JamesT5
Saturday 30th November 2013, 21:32
I went to have a new windscreen fitted today because the old one had cracked good and proper.
Being an insurance job, I took my car to Autoglass (the designated supplier) and the bloke gets to work on it removing the rubber seal etc. But then, he drops a bomb shell.....
"Are you aware you're car has had a replacement windscreen fitted before?"
I stated "I wouldn't be surprised if it had" (knowing what the car has been through), and then he called me through to the workshop to show me something rather disturbing....
There was some rust that I thought might just be on the surface on the edge of the roof that was actually sitting under the adhesive! Apparently he said that when the car had had the windscreen fitted before, they didn't 'primer' the surround which meant that the water had got to the metal and caused the rust.
He said that if it was too bad then they would not fit a new window on 'health and safety grounds' a comment I thought was a bit odd considering he then told me I could drive away legally without any windscreen at all and it would still pass an MOT. I politely informed him that regarding the last part of his statement, I thought he was talking a load of bull $$$$ (well not quite as harsh as that), and I then went to inspect the area myself, feeling under the headlining and it all seemed like solid metal. "Surface rust" I told him and explained that if I was to drive down the road with no front window then the resulting air pressure in the car could in fact blow the back windows out. :wallbash: :nono:
I explained to the guy that this car was actually my daily runner and I can't be without it, he then said there was only one way to tell if it was too bad and that was to remove the old window and go from there but he was just about convinced it was going to be a show stopper.
Off I went back to the waiting room and watched some cookery show on the TV whilst he removed the window before he called me back in to the workshop about 10 minutes later. I took one look at the window surround and noted that it was 'substantial surface rust' but my instincts were basically spot on (as they almost always are), and told him to get on with removing the old bonding adhesive and to rub the rust down and stick the new window in.
Back to the waiting area for another dose of Mary Berry.......
I heard nothing from the guy after that until about 2.15pm (an hour and half or so later)..... "You're car's ready". Looks like I was right and the technician with his cocky attitude and 7 years in the business was in fact wrong...... W R O N G - wrong.
So the car now has a new windscreen but I will monitor that rust around the window surround because one day it become just a little more than surface rust. Anyway, one less dodgy item on the T5 for now at least..... :beer: :B_thumb:
Being an insurance job, I took my car to Autoglass (the designated supplier) and the bloke gets to work on it removing the rubber seal etc. But then, he drops a bomb shell.....
"Are you aware you're car has had a replacement windscreen fitted before?"
I stated "I wouldn't be surprised if it had" (knowing what the car has been through), and then he called me through to the workshop to show me something rather disturbing....
There was some rust that I thought might just be on the surface on the edge of the roof that was actually sitting under the adhesive! Apparently he said that when the car had had the windscreen fitted before, they didn't 'primer' the surround which meant that the water had got to the metal and caused the rust.
He said that if it was too bad then they would not fit a new window on 'health and safety grounds' a comment I thought was a bit odd considering he then told me I could drive away legally without any windscreen at all and it would still pass an MOT. I politely informed him that regarding the last part of his statement, I thought he was talking a load of bull $$$$ (well not quite as harsh as that), and I then went to inspect the area myself, feeling under the headlining and it all seemed like solid metal. "Surface rust" I told him and explained that if I was to drive down the road with no front window then the resulting air pressure in the car could in fact blow the back windows out. :wallbash: :nono:
I explained to the guy that this car was actually my daily runner and I can't be without it, he then said there was only one way to tell if it was too bad and that was to remove the old window and go from there but he was just about convinced it was going to be a show stopper.
Off I went back to the waiting room and watched some cookery show on the TV whilst he removed the window before he called me back in to the workshop about 10 minutes later. I took one look at the window surround and noted that it was 'substantial surface rust' but my instincts were basically spot on (as they almost always are), and told him to get on with removing the old bonding adhesive and to rub the rust down and stick the new window in.
Back to the waiting area for another dose of Mary Berry.......
I heard nothing from the guy after that until about 2.15pm (an hour and half or so later)..... "You're car's ready". Looks like I was right and the technician with his cocky attitude and 7 years in the business was in fact wrong...... W R O N G - wrong.
So the car now has a new windscreen but I will monitor that rust around the window surround because one day it become just a little more than surface rust. Anyway, one less dodgy item on the T5 for now at least..... :beer: :B_thumb: