Why You Should Avoid DIY Windscreen Replacement

27 April 2015
 Categories: Automotive, Blog


You may need to replace your car windscreen if it gets a major crack that damages the vinyl between the sheets of glass. While some people may hire a competent auto shop technician to replace the windscreen, others may want to do it themselves. This article discusses why it is unwise to attempt a DIY windscreen replacement.

You May Damage Your Car's E-Coating

E-coating refers to the coating placed on your car's metallic parts to protect them from corrosion. Due to your inexperience in replacing windscreens, you may accidentally damage this electro-plate coating (e-coat) on the car's pinch weld (the frame onto which the windscreen is mounted). The tools you are using to remove the old windscreen may cause this damage when they scrape against that e-coat. Once the e-coat is damaged, the pinch weld will gradually rust and your windscreen will begin to leak. To avoid this eventuality, hire an experienced windscreen repair professional to replace your windscreen.

You May Choose the Wrong Urethane Adhesive

There are many urethane adhesives (adhesives used to hold the windscreen in place) on the market. Each kind is suitable to be used under different conditions like temperature zones and the time required for the adhesive to set. For instance, one kind may be ideal when you would like to drive away as soon as the windscreen has been installed while another kind requires several hours to set before you drive away. Unless you have some advanced knowledge of car repairs, it is very easy for you to pick any adhesive you find and then use it in conditions it was not designed for. Such a situation can result in your new windscreen falling off as you drive or cracking due to improper installation. That is why you should leave windscreen replacement to the professionals.

Your Insurance Company May Not Cover that Windscreen Replacement

Insurance companies prefer to pay for car repairs that were conducted by licensed professionals so your claim for windscreen replacement may not be honored if you did the work yourself. Thus, it will be more costly to you to attempt a windscreen DIY job instead of filing a claim so that your insurance company covers that cost.

There are both monetary and safety risks that you expose yourself to if you replace your windscreen yourself. Avoid those risks by using your DIY skills on other projects; leave the auto shop to handle your windscreen replacement or repair tasks. For more information, contact a business such as Premier Windscreens.


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