Thread: Windscreen replacement

Original was probably DOT 682 (Pilkington UK) AS1 M1260 which I believe is nominal 6mm thick.

If you had M1260-1 possibly means it also had an additional acoustic PVC layer.

Can’t find the quality certificate for the original glass, so only going by what has been posted elsewhere.

Found a bit more info - original Pilkington windscreen labels may have some pictorial type symbols to indicate what additional features are added to the base spec glass.

One showing if heated (heater element symbol), one showing if it has thermal / solar reflection (thermometer symbol), and one if it has acoustic shielding (ear symbol).

And mine from the same place a month earlier

Saint-Gobain
DOT 503 AS 1 M 31

I didn’t bother asking for a genuine and unsurprisingly didn’t get one

Can’t find any specification details on the Saint-Gobain Sekruit glass other than it was produced by the Elvex Joint Venture Company in Estonia (51% owned by Saint-Gobain) and is obviously AS1 grade laminated safety glass. Saint-Gobain has a good reputation and some would say better than Pilkington aftermarket glass.

Saint-Gobain use the same symbols above as Pilkington for any additional features.

After Pilkington was acquired by Nippon Sheet Glass, many of the European car manufacturers have switched from Pilkington to Saint-Gobain as the OEM supplier, and they are also a JLR OEM supplier (at least for the Jaguar cars).

Fuyao (FYG) is the other big player these days and is also an OEM supplier to most of the major auto companies like Ford and GM, and even to JLR. Fuyao also has a good reputation.

The only real issue is making sure it is the same thickness (from a strength and safety point of view), that it is tinted (Optikool reduces heat transfer by around 20%), and if your car originally had acoustic shielding (look for the ear symbol) making sure this is included. The acoustic shielding drops noise by at least 3dBA. Fuyao America claim their soundproof auto glass drops noise by 5-10dBA and also provides UV protection. And of course still want the rain sensor to work.

With Fuyao - need to specifically avoid the DOT-459 AS1 M848 glass as this is only 4.76mm thick. I guess this is the “thinner Chinese glass” people refer to, although XYG possibly also supply the thinner glass as well. XYG has a poor reputation.

Originally Posted by DiscoDB

Can’t find any specification details on the Saint-Gobain Sekruit glass other than it was produced by the Elvex Joint Venture Company in Estonia (51% owned by Saint-Gobain) and is obviously AS1 grade laminated safety glass. Saint-Gobain has a good reputation and some would say better than Pilkington aftermarket glass.

Saint-Gobain use the same symbols above as Pilkington for any additional features.

After Pilkington was acquired by Nippon Sheet Glass, many of the European car manufacturers have switched from Pilkington to Saint-Gobain as the OEM supplier, and they are also a JLR OEM supplier (at least for the Jaguar cars).

Fuyao (FYG) is the other big player these days and is also an OEM supplier to most of the major auto companies like Ford and GM, and even to JLR. Fuyao also has a good reputation.

The only real issue is making sure it is the same thickness (from a strength and safety point of view), that it is tinted (Optikool reduces heat transfer by around 20%), and if your car originally had acoustic shielding (look for the ear symbol) making sure this is included. The acoustic shielding drops noise by at least 3dBA. Fuyao America claim their soundproof auto glass drops noise by 5-10dBA and also provides UV protection. And of course still want the rain sensor to work.

With Fuyao - need to specifically avoid the DOT-459 AS1 M848 glass as this is only 4.76mm thick. I guess this is the “thinner Chinese glass” people refer to, although XYG possibly also supply the thinner glass as well. XYG has a poor reputation.

Excellent work.
This condensed thread should be a sticky/Good Oil item for future reference for D4 owners

Originally Posted by gavinwibrow

Excellent work.
This condensed thread should be a sticky/Good Oil item for future reference for D4 owners

Thanks but not so sure - it is one of those subjective topics where the auto-glass manufacturers don’t like to reveal the quality specs and certificates, and people have their own views - much like discussing oil quality. It is all smoke (tint) and mirrors (glass).

People with OEM Saint-Gobain glass get upset when their insurance company uses cheaper aftermarket Pilkington glass. People with OEM Pilkington glass get upset if given cheaper aftermarket Saint-Gobain glass. Basically everyone just wants the original genuine glass.

No company truly reveals the original specifications - be it for genuine or aftermarket, and it was only by luck I found some Fuyao AMECA certificates from a South African distributor, and admittedly these have since expired.

My thoughts are to insist on the windscreen supplier to provide a copy of the AMECA quality certificate if they claim it is like for like. And get as much info off the original windscreen if you still have it before replacing it, when it is removed measure the thickness yourself (and ideally weigh it), and then compare with what you are being offered.

And look for those symbols - now I wonder if I can etch on the acoustic ear symbol to my original D3 windscreen.

This is a pic of the Fuyuan (FY) screen that came in my used D4.

Old D4 Windscreen_2015.jpgNew D4 Windscreen_Jan2024.jpg

The LR branded one was the original screen in my daughter's 2015 D4. This was replaced last month, Jan 2024, at OBs, Dubbo NSW.
The other pic is the new replacement.
Both have the M1260 spec which Disco DB has informed us is a thickness reference, nominally 6mm.
The new screen is performing nicely, but i must say, under INTENSE inspection, you can hundreds of lines, equidistant, running vertically. Is this the laminate layer? Old screen no longer available to compare it to.
I do not know what the large, "downward pointing arrow" icon means, but it is on both screens.

Edit: BradC has contributed below to suggest the lines are for a heated screen.
this link says that they heating. Windscreen Features | National Windscreens


Best wishes to all. Jeffoir.