Visibility through the screen of my xtype is really poor in low sun, etc - the car has 200,000km and the state of the bumper and headlights is poor in terms of lots of stone chips and abrasians - less easy to tell with the windscreen but it is probably due replacement. However, I'd like to try cheaper options first.

I've done some googling and am going to try Meguiars cutting paste No. 4 which seems to be recommended in a few different places for removing heavily baked on crud from glass (for example, attached link).

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/fo...ad.php?t=16667

Has anybody here tried this? Or any other method to bring a screen back to life?

If the cheap cleaning options don't fix the problem, does anybody have a feel for what a reasonable cost of a replacement windscreen is? Should I go to a Jaguar dealer? .... and finally, are there any problems with fitting a non heated screen to a car that currently has the heated screen fitted and what sort of cost saving am I likely to make by doing that?

Thanks as always for any advices!

 

I've never had a problem with the outside, are you sure the inside is clean?
It can creep up on you.
Don't go to the dealer for a new screen as they will just pass it off, try the normal glass suppliers. if you do buy one make sure you choose a good quality glass manufacturer rather than just the cheapest.

 

If you have comp or glass coverage and it is a visability hazzard your insurance will pay for it minus your deductable of course. I think I was quoted $700 or so to have the glass in my X done from a trusted local shop (they put the glass in my TVR which isn't exactly an easy install. The X has the weakest glass I've ever seen. Pit marks all over mine, just waiting til Spring to have it done. I've heard that the states which use sand rather than salt tend to have big time glass issues buy my car was an east coast car all its life.

 

Danny, a lot of insurances have a very low deductable when it comes to glass replacement. In a lot of cases it is like $50 or $100 for a new windshield.

As for things to try before replacing the glass, my personal recommendation is to find some stuff called 3M Perfect-It III (sometimes you can find Perfect-It II). It runs about $20 for a pint bottle. It is essentially liquid 1500 grit rubbing compound. But, you put this on your windshield and then rub it in with some 0000 steel wool, with some elbow grease, it will pull out a lot of the fine scratches and remove any residue that is there too. I know what you are thinking, "I am not rubbing my windshield with 0000 steel wool". Trust me, it will be just fine. I was skeptical at first too, so I tried a small corner on my truck. But, to my surprise, the glass was sparkling clean with no scratches.

The nice thing too is the Perfect-It III is great for the rest of the car too. I have used it on the paint, the headlights, even the chrome. It works great everywhere. Just don't use the steel wool on anything but the glass, else you will have a serious scratch issue on your hands.

 

To back up Thermo, fine steel wool is a great glass cleaner. I'd recommend you keep the glass soaked with glass cleaner and rub the steel wool in the wet area - keep it wet where you are working. This will remove most of the stubborn haze and crud.

If you need to polish it, another option is one of the kits from Eastwood - I've used the full blown kit before on other cars and it works great but it does help if you have something to practice on. http://search.eastwood.com/search?as...&p=Q&ts=custom

I went through 4 winshields on my X type. They all seemed soft, but the replacements seemed even softer than the factory glass, even though they were supposed to be OEM spec replacements. I would definitely see if you could convince your insurance company there is visibility problem and see if they will cover it minus your deductable.

I'm thinking the cost savings for heated vs. non-heated are negligible....go heated. You are in Canada eh.....

 

When I bought my X there was a crack in the lower right corner and the used car dealer had it replaced before i picked it up - I paid $400. There was a cheaper option ($300 I think) for putting in a used windshield - but I went for the new one (I didn't want anyone elses road wear). It was done the next day.

I don't think that was any klind of a discounted rate or anything.

Ebay has one used for $150.

 

Well, for me, rather than go down the route of buying products and spending time etc to try and save what sounds like a windscreen in very poor condition......I'd be checking my insurance!

As already stated if you have ( as you probably will have ) the windscreen replacement policy its usually only a very small fee ( deductible - I believe you guys call it ) as against the cost of a brand new screen.....No brainer!!!

You would of course probably need to have a pretty bad crack / stone damage etc to require a replacement under these conditions

 

Danny, like anything else in Canada we end up paying through the nose. Check with an auto glass shop but I know out here in the west, a new unheated one for me was $800. That should really get you looking at insurance replacement.

 

A friend wanted a new screen in his old car (just a couple of chips and scratches) and decided to hit it with a hammer so the insurance would pay for it . Worked a treat and only had a small deductible. That's better.

 

Lol...kinda what I was leaning towards dale, just maybe worded a little more subtly but the same end result!

 

Don't worry, that's not the insurance fraud investigator knocking on your door. Be careful what you put in print. I'm guessing you meant that the hammer flew out of your hand while hanging up your insurance policy on the wall beside the car.

 

It wasn't even dalecan, it was a "friend" of his. Nice edit!

 

A good insurance adjuster or the glass specialist hired by the insurance company to replace the windshield believe it or not can sometimes tell if it was deliberate. Things usually break a certain way....But I'm sure the moral compass of our Jaguar owners here on the board is quite solid and we won't even need to consider such an act.....

 

Thanks for all those advices. I used the Meguiars cutting paste (seems it does a similar job to the 3M Perfect It?) and with a lot of elbow grease it seemed to help. Cleaning the inside of the screen also helped....

So all in, visibility is better - but not tip top. I'm winding myself up to try the wire wool - like you say Thermo - it feels counter intuitive.....!!

On a completely non-related subject - in the world of insurance companies; when a windscreen fails due to normal usage/wear and tear, (for example, if a pot of marmalade fell out of a tree as you drove past), does the owner lose their no claims discounts if they make a claim? I'm struggling with the fine print on my form but suffice to say, I've yet to make a motor insurance claim that I have not lived to repay to the insurers in full, with interest.

 

Danny, the best answer I can give you with the question of loosing your discounts if you get a new windshield, that can only really be answered by giving your insurance company a call (or talk directly with your insurance person if you still have one). If they say that it won't affect your premiums, then I would recommend that you have them put that in writing (or show you where it is written in your policy) and then go get the windshield fixed. If they are not willing to put it in writing, then odds are it will affect your premiums. Each insurance company is different, so, talking directly to your insurance company will be best. Just asking the question about a possibility will not affect your premiums.

 

Agree with Thermo, you never know unless you check.

That being said, I've used the glass coverage 5 times in the last 5 or so years and it hasn't had any effect on my policy premiums. I still have a no claim discount with Liberty Mutual.

 

It did not affect my no claims, I just paid the deductible (when I was living in the UK). A friend once told me that a nail punch and a medium sized blow with a hammer seems to work quite well and looks realistic. Who knows?