s. What the guide didn't spot was the pile of scrap windscreens that the human robot-minders were having to hide round the corner, because the robot had managed to get the glue in all the wrong places and the minders had had to abort fitment. Good luck!

Lancerlot · May 7, 2018

I understand the robots at the factory have recently been relegated to just handling the screens for humans to fit.
Regards,

Clive

ignatzcatz · May 24, 2018

The tale continues. The windscreen people visited me and fitted the third screen. By this time the rear view mirror which had never been correctly re fitted and had been swinging in the breeze had detached wiring and the covers for said wiring had all come off. So the third screen in and, well golly gosh and other expletives, still the surround stood away from the bodywork in the upper offside area. Now I'm off to Belgium in early June to compete in a sporting event so I wanted to get the car or at least the rear view mirror back to as it was, so I booked the 911 into Cridfords in Ewhurst for them to fix it. Shock horror, as I drove the car down my little lane there was massive wind noise coming from this upper offside area. And 2nd shock horror, Cridfords said that they couldn't fix the mirror. The third shock horror was I had remembered to stick my bike in the car but I had forgotten to take my cycling shoes (with the funny cleats on the bottom) so I had to ride home in flip flops. Didn't slow me down much.
Well back home and sent desperate email to windscreen company who most gentlemanly, it was a lady actually, said I think you ought to take your car, no, not to the tip, but to a proper Porsche garage and let them have a go at fitting a screen. Ahh deep joy, this was just what I wanted to hear. It's all subject to accepted estimates but it does look like I shall be getting the job finally done and done right.
I know what's going to happen, I'm going to get my nice new Porsche screen in and wack some old skip lorry is going to lob up half a brick and I'm going to have to start all over again. I better not drive the car anymore.