Today I had my windscreen replaced, by the company my insurer provides - Nationwide Motorglass.

I left the car in a nice open space with plenty of room around it, and let the guy get on with it. He let me know how long it would be etc, all fine. I checked with him that they'd supplied a heated windscreen, and not made a mistake with the wrong glass etc. All fine.

Hour or so goes by, and its all done. No problems mentioned, told to leave time before driving, longer before washing etc. Anyway - I get home, pop the bonnet to check no dislodged trims. Notice a screw missing, but no biggy.

My old heated windscreen had about 3 lines total that worked - and was open circuit one side, so it basically didn't work. I tested the resistance from the relay sockets to ground to check it was all connected okay (not exactly the weather to be testing it, and who knows if it should be left for the adhesive to cure fully before using it). One side open circuit, the other, 1.4Mohms. errrrrrrr... that isn't right.

Figured fine - it hasn't been plugged in properly. So I pop the strip at the bottom of the windscreen off carefully... and the air turns blue.

For those that haven't seen this area before... at the bottom of the glass in the middle of the screen should be two black wires - the grounds for the two halves of the screen. Both, as you can see, have been cut clean off. The black wire visible is the remains of one ground wire to the old glass.

This is the remains of the passenger side positive cable, again, from the old glass. This was presumably the side giving me 1.4mohm, as it was flapping around touching the body/painted surfaces. Brilliant - so a cable that would properly eventually wear through the paint and short out.

What he has done is pull the old glass out of the body, ripping off the cables in the process. He has then cut off all of the wires on the new glass, and bonded it in. What the fuck.

I can only assume he has ripped the old glass out before realising some of the screws holding the scuttle panel in were rusty, but frankly you could still get the positives in place and connected even so. The grounds a bit tricker maybe. But he should have at that point contacted me, to ask what to do. I would have happily removed the screws myself as I have now done to inspect the damage. The positive loom on the drivers side has had the connector bracket bent, and the rubber cable bung pulled out of the body. Thankfully the plug itself wasn't broken.

I have been in contact with the company, who are sending someone out on Tuesday to 'inspect' it to confirm what I'm saying. If he/they even try and deny he has cut the wires off the new screen, they won't get far:

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On Tuesday I'll be leaving the car in our visitor parking, which will cover it entirely in HD CCTV.

I am incensed by this... what was he hoping? That it would get to winter and I just wouldn't notice? It would still come back to his company. How many others does this happen to? Is it just him, is it standard practice when its 'too hard' to do a proper job?

Fucks sake. I hate being watched while I work, so I left him to it - he's a professional, supposedly. Now though... I'll be sat there watching whoever does it next, as well as having it recorded in full view. Sometimes its just easier to be paranoid, can't trust anyone to do a proper bloody job.

Another new screen then, that's the only option now. At their cost too and with a barrage of CCTV cameras watching his every move. I had to have a new screen fitted to my works van so took the opportunity to tidy the back out while he was doing it. Not that I really cared whether he did a good job or not but I do have to drive the hateful little thing......

I'd keep an eye out when the bonding gunge is being put on as well - More than a few times I've heard of leaks becoming apparent later on where some bodger hasn't sealed it all the way round. Doesn't appear to be a difficult thing to ask someone to do a decent job, but some people just aren't capable even when something seems simple to do anything approaching a decent job.

Hope they are covering your excess for the inconvenience as well while your at it. If not then suggest you kick up a right stink with the insurance company once its been fixed properly.

Not to mention compensation for the loss of the car until they do it properly as it was due to go in for MoT as soon as the windscreen was changed.

Sort of thing that winds my key too.
I suspect he'll have thought sod it, you won't be testing the heated windscreen for a good few months and by that time may think the heated aspect has failed but no big loss and not do anything about it. Windscreen fitter but hates messing with 'lectrics.

They must of got pissed off that you didn’t leave hay and water for there horses,
That’s got to be the shabbiest windscreen install I’ve seen, when I had done on one of mine, it took two guys because of size, A pillar trims removed to gain access to cables, they put new trim at top ( apparently comes with screen ) of screen, I’d be watching the feckers like a hawk, but I don’t think they dare not do it right this time, I would think it won’t be the same guy. Doubt if he’s got a job now..
Ps, love the video, can’t believe there even arguing,

That is the kind of thing that really pisses me off... and there are plenty of words I can think of to describe it.. but none suitable for public announcement :)

The biggest thing for me is that I remember you telling me that you checked that they had sent a heated screen - given that when I had mine done I had told them on the phone it was a heated screen and they sent a non-heated one!! And it was the guy who fitted it that said yes!!! so surely if you've asked and he's said it is heated, then why cut the sodding wires off... retards...

I had the opposite with Autoglass - even though the sent the wrong one, the guy was really helpful, friendly, and commented on the fact I'd already taken all the trim off for them! (Partly because I was resealing the pollen filter housings/plenum and also I wasn't sure if I'd get a retard fitting it!)
The second guy who came back to fit it also was really nice, and he was into Land Rovers aswell, so I had a chat with him whilst he did it, and I also gave him a hand to lift the new glass in. He mentioned about the sealing of them and said that on vehicles like the RR he almost overdoes the sealant to make sure it's not going to leak at a later date!! so far so good..

I hope that you get it sorted soon, and you get something for the inconvenience.. I would be wanting that moron to be out of a job.. but that's just me..

I can only think as Simon says - he was hoping I wouldn't notice until winter comes around. At which point, its probably too late to do anything about it.

MOT at 11 today... at least it doesn't have a crack in it. Friday 13th..

As a slight silver lining, I found out why my wiper linkage was making a racket.... a bit of mesh I'd fitted to the scuttle grilles had fallen off not long after I fitted it, and had become jammed under the linkage. Something the fitter would have found... had he taken the panels off like he was supposed to.

Well - passed the MOT, with the best advisory ever: 'Noisy exhaust'

That, and three compliments about it between reception and getting back in the office, certainly improved my mood :)

Windscreen should be getting looked at next week.

Something else to note with your windscreen:

I can't remember who told me (might have been Gilbertd) but there's some kind of locating points either side that can cause the windscreen to crack if it's not located correctly.

I had to have 3 windscreens in 3 years on my last car (bad luck or what!) but never had an issue with Autoglass. Always did a top notch job, always turned up with the correct heated screen and they never damaged anything.

Good point, apparently there's two lugs at the bottom to stop the screen sliding downwards while the goo is going off. They should have rubber blocks on them so there isn't metal against the edge of the glass. If they don't, it causes a crack to appear almost exactly in the centre of your field of vision. My SE had a new windscreen fitted just before I got it and cracked not long afterwards. I took it into a local screen fitters and it was the guy there that took one look at it and told me what had caused it to crack in that exact place.

I think I know of where you mean - didnt realise that was the reason for them so I'll take a closer look later and see if the rubbers are in place.

Cheers!

I don't appear to have any rubber bits on the two tabs - just looks to be black painted metal? Sigh

These > https://www.brit-car.co.uk/search.php?query=CMC100150 I think are the bits Richard means?

Interesting - may order a couple just in case! Thanks

This might help, it does show 2 fitted. Would suspect they were there, but perhaps John Wayne threw them away whilst he was busy snipping wires

Now most aspects have been discussed... I don't much like the type of heated screen that has micro-elements between lamination that can obscure vision under certain conditions, for the few days per year we get where these are a definite advantage I prefer not to more often suffer the drawbacks. If heated screen means a couple of elements running over the wiper area that seems a better idea. Best setup I had on a car was the wiper area of screen heated coupled with heated water jets (and a large dose of antifreeze in the washer fluid) on a Vauxhall Senator, but got to worry about warm water jets hitting cold windscreens.

I've never had an issue with the element wires in the P38 windscreen obscuring vision... I have a number of mornings where I've been grateful of the screen being heated though :P

I wouldn’t be without my heated screen, I love it when it’s frosty, fire the car up, push a button, scrap drivers and passenger window and off you go, my neighbours still haven’t sussed how I’m so quick at defrosting the windscreen..
Can’t say I’ve ever had any vision issues, but then I’m blind anyway, lol

I love heated windscreens.

My two Focus' had them and so does my P38. I never notice the elements unless I actually look for them.

They're a godsend in winter!