Windscreen Attacks !

[vann]

Hi All,

has anyone else suffered chips,or other damage to their windscreen from flying stones or debris ,off roads (particularly the M1 ) ? - only had my Rav 4 for 3 months now ( from new ) and have had one chip (repaired very well by Autoglass ) and a long scratch caused by something that hit the windsreen and bounced off ( apparently not repairable ).

Another Rav 4 owner i spoke to recently had also suffered a chipped windscreen.

Anything to do with the hight of the vehicle ?

Any ideas as to how to deal with my scratch, won't polish out !

Hope the 3rd thing(s) to hit the screen will only be dead flys !!!!!

Vann

[anchorman]

I think you have just been unlucky - hopefully things will settle down.

If Autoglass cant get the scratch out I don't know of another method.

Good luck

[OldSkoO1]

I had a 10inch crack in my windscreen 2 weeks after i got my t180 auris. I had that replaced by RAC and then have had a further 2 stones hit the screen without damage.

Its the stupid councils deciding to gravel cover all of the roads and to top it off they are building a bypass near where i live and re-tarmaccing a major stretch of dual carridgeway so the sheer amount of lorry's hauling rubble away is insane at the moment.

Doing my head in!

I also got a chip in our Rav XTR too but i think that can be fixed.

[anchorman]

There is a post on the RAV4 World website where US owners are adamant that windscreens are breaking of their own accord - almost as if they are pre-stressed. Have a read.

[4raver]

The previous owner of my Rav4 1996 five door allowed the wipers to drag something nasty back and forth across the screen...the result of this is a 25mm arc of scratches on the drivers side...the MOT say that it does not impair visibility...good job they do not MOT at night ...Ha Ha Ha I will be attempting to polish it out with my dremmel and a range of compounds until I get a good finish....unfortunately I have been promising to do this for the last two years...cant do it yet due to the sodding rain...when will it end.

[Sussex_Paul]

Nothing to report on the windscreen front, but I seem to be picking up more than my fair share of stone chips on the front paintwork than on any other car (including 2 previous Ravs) I've owned.

Almost every time I wash her, I notice yet more new stone chips

I don't drive too close behind other cars/vans/lorries, or do too many miles on motorways etc

Not sure if this is just bad luck, soft paint or that the front end is just too blunt!!!

[Manxrav]

Nothing to report on the windscreen front, but I seem to be picking up more than my fair share of stone chips on the front paintwork than on any other car (including 2 previous Ravs) I've owned.

Almost every time I wash her, I notice yet more new stone chips

I don't drive too close behind other cars/vans/lorries, or do too many miles on motorways etc

Not sure if this is just bad luck, soft paint or that the front end is just too blunt!!!

Paul, I have the same problem with my T180 and guess what it,s the same colour as yours.Makes me wonder if they have a problem with the Tyrol Silver paint. The worse bits are on the bonnet area towards the wheel archs. I also notice that the gloss coat scratches very easy, would love to get hold of something to repair them.

Clare

[shcm]

So far the windscreen is OK (I hope that's not tempting fate!).

As far a stone chips go, I've put some protective film along the front edge of the bonnet - (I don't like the look of a bonnet guard). At least most of the rest of the vehicle front is plastic, so it's not going to corrode if chipped.

Of course, on the first really long distance outing, I encountered what seemed like mile after mile of the dreaded loose chippings - so I've had to touch up a few chips on the lower door areas mostly self inflicted thrown off my own wheels I expect (Paul, Clare - my paint colour is.................you guessed it - TS).

On my old 4.2 I lengthened the standard mud flaps, mainly as an experiment to see if I could cut down the muck drawn onto the back in the wet, but I expect it was also doing some stone chip prevention. I'm now wondering whether I should do something with the 4.3 flaps.

Cheers

[NMaria]

I have had no problem with windscreen chips or cracks but found both my new 4.3 model (in Tyrol Silver!) and my 4.2 (which was dark green, don't remember the proper name) prone to stone chips. Of course, here in Scotland the councils don't put a nice fine layer of chippings down, they glue boulders to the road which promptly come off again. Nevertheless, I do get the impression that the paint is either a little soft or too hard and therefore brittle. I read a (old) post on the Lexus forum about the same problem so it seems we're not the only unfortunate ones. (The same post contained a useful tip: use a toothpick to apply the touch-up paint for a neat result).

Don't like those black bonnet guard things but wondered if a clear plastic protective film (like the one for the back bumper) was available - does anybody know? Not ideal but better than a bonnet that looks like a colander.

[anchorman]

I have a few small chips but nothing too bad. Toyota are using eco friendly paints that I find quite durable but beware of bird droppings (that was polite wasn't it!). I have a Supergaurd kit for bird lime but trust me it makes a mess of the laquer. Just use plenty of water to get it off.

Another item from my recent US Toyota shopping trip was this touch up.

It has a very fine ball point applicator on the top and a brush under the lid. With this ball point you can apply a tiny amount of paint to fill a chip almost without trace. I am told you can get these in the UK but I haven't seen one. I can certainly recommend one if you can find a supplier (maybe Toyota?). The price was $7.18 plus tax (about £4).

Regards

[shcm]

anchorman, that looks very useful - almost certainly better than my efforts with paint and a cocktail stick. Must investigate.

NMaria - I haven't seen any "official" Toyota film for the front (that's not saying there isn't any). What I have used is clear "blade" tape, cut a little to shape, with a sharp knife. It was allegedly developed to protect helicopter blades in dusty conditions. It's not that cheap, but it is supposed to be reasonably tough and not turn yellow in sunlight. I think people use it on mountain bike frames also? I've put it along the leading edge of the bonnet. OK, it's not going to protect the whole bonnet, but it might stop some chips. Up close, you can see a line formed by the edge of the tape, but I'm reasonably happy with it. The tape is not quite as thick as the small bit Toyota have stuck on the lower rear doors.

Also, it seems to be OK so far over the front fog lamps (don't think there are guards available for these?). Hopefully the heat from the bulb won't do odd things to it.

It's the first time I've tried the stuff, so not sure if there is any down side to it, e.g. like trapping moisture, or making the paint under it fade at a noticeably different rate to the rest of the vehicle, or worse, bringing the paint off with it if I decide to remove it. Hopefully none of these!

[anchorman]

I'm not sure there is an easy answer to this.

There is a bonnet shield in the spare parts range but it is an ugly plastic thing that only covers the leading edge. There is definitely no film protector.

The trouble is that while it is possible to protect the leading edge, I had chips in the middle of the bonnet and the front of the flare in the wing.

If somebody is serious about covering with film I would go and see one of these vinyl sign makers. They can produce coloured and clear film that can be applied all over the car and not too expensively either.

I drive trains and some of them have the whole sides of the carraiges covered in film and there are no bubbles or creases.

When the promotion is finished they can take them off with no damage to the paintwork.

I will just keep on top of the chips with my touch up

[dave.m]

Hi all,

been reading about trying to protect bonnet etc from stone chips with clear vinyl. If you do a web search

for car paintwork protective film, you can have a look at companies like Showtrax or Racefilm as examples

of how the pros do it.

Good luck,

Dave.

[Steve@Aberdeen]

A stretch of road on my way to/from work was resurfaced last week - with chuckies. They took the warning signs away over the weekend and folk are no longer slowing down as much. With the stones rattling off the underside (most loose ones have been cleared but there are always some left for a few weeks) I'd slowed to about 30 and kept a decent space from the car in front. The car behind decided he's have none of this and shot past - flinging a chuckie straight into my screen :censor:

A nice star crack about an inch across; it's about an inch from the bottom of the screen and not obstructing my view of the road (just look at the bonnet through this area). Thought about phoning Autoglass today but decided to wait a week or two until the road is clearer; guess what, driving home this evening and another ##***## shoots past and flings another chuckie at my screen :arrgg-matey: Just a very small ding and no problem but it would be annoying to have it on a brand new screen - kinda confirmed my decision to wait a couple of weeks.

As an aside, anyone know if Autoglass are able to re-etch the security number on the screen?

[bothwell_buyer]

Hi All,

has anyone else suffered chips,or other damage to their windscreen from flying stones or debris ,off roads (particularly the M1 ) ? - only had my Rav 4 for 3 months now ( from new ) and have had one chip (repaired very well by Autoglass ) and a long scratch caused by something that hit the windsreen and bounced off ( apparently not repairable ).

Another Rav 4 owner i spoke to recently had also suffered a chipped windscreen.

Anything to do with the hight of the vehicle ?

Any ideas as to how to deal with my scratch, won't polish out !

Hope the 3rd thing(s) to hit the screen will only be dead flys !!!!!

Vann

In 13 years with my RAV, I had to have the windscreen replaced in the first 6 months I think due to vandalism if I remember. The second one now shows a slight crack about 8mm long at the drivers side lower screen which has been there for about a year or more. passed the MOT but its annoying! I wonder if the angle of the screen (ie less inclined than those on sports cars ) means that a stone strike causes a more forceful stone strike? I had one of my 6 Cibies holed by a stone just months after fitting them, but then these things are like a panel of glass at the front so I wasn't too bothered. As for the front bonnet, its still the original paintwork and really not too bad considering its 166k miles. The original full bull bar seems to have taken a fair amount of the punishment. Luckily I've not had to replace the headlamps, but have replaced the 2 front sidelights due to getting holed but then they are plastic. I'll need to ask my brother-in-law what airplanes use to prevent damage to their noses/windscreens! He works in that business.

[anchorman]

A stretch of road on my way to/from work was resurfaced last week - with chuckies. They took the warning signs away over the weekend and folk are no longer slowing down as much. With the stones rattling off the underside (most loose ones have been cleared but there are always some left for a few weeks) I'd slowed to about 30 and kept a decent space from the car in front. The car behind decided he's have none of this and shot past - flinging a chuckie straight into my screen :censor:

A nice star crack about an inch across; it's about an inch from the bottom of the screen and not obstructing my view of the road (just look at the bonnet through this area). Thought about phoning Autoglass today but decided to wait a week or two until the road is clearer; guess what, driving home this evening and another ##***## shoots past and flings another chuckie at my screen :arrgg-matey: Just a very small ding and no problem but it would be annoying to have it on a brand new screen - kinda confirmed my decision to wait a couple of weeks.

As an aside, anyone know if Autoglass are able to re-etch the security number on the screen?

Well Steve it is not like me to roar laughing at somebody's downfall but you explanation of procedings had me holding my sides. You'll have to stop talking Aberdeenish to me because I don't know what a chuckie is any more than a muckle engine. Do you mean a hen as in chuckie - egg? Up in the hills of Derbyshire we use small stones to re-surface the roads and they make much more damage than hens. But for somebody else to fling a another hen at your glass is just intolerable.

Just kidding mate, I know it's not funny and you could cheerfully garrotte the inconsiderate *ssholes but it was just the initial impression. And you know if you don't laugh you will cry

Fairly sure they can acid etch VIN and Reg Nos in for you.

I hope you get it sorted soon.

Regards

PS You could ask if they do a screen with a shadeband in it (usually the same price)

[Steve@Aberdeen]

A stretch of road on my way to/from work was resurfaced last week - with chuckies. They took the warning signs away over the weekend and folk are no longer slowing down as much. With the stones rattling off the underside (most loose ones have been cleared but there are always some left for a few weeks) I'd slowed to about 30 and kept a decent space from the car in front. The car behind decided he's have none of this and shot past - flinging a chuckie straight into my screen :censor:

A nice star crack about an inch across; it's about an inch from the bottom of the screen and not obstructing my view of the road (just look at the bonnet through this area). Thought about phoning Autoglass today but decided to wait a week or two until the road is clearer; guess what, driving home this evening and another ##***## shoots past and flings another chuckie at my screen :arrgg-matey: Just a very small ding and no problem but it would be annoying to have it on a brand new screen - kinda confirmed my decision to wait a couple of weeks.

As an aside, anyone know if Autoglass are able to re-etch the security number on the screen?

Well Steve it is not like me to roar laughing at somebody's downfall but you explanation of procedings had me holding my sides. You'll have to stop talking Aberdeenish to me because I don't know what a chuckie is any more than a muckle engine. Do you mean a hen as in chuckie - egg? Up in the hills of Derbyshire we use small stones to re-surface the roads and they make much more damage than hens. But for somebody else to fling a another hen at your glass is just intolerable.

Just kidding mate, I know it's not funny and you could cheerfully garrotte the inconsiderate *ssholes but it was just the initial impression. And you know if you don't laugh you will cry

Fairly sure they can acid etch VIN and Reg Nos in for you.

I hope you get it sorted soon.

Regards

PS You could ask if they do a screen with a shadeband in it (usually the same price)

Chuckies are small stones - gravel. It's getting obvious I've been in Scotland too long. First half of my life in Somerset, the second half (so far) in NE Scotland. Perhaps it's no wonder folk don't always understand me

Came out to the car this morning and the star has spawned a nice crack about a foot long - not in my normal line of site but it looks like I'll need to get the screen replaced sooner rather than later.

[Steve@Aberdeen]

Well, Autoglass came and replaced the screen in the office car park last Friday - two (one-man) vans (one to do job and the second to help as it's a large screen to lift in). Took them less than an hour from start to finish and, unless you look at the glass manufacturer's marks, it would be difficult to tell it from the original. A good job.

They say they can normally do the security etching at their local base but it's being refurbished and that facility is out of action. Not really a problem as all the other windows are etched.