OK, so im tinkering with the car and notice a small chip in the glass, i am leaning on the windscreen to get a closer look lo and behold i get a crack from top to bottom!!! Ruined my day!!! I had the glass out 6 years ago when i had the car resprayed and the shop that installed it said i was taking a chance reinstalling old glass as it was brittle! Anyways, i decided to pull off the rubber and chrome and while i was pulling chrome , whole windshield popped out, needless to say i wont be going back to the glass shop that put it in!!!! Back to the question at hand.. Does anyone know where to get a new windscreen from????

Thanks in advance

Darren
Oh and P.S. im in no rush, car in garaged and not being used for a while until i can get the paint fixed (again)

 

Well have you tried another glass shop. I can certainly understand your frustration with the one who installed it, but another shop should be able to get a hold of one.

I would watch them install it too if you can. Just to make sure they dont damage the glass (or your car). If all else fails you can always try ebay or craigslist. Its amazing what you can come across!

 

Something not quite right here !

Surely a Series 3 XJ has a bonded (=glued in) windscreen; there is no windscreen seal, but there is a rubber edging strip on the inside of the screen aperture lip. The bonding stuff goes in alongside this strip to ensure the screen is not pushed in too much leaving little of the bonding agent. I remember buying this strip when I had my screen out, as the old one was perished, as I remember. The windscreen chrome edges are held in place by the screen bonding stuff.

 

Fraser, you are correct, the screen should be glued in, thats what i dont understand, i cant believe it just popped out, all the glue is stuck to the chrome and glass, not one bit is stuck to the body of the car!!!!! i am thinking thats why it broke, it wasnt attached properly

 

Hi Darrenmb

Yes, your screen was not installed correctly, but this is nothing unusual with Series 3 cars, I had two attempts before I finally got a shop to do the job correctly. Jaguar also made a design boo-boo with this installation, I'm afraid.

Check the steel of the aperture very carefully, as it can corrode very badly, due to lack of drainage. I find it hard to believe the screen adhesive has not stuck to the aperture at all; something very wrong there !

Can you post some detailed pics of the problem. Also was the rubber finisher seal I mentioned in place or not ?

 

Fraser, here ya go, pics, i am assuming the rubber you are talking about is the one i am holding, still looks brand new, dont think the silicone, or whatever it is they used to quasiglue the glass in with even touched it!! all the rubber was new back when i had the glass out a few years ago.. i see some surface rust in the aperture where it all came out, but nothing bad, i have however stared to fiddle with the back glass and see some pretty bad rust..( same people did both pieces of glass!

 

Hi Darrenmb

Yes that rubber piece looks correct to me, (as I remember, as it is a long time ago!!). Your aperture looks in very good condition, in fact it is in amazing condition; there is normally a hole at each lower corner where water accumulates.

As far as I remember, the main chrome pieces should be left in place whilst the screen is removed, only one of the top corner pieces should be removed so that a hole can be made through the seal layer to insert the chicken-wire cutter to remove the screen. Only sides and top are released, the screen is then tilted forward, and the lower seal can then be separated. Once the screen is off, the main chromes can be carefully removed for re-use.

The gap needs to be prepared and also, (I think), some sort of pre-fixing solution has to be painted onto the aperture and maybe also the screen itself, but I may be wrong on this.

These screens are acknowledged to be difficult to put in, and screen firms and fitters tend to be reluctant to do them. The Series 3 Workshop Manual has advice on removal and refitting. Maybe a forum member who is a screen fitter, or who knows somebody who is can contribute on this post and tell us why they are so difficult.