UK Year 2000 Insight Windscreen Replacement

TimHadland · 11-11-2012, 08:38 AM

Hi All,
This is my first post, so hi everyone. I purchased a gen 1 insight a few weeks ago. Its a UK car with 5 speed manual. What a great car! Very, very economical.

Unfortunately last night someone threw a bottle at the windscreen, so now I await new one to be fitted tmw. They cant get one today - I guess with only 250 odd cars in the UK thats perhaps got to be expected?

Becuase I do not know the cars very well yet, can anyone please help confirm that the windscreen is simply a 'green'? tinted windscreen with no heater elemenst in etc..?

Is it specially made to be lightweight?

Essentially will the replacement via my insurance company windscreen replacement co. be the same? Apart from maybe Honda markings in the corner?

Anything I need to pay careful attention to when its fitted?

I say this because I have heard of non standard screens on other cars being fitted not having sensors in etc...

Any help greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Tim

**Rush** · 11-11-2012, 10:45 AM

Tim - No sensors, wiring etc. Nothing special about the windshield itself. Make sure that the trim/molding on the sides/roof is put back correctly and that the rear view mirror is installed correctly. There are some clips on the trim that are tricky and sometimes have to be replaced if damaged.

retepsnikrep · 11-11-2012, 12:22 PM

Welcome to a new UK member

Please put your location in your profile.
What car did you buy and how much was it? One of the ones on e-bay?

The Insight is a clip nightmare undier the trim. Searching on here for 'windscreen clips' brings up quite a few horror stories. Chance are autoscreen or whoever may not have the right clips when they attend to fit it.

Rivets and clips front windscreen

The Citrus Smoothie · 11-11-2012, 01:26 PM

Hi Tim, congratulations on your purchase. As mentioned there are issues with clips for windscreen replacements. I may be wrong, but I believe there is also a difference between a 'Honda' replacement windscreen and A N Other replacement windscreen in terms of quality. If you get the opportunity it may be worth asking for an OEM Honda one if they still exist.

So who threw the bottle? Hopefully not a jealous neighbour / local scumbag? A random motorway bridge idiot would be preferable in this instance...otherwise you will need to find a driveway or garage to park in.

Best wishes
Christian

.

TimHadland · 11-12-2012, 08:01 AM

Hi All,

Thanks for the info, much appreciated.

I have requested a genuine Honda screen and asked about clips posibly being required.
I have to wait until Tuesday next week for the job to be done, but I do fear that will be longer when they may find no genuine screens in the UK?
Fingers crossed.

No idea who threw the bottle. Most likely a drunk local scumbag. Smashed bottle was on the other side of the road to the car, so I would say a targeted throw. Its been reported to add to stats, i dont think the police can help, unless there is a witness who reports a particular person. My car is more secure (I hope) at home. Crime was 150 miles outside a family home we were visiting, so got breakdown recovery last night so I could go to work today.

For your info my car cost me 4k with 58k miles on the clock. Was not on ebay - it was a local dealer. 4k Seems to be the going rate. Its unfortuantely not tax exempt. Is it worth trying to apply for it?
It is Citrus yellow and it would appear body no' 37 .

Im an electric car enthusiast, so I hope to learn from my insight experience.

Cheers

Tim

**UK_MJN** · 11-12-2012, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimHadland

it was a local dealer. 4k Seems to be the going rate. Its unfortuantely not tax exempt. Is it worth trying to apply for it?
It is Citrus yellow and it would appear body no' 37 .

Hi Tim.
I have car #32 and also replaced my screen recently - it was ravaged by stone chips and started to crack. A pattern screen was fitted at no cost via the insurance and it seems perfectly fine and indistinguishable from the original. IF interested I could take a look at the markings this evening.

Peter sent me a copy of the pillar garnish/trim removal and clips page which we passed to the windscreen guy so he knew what to expect. I understand that some clips are always broken when the trim is removed. He had some clips in his van that were substituted (he said they could be landrover parts) and all is well.

Your car came off the line in October 1999, but its the date of first registration that matters for the VED exemption (see Select a search : Directgov - Car fuel data, CO2 and vehicle tax tools). Many UK Insights were used as demonstrators and not sold for a while. If registered after 1st march 2001 then you go free, until the government decide there are too many 'green' cars out there and change the rules...

You did really well finding a car locally, and that price, colour and mileage - lucky b****r!

TimHadland · 11-12-2012, 03:22 PM

UK_MJN, I would really appreciate to know what glass was used. It gives me some peace of mind. Ive never had to claim on insurance, and so I subsequently googled and read about all the problems people have had with replacement windscreens.
Sounds like Pilkington is the manufacturer of the replacement being offered.
So far my insurance company have said no to getting a genuine one, which I think is purely down to potential costs to them.

The car may have been a good buy, but compared to my classics that I have run for 11 years, its all very expensive. The plan is to gain that back in fuel savings. If I can do 85 mpg on the motorway like I did on Friday I will be ok.

cheers

**UK_MJN** · 11-13-2012, 06:06 AM

OK Tim,
I'll make a note of the glass markings tonight. Odds are that yours will be the same. I wouldn't expect it to come from a different stock/source as there are only 200 cars on the road in the UK.

EDIT: Pilkington Laminated 43R-00236 FW2171

Here's a thought - how about new wiper blades at the same time. It's great to have the wipers clear the screen properly! I bought a pair in Halfords, easy peasy.

TimHadland · 11-13-2012, 01:59 PM

Thanks UK_MJN.

Good to know its the same source and all ok.

Good point about the blades. Needs a new rear one too.

Cheers

GizmoEV · 11-14-2012, 11:13 PM

Be sure to check the very top (back) clip on the trim over the doors. The gasket tends to harden over time and then start to leak. In my 2001 the water would drip out from under the rear side window trim. I'm not sure but this may also be responsible to the wet seat belt issues some have had.