Windscreen scratches and chips

[MB1975]

Hi All,

New here and sorry for a big old rant to start with...

Mid June we became the proud owners of a brand new MY16 GTI Performance (18km on pickup).

Unfortunately I have had several issue with the windscreen already. Random chips everywhere and there are also weird tiny scratches all over the screen (there from day dot). However the height of it all is that our plastic ice scraper has left some serious gouges in the screen.

I went to dealer who dismissed this (asking if i had used razor blades) and then on my pushing escalated to VW HQ. Who came back saying "we cant warrant against dust and grit. Fair enough...

I then spoke to VW directly and sent my case, photos and videos through.

Heard back today. Basically they said we spoke to managers, dealerships and oBriens glass and "this should not happen from a ice scraper" and "we cant proof how that got there!"


So I said " I know how this happened and both my wife and I instantly noticed it when driving away when morning sun hit it. So how about I film myself doing another scratch?" Which she advised against and I further was advised that would be "purposeful damage" and therefore I would void the warranty..... So basically I know how it happened. They know I cant prove it and if I do I void my warranty.



Also my question to her "how come there are lots of tiny scratches that follow the pattern/arch of the windscreen wipers??" "well scratches can happen in any way, there is no prove that they happened from the wipers!


This screen now looks worse after 3000km/10 weeks than what our 9 year old 105000km mondeo did and I certainly never cleaned the wipers to avoid scratches...



When I google this I see lots of complaints about the "Softness" of the windscreen.

Just not sure where to from here... Bit disappointing in that respect as the car is incredible!

Anybody else have any experience? Tips? I could get a new screen as its covered in insurance (one per year), but knowing my luck I will the shatter it the week later. Also I heard replacing entire screens, is another can of worms? OEM vs Aftermarket? Scratches when replacing. Potential leaks...

Am I allowed to post a link to a youtube vid about this that I made? it show one of the big gouges and the hundreds of little scratches. That vid was made at around 1700km.

Sorry I am ranting!

Happy Tuesday everybody!

[agentthumb]

I have tiny pits and scratches on my windscreen too. Don't really notice them at all tho unless I 'look" for them, and that's with one of them directly in my line of sight. Guess my brain is really good at ignoring that little spec.)

Apparently it's to do with EU regulation requiring softer windscreens for pedestrian safety... (I head it's overrated )

The result is the windscreens are susceptible to pitting from being sand blasted and from rocks hitting them.

Having said that, I have had a few hard hits that haven't left a mark on the screen, so they are still pretty strong.

Do you have windscreen cover on your car insurance? Might be worth having a chat with them. Apparently full replacement is the only solution to pitting.

[Libertyrx1]

It may not do much for pitting and chips, but glass can be polished by experienced detailers using cerium oxide and glass polishing pads to remove light scratching

[MB1975]

Thanks both. Yes it is just a really bad start and frankly I would not care for some little chips, it happens. But the scratches and the ease with which this happens is scary!

They also did the head-unit recall, preventing it from going black. Only thing after they did the recall was the first time this happened! there are numerous other little things that are frustrating, but none like the issue of a screen like this. Went to Dubbo and back week before last and came back with 6-7 extra small pits on screen. Drove that stretch many times with Mondeo, no issues.

We do have glass cover and I can get one per year. Wonder if I should go for an aftermarket one? Or maybe this is indeed just a screen that has a production flaw... Who'd know, either way. Then I have to find someone who will fix it for me and not damage the car in the process! Yes I am burnt child...

Here is the short video. https://youtu.be/Q8T1Ha-reJw have a look for all the tiny scratches all over the screen as sun reflects. Then there is one of the ice scraper scratches next to mirror, one cant miss it. Specially when I am coming back towards middle you can see all the reflections... Apparently normal for a car that at that point had around 1700km.

[Libertyrx1]

Dont go after market. I have heard they will have a different (no) tint compared to factory which will affect the rain sensor for wipers.

I have polished quite a few windscreens (with Ceriglass and rotary polisher) much worse than that with good results however if its soft, the scratches will return with use of the wipers

[Lucas_R]

If you decide to replace the windscreen - do NOT get aftermarket glass. I made the mistake of using my insurance to replace a cracked windscreen on my Mk6 GTI about 12 months ago - the first one was warped and the wipers would "skip" large sections of the windscreen when driving in the rain. It also leaked water due to not being sealed properly. You could also see the warping if you looked on an angle. I took it back (O'brien glass) and they agreed the windscreen was "out of spec" and swapped it with another one. The new one is no longer warped, but the glass is cloudy which drives me bonkers and it must not be as thick as the original VW glass as you can hear the engine is louder from inside the cabin. The brand of the windscreen is Aust Autoglass.

[MB1975]

Thanks for the replies.

I see how we go, we have got one windscreen per year (no excess) included in insurance. My thing is there is no official dealer in the ACT that I truthfully trust with this job.

All in all I find it disappointing that this car can be this marvel of technology and such a joy to drive and yet the the windscreen is seemingly so bad.

So if I read the above correctly. Even if I am changing to a new OEM one, I am getting the same issues again? As the glass is soft? If so is there any windscreen coating or similar that is worth looking at? Also seeing this is just "how soft" they are, is there no surprise that the screen scratched with an ice-scraper?

Thanks!

[MB1975]

Anybody have any experience with this?

eziclean windscreen protection?

Seems sad that I would have to fix something new, to have it staying new. Never even worried about this with the 2007 Mondeo MA Zetec we had.

Maybe the GTI is just to fast for scratches and rocks to get out of the way in time

[Lucas_R]

Thanks for the replies.

I see how we go, we have got one windscreen per year (no excess) included in insurance. My thing is there is no official dealer in the ACT that I truthfully trust with this job.

All in all I find it disappointing that this car can be this marvel of technology and such a joy to drive and yet the the windscreen is seemingly so bad.

So if I read the above correctly. Even if I am changing to a new OEM one, I am getting the same issues again? As the glass is soft? If so is there any windscreen coating or similar that is worth looking at? Also seeing this is just "how soft" they are, is there no surprise that the screen scratched with an ice-scraper?

Thanks!

How can glass be soft?

As per my previous post - if you do decide to change the windscreen, make sure that you are getting a genuine VW windscreen (most insurance companies will NOT offer genuine windscreens). You may have to pay an excess to get genuine.

[MB1975]

Well seeing that I scratched the absolute bejeezus out of it with a plastic ice scraper I would assume it is softer than other, since the old car never got any marks from it. And trust I used to hack at it like no tomorrow, actually same goes for the VW Caddy work car I had (same scraper, no care in the world, just getting it off as quick as I could).

Seeing this is a leasing agreement car, I will only accept OEM as its part of my deal to only go to certified repairers and use OEM parts. When speaking to insurer yesterday they did not say I had to go to a specific supplier.

Dont know. Will update here when I have decided where to from here.

Spoke to fairtrade today and all they said is "well its up to you to proof by an independent supplier that this glass isn't up to standard".

Thanks again!