Windscreen chip repair

[dollywobbler]

The Dyane has a chip in quite an annoying place. Has anyone had any joy with the repair kits? I've had a chip repaired professionally before, so I know it'll never be invisible. I do need to stop it spreading though, and any improvement will be worth it!

 

I could get it done free on my insurance, but I'm a bit wary of letting someone near the Dyane - the windscreen panel is very 'soft.' Besides, I'd genuinely like to have a go.

[mat_the_cat]

A very cheap one from eBay was no good - the clamp was not rigid enough and was forced away from the screen by the pressure of injecting the resin. Think the one sold by Frost at the time looked better quality.

[Bear]

Dyane is easy to swap the screen on at least, and if you can get the screen out and weld up the bulkhead/frame it's worth it in the long run.

 

I've used the Rain-X kit you can get in Halfords. It's okay if you catch it when the chip has happened - if it's been there a while and got water and dirt in, you'll struggle to get a good repair. The little spider thingy holds the syringe/pump firmly on the glass (don't overtighten) and the resin will flow well, but it lacks the vacuum process that pro kit uses to make sure the resin reaches all the cracks. Overtighten and you can damage the screen, too.

 

Best repair I've done was on my E320, as I got the chip when it started. It's also surprisingly effective on cracks.

 

As the Dyane screen is flat, you should get reasonable results with relative ease. And the UV curing sheet might silly but it does work - make sure to fill the chip under cover/in shade, then bring the car out with the UV strip on and leave in the sun for a couple of hours (20 minutes should do it, but you're not on time for the next appointment unlike the chip/screen people).

[dollywobbler]

Thanks. Longer term, screen replacement does seem a good option, but I could do with sorting the chip fairly soon really. I've no idea how long it has been there, but probably a while. 

[DSdriver]

Be kind to your back, whip the screen out and do it on the workbench. Make sure bench is clean with no metal swarf that might scratch the underside. 

[derskine]

If it was to come out, would it not be sensible to just fit a non chipped one?

[dollywobbler]

Indeed! Removal is not currently an option. There's not a hope in hell that it'd go back in without major welding work first. This is just a temporary improvement.

[JohnK]

Temporary, as in 2018 it still isn't sorted temporary?

[dollywobbler]

Temporary, as in 2018 it still isn't sorted temporary?

 

Exactly!

[xtriple]

I used one of the kits from eBay that was dirt cheap on our Serena. It was a fair sized chip and it did as good a job as the pro's! I was really impressed and said so on the feedback. The guy selling was astonished that someone finally had read the instructions and sent me another kit, 'just in case'  as a thank you!

[Bear]

Screen out, I would get one of the heated windscreens offered. Misting screen was the worst thing about my Dyane.

[dollywobbler]

Screen out, I would get one of the heated windscreens offered. Misting screen was the worst thing about my Dyane.

 

I drove back from Sussex in some truly biblical rain and didn't have any screen misting. Given one of the heat exchanger flaps was entirely closed, and the other barely open (the control lever isn't working) I was pretty impressed. Used both fresh air vents to keep airflow up inside the car. It would steam up if I parked up with the engine off, but otherwise stayed entirely clear.