Pricing 'A Class' Windscreens
So, why do 'A Class' Windscreens costs vary so much?
It's not a question of size, it's a question of Manufacturing costs, country of origin and installation time.
Design
Motorhome design is an expensive process, especially on 'A Class'.
Designers will come up with a mould for the front of a vehicle, from this a pattern will be tooled for the windscreen to fit in to the the body aperture, this tooling can cost anything from £10,000 to £30,000. The first run of windscreens will then cost £3,000 to £5,000 each, if the manufacturer wants to make a slight alteration during this process, they basically start again from scratch.
Costs are then volume related, a windscreen manufacturer has to set a whole production line for the manufacture, therefore 5 screens, would cost more than 500 screens per unit.
So, the more bespoke and rare the Motorhome, the greater the cost of the windscreen as a rule of thumb.
Country of Origin
This relates to where the glass is manufactured or stored, if you are in the UK and the windscreens are shipped from USA or Europe, shipping costs, import taxes, insurance costs are all added to the order. In cases a screen that starts life on the west coast of America for $300.00, could easily become £1200.00 by the time it arrives at a UK destination via a dealer. Fluctuations to also consider are the exchange rates, with the pound strong against the Euro, glass from Europe could be 30% cheaper.
Heated Windscreens
Two types of heated windscreens on motorhomes, fully heated or just wiper section heated.
Either way, it will significantly increase costs of replacements.
Original Manufacturer Windscreens or after market Windscreens
I would honestly say, don't get too hung up on this subject, original windscreens i.e. HYMER stamp etc are made in glass factories, say Pilkington for example, but a aftermarket screen may also be made by Pilkington, but lack the Manufacturer stamp, so its often a case of being prepared to pay more for the badge. Same high quality, same factory, no badge could saves pounds, all good quality glass comes with a kite mark, so you should be safe.
Walk around your car, I wouldn't be at all surprised if some windows are Pilkington, some Securit and so on, but they may all have your car brand logo on them.
Glass comes in factory batches, so be it Branded with the vehicle Manufacturer or not, a production run can have problems, these problems are often not evident until a glass installer needs to fit the window. So in this case the installer would report the fault and gain an alternative supplier, in my experience sometimes the cheaper window can be a better fit, or vice versa, its all down to what happens in a certain factory on a certain day.
Issues could be:
Too small, too large, twisted, flat spots along the curvature, too bowed or too flat.
No two vehicle bodies or windows are identical, they all have tolerances of a few millimetres, if they are off in opposite directions, it can make for problems, but 'A Class windscreen installers are often skilled at making the best possible fit that you would not be aware off with the naked eye.
TRIMS
Over 20 years, Ive seen many variations on trim development.
Early Motorhomes had used RUBBER trims to attach the windscreen to the vehicle body, (know as indirect glazing) a simple rubber that slots on to the edge of the window and then lips inside the vehicle body aperture. These would need sealing, were prone to leaking if not done correctly and chassis and body movement could also tilt the windscreen out of the vehicle body, indeed, they could literally fall out, especially on American RV's. Uneven vehicle jacks could also create the same problem, especially with an old or weakened body.
If you have a motorhome with rubber trim that is indirect glazed, where possible insist on a new rubber when replacing the screen, this is because old rubber can perish, become stiff and will be full of old sealants, you ideally want fresh sealant going on to a fresh rubber, old lumps of glue could potentially cause a new windscreen to leak or even stress fracture, so also check what workmanship guarantee your installer gives you. It is reasonable to ask for lifetime (as long as you own the vehicle for)
Slightly later, windscreens became BONDED, this is known as (Direct glazing), in this process, the body of the vehicle and edge of the glass is primed, a bonding material is then used to glue the windscreen in, creating a strong and watertight bond. Trims are then purely cosmetic, they bridge the gap between the window and the vehicle body, the trim in itself is not the seal.
An easy way to identify if a screen is bonded is to took at the glass, it may have an inch or so wide black dotted line around the edge of the windscreen. Incidentally, the purpose of this is to obscure the edge of the dashboard from the outside and protect the bond from the suns rays which can degrade the glue.
Manufacturers play with trims in the factory, you could have the same motorhome as a friend, maybe a few months older or newer, they may have different width rubbers, single or two part rubber trims, or even a cosmetic sealer finish or no rubber trim at all. (floating screen)
The very latest trends, is cosmetic sealer finish top and sides, floating at the bottom (no trims or cosmetic sealers)
Side trims / pods, are also quite common now, Burster Elegance for example, available in many different colours and 2 different lengths, one finishes flush with the top of the screen, another version extents higher than the screen meeting the roof rain channel, 90cm or 110 cm if I'm not mistaken, often requiring replacement with windscreens these Side trims / pods can add hundreds to a windscreen replacement bill.
To summarise:
Indirect rubber seal, often no black dots around the windscreen, rubber is often pronounced and greater than an inch wide.
Two part trim, a slotted plastic trim on the glass edge in to which a flat rubber seal is inserted.
One part rubber trim, fitted to the edge of the windscreen with a flange that flaps on to the vehicle body.
Cosmetic sealer, like what you might find around the kitchen worktops or bath, finished in black, white or grey.
Floating finish, no trim at all, seen on many cars, vans, often reserved for the top or bottom of windscreens, you will see a small gap, the glue behind the screen is the seal.
The Pilote / Rapido motorhomes used all these methods on the same body build, just to make life interesting.
Installation
I'm not going to say how to install a windscreen, but I will point out what you should expect from a Professional Windscreen Installer.
Do's:
Point out to you any damage on the vehicle prior to starting work. (agree what is there) chips, scratches etc.
Give an estimated installation time, 2 to 4 hours depending on vehicle, quicker if rubber glazed.
Boots off inside your Motorhome.
Protect the carpets, seats, dashboard.
Remove the screen with cheese wire if Direct Glazed (Bonded), less chance of damage.
Clean the windscreen aperture, removing dirt from edges of original trim lines, old glue, sealer etc.
Throw cut off glue in the bin, not all over your driveway or site.
Shake primers and open glues away from your vehicle.
Slowly does it, it's not a race, they should be calm, methodical and tidy in there work.
Protect the Bonnet, put removed trims and wipers somewhere safe, not on the ground.
Show you the work.
Agree that no damage to vehicle, don't be afraid to check!
Inform you when its safe to drive.
Don'ts
No offer of pre work body inspection.
Rushing in, tell them to slow down.
Using long blades or two handled cutting tool, they can caused major damage!
Being untidy, in side or outside your motorhome, showing cut off glue etc.
Leaning or sitting on your dashboard, can cause cracks, break controls etc.
Not using vehicle protection.
Shaking primers inside or near your Motorhome, lids can come off, primer is hard to remove once splashed.
Leaving before you have seen the finished job.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
A professional Installer will be happy to let you watch them, explaining the process, clearly be proud of what they are doing and demonstrate a calm, methodical, caring and reassuring manner.
'You should not ever experience broken glass particles on a windscreen replacement.'
The windscreen should come away from the vehicle in tact.
It's not a question of size, it's a question of Manufacturing costs, country of origin and installation time.
Design
Motorhome design is an expensive process, especially on 'A Class'.
Designers will come up with a mould for the front of a vehicle, from this a pattern will be tooled for the windscreen to fit in to the the body aperture, this tooling can cost anything from £10,000 to £30,000. The first run of windscreens will then cost £3,000 to £5,000 each, if the manufacturer wants to make a slight alteration during this process, they basically start again from scratch.
Costs are then volume related, a windscreen manufacturer has to set a whole production line for the manufacture, therefore 5 screens, would cost more than 500 screens per unit.
So, the more bespoke and rare the Motorhome, the greater the cost of the windscreen as a rule of thumb.
Country of Origin
This relates to where the glass is manufactured or stored, if you are in the UK and the windscreens are shipped from USA or Europe, shipping costs, import taxes, insurance costs are all added to the order. In cases a screen that starts life on the west coast of America for $300.00, could easily become £1200.00 by the time it arrives at a UK destination via a dealer. Fluctuations to also consider are the exchange rates, with the pound strong against the Euro, glass from Europe could be 30% cheaper.
Heated Windscreens
Two types of heated windscreens on motorhomes, fully heated or just wiper section heated.
Either way, it will significantly increase costs of replacements.
Original Manufacturer Windscreens or after market Windscreens
I would honestly say, don't get too hung up on this subject, original windscreens i.e. HYMER stamp etc are made in glass factories, say Pilkington for example, but a aftermarket screen may also be made by Pilkington, but lack the Manufacturer stamp, so its often a case of being prepared to pay more for the badge. Same high quality, same factory, no badge could saves pounds, all good quality glass comes with a kite mark, so you should be safe.
Walk around your car, I wouldn't be at all surprised if some windows are Pilkington, some Securit and so on, but they may all have your car brand logo on them.
Glass comes in factory batches, so be it Branded with the vehicle Manufacturer or not, a production run can have problems, these problems are often not evident until a glass installer needs to fit the window. So in this case the installer would report the fault and gain an alternative supplier, in my experience sometimes the cheaper window can be a better fit, or vice versa, its all down to what happens in a certain factory on a certain day.
Issues could be:
Too small, too large, twisted, flat spots along the curvature, too bowed or too flat.
No two vehicle bodies or windows are identical, they all have tolerances of a few millimetres, if they are off in opposite directions, it can make for problems, but 'A Class windscreen installers are often skilled at making the best possible fit that you would not be aware off with the naked eye.
TRIMS
Over 20 years, Ive seen many variations on trim development.
Early Motorhomes had used RUBBER trims to attach the windscreen to the vehicle body, (know as indirect glazing) a simple rubber that slots on to the edge of the window and then lips inside the vehicle body aperture. These would need sealing, were prone to leaking if not done correctly and chassis and body movement could also tilt the windscreen out of the vehicle body, indeed, they could literally fall out, especially on American RV's. Uneven vehicle jacks could also create the same problem, especially with an old or weakened body.
If you have a motorhome with rubber trim that is indirect glazed, where possible insist on a new rubber when replacing the screen, this is because old rubber can perish, become stiff and will be full of old sealants, you ideally want fresh sealant going on to a fresh rubber, old lumps of glue could potentially cause a new windscreen to leak or even stress fracture, so also check what workmanship guarantee your installer gives you. It is reasonable to ask for lifetime (as long as you own the vehicle for)
Slightly later, windscreens became BONDED, this is known as (Direct glazing), in this process, the body of the vehicle and edge of the glass is primed, a bonding material is then used to glue the windscreen in, creating a strong and watertight bond. Trims are then purely cosmetic, they bridge the gap between the window and the vehicle body, the trim in itself is not the seal.
An easy way to identify if a screen is bonded is to took at the glass, it may have an inch or so wide black dotted line around the edge of the windscreen. Incidentally, the purpose of this is to obscure the edge of the dashboard from the outside and protect the bond from the suns rays which can degrade the glue.
Manufacturers play with trims in the factory, you could have the same motorhome as a friend, maybe a few months older or newer, they may have different width rubbers, single or two part rubber trims, or even a cosmetic sealer finish or no rubber trim at all. (floating screen)
The very latest trends, is cosmetic sealer finish top and sides, floating at the bottom (no trims or cosmetic sealers)
Side trims / pods, are also quite common now, Burster Elegance for example, available in many different colours and 2 different lengths, one finishes flush with the top of the screen, another version extents higher than the screen meeting the roof rain channel, 90cm or 110 cm if I'm not mistaken, often requiring replacement with windscreens these Side trims / pods can add hundreds to a windscreen replacement bill.
To summarise:
Indirect rubber seal, often no black dots around the windscreen, rubber is often pronounced and greater than an inch wide.
Two part trim, a slotted plastic trim on the glass edge in to which a flat rubber seal is inserted.
One part rubber trim, fitted to the edge of the windscreen with a flange that flaps on to the vehicle body.
Cosmetic sealer, like what you might find around the kitchen worktops or bath, finished in black, white or grey.
Floating finish, no trim at all, seen on many cars, vans, often reserved for the top or bottom of windscreens, you will see a small gap, the glue behind the screen is the seal.
The Pilote / Rapido motorhomes used all these methods on the same body build, just to make life interesting.
Installation
I'm not going to say how to install a windscreen, but I will point out what you should expect from a Professional Windscreen Installer.
Do's:
Point out to you any damage on the vehicle prior to starting work. (agree what is there) chips, scratches etc.
Give an estimated installation time, 2 to 4 hours depending on vehicle, quicker if rubber glazed.
Boots off inside your Motorhome.
Protect the carpets, seats, dashboard.
Remove the screen with cheese wire if Direct Glazed (Bonded), less chance of damage.
Clean the windscreen aperture, removing dirt from edges of original trim lines, old glue, sealer etc.
Throw cut off glue in the bin, not all over your driveway or site.
Shake primers and open glues away from your vehicle.
Slowly does it, it's not a race, they should be calm, methodical and tidy in there work.
Protect the Bonnet, put removed trims and wipers somewhere safe, not on the ground.
Show you the work.
Agree that no damage to vehicle, don't be afraid to check!
Inform you when its safe to drive.
Don'ts
No offer of pre work body inspection.
Rushing in, tell them to slow down.
Using long blades or two handled cutting tool, they can caused major damage!
Being untidy, in side or outside your motorhome, showing cut off glue etc.
Leaning or sitting on your dashboard, can cause cracks, break controls etc.
Not using vehicle protection.
Shaking primers inside or near your Motorhome, lids can come off, primer is hard to remove once splashed.
Leaving before you have seen the finished job.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
A professional Installer will be happy to let you watch them, explaining the process, clearly be proud of what they are doing and demonstrate a calm, methodical, caring and reassuring manner.
'You should not ever experience broken glass particles on a windscreen replacement.'
The windscreen should come away from the vehicle in tact.