Cracked Windscreen

StuartW

Member
Messages
9,306
I was out for a lovely spirited drive yesterday to blow away the cobwebs of the car and myself. Passing a lorry on the opposite side of a B road and BANG, a stone hits the screen right in front of my eye line and before you know it, there's a crack of around 15 centimetres running right to the edge of the screen. So annoying and whilst I know I will only have to pay an excess with my insurer, I am annoyed that I will have a non genuine, pattern screen in place and more worrying is the fitting process and making sure the man who fits it does not damage the recess where the screen fits.
I had this issue with a previous vehicle and corrosion developed within 18 months which I had to deal with - very frustrating & a costly Saturday afternoon drive
 

davy83

Member
Messages
2,809
I have two stone chips in my windscreen and been meaning to get them filled with that resin, its such an annoying thing to happen and as you say getting good people to do the repairs is always a trick. I think you can insist on a dealer doing the windscreen replacement you know? Don't think it affect the excess, i had a rear end prang 2 weeks after i bought the car and was offered the choice! Not sure it works for windscreens but it might?
 

StuartW

Member
Messages
9,306
Cheers Davy, I'll give that a try.
And yes, the resin repairs are really good but best get them done soon especially with cold weather on the way as that can lead to them getting much worse. Good luck in getting it done properly
 

sofasurfer

Junior Member
Messages
398
Just want to confirm what Davy says about repairs...insurance companies do not like you using any other repairer than their preferred one but it is your legal right to insist that the work is carried out at a dealer of your choice. With the case of prestige cars such as ours I would want a genuine Maserati windscreen to be fitted. There is no change on the excess amount you will be pay either but be prepared for a hike in premium when you come to renew. They may also ask for two quotes for the work but this is just them trying to be awkward. Your local MD should be very helpful as they want the work and should handle it once the MD email you the quote and you pass it on.

Good luck and hope it gets sorted quickly.
 

highlander

Member
Messages
5,214
Sorry to hear Stuart and hope you get the repair done right. Positive slant though, cracked windscreens can be replaced whereas the stone going a little to the side would hit the pillar and no doubt leave a dent that would annoy you every time you polish the car!
 

mjheathcote

Centenary Club
Messages
9,033
Was in my local MD a few weeks ago and the parts department was full of packing cases.
I asked what they were full of and they said windscreens, both Ferrari and Maserati, they supplied the likes of Auto Windscreens (or whatever they are called today) with genuine screens. Nice little money earner apparently as each can be several thousand pounds.
The demand of Ferrari and Maserati screens is small compared to say Ford VW etc and non genuine cheaper screens are not available, and they need to keep stock for the cost of supplying a Ferrari/Maserati owner with an equivalent standard hire car on their insurance waiting for a screen can easily exceed the cost of a screen evening costing several £K.
Now whether non genuine screens are now available for the older models, I don't know. They did say the Maserati screens were all Ghibli screens.
 

allandwf

Member
Messages
10,958
Thanks for the tips guys, I'll get onto Admiral and see what I can do

They should play ball, eventually. I just argued Spider value with them, it's almost like they have a department to keep costs minimal, then if it's out of the ordinary it is transferred to another who then undertake negotiations, they did come good in the end though, which is useful to know for people who use them. Don't let them bully you.
 

StuartW

Member
Messages
9,306
In the first instance, Admiral have a dedicated department just for glass work and that is a division of Autoglass. That is who they have insisted I speak with and their first step is to put in a request back to Admiral for OE glass so when I have heard back about that, then I can take it further to request it being a MD job. I think this maybe a drawn out process!

I'll keep you posted, cheers
 

drewf

Member
Messages
7,159
Sorry to hear this Stuart, but as Mike has already mentioned, I've heard several times from different sources that there is only OEM Maserati glass available, no pattern parts. You should get a factory original screen regardless of who fits it.
 

drewf

Member
Messages
7,159
Personal opinion - I'd rather have a glassfitter do the job than a MD mechanic who might only fit one or two in his entire career.
 
Messages
6,001
I have a repaired crack on my QP screen. It is drivers side and low down so there is no problem with an MOT (not in drivers line of sight)
When I bought the car I took it to Autoglass as part of the deal, the guy looked at it and said it has been repaired so we cannot do any more
I was disappointed because I thought the repair was poor.
Anyway I just live with it
 

midlifecrisis

Member
Messages
16,102
I think it's all down to watching the fitter like a hawk and getting a decent warranty, guaranteeing any outcome. But that will cost.
 

StuartW

Member
Messages
9,306
Thanks everyone

As long as I get an OEM screen, that's the first priority and whoever fits it - I will just make sure I am closely watching the fitter over their shoulder, in the nicest possible way of course!
 

ChrisGT

New Member
Messages
16
Hi Stuart

Look at page 37 of Gran Turismo around Jan 2014 under "Gran Turmiso windscreen replacement".

A lot of interior trim needs removing plus overnight curing of screen. MD job?

Chris
 

MAF260

Member
Messages
7,662
I had a new screen fitted to my GS earlier this year by Autoglass. To say I was dreading letting one of them near the car was an understatement! My OCD kicked in and I called them for a very detailed chat to see how to play things with them. First thing - the screen was supplied by Maserati (had to wait a few weeks for it to come from Italy). It was the correct screen for the car (they differ somewhat between models apparently), correct top tint etc. They sent one of their master technicians (still worried) and I vetted him and watched over the entire process. He was brilliant! Knew exactly what he was doing and was overjoyed to be working on something different and exotic in comparison to the regular stuff he was used to - lots of glass roofs in Range Rovers and the like apparently. He removed the wipers and scuttle very carefully and was as exacting as me when it came to cleaning up the bits of debris left after removing the screen. He was happy to let me clean out under the scuttle (leaves and ****), pull the pollen filter (filthy!) and clean and tidy the whole area before starting to fit the new screen. Suffice to say, he did an excellent job that I couldn't fault.