B8 RS4 replacement windscreen

[chandler99]

Great start to the day as i've just had the pleasure of a stone whack the windscreen producing a chip/crack at just under a 2cm.

My insurance uses Autoglass who are going off to see if they can use a genuine windscreen but i thought i'd check with Audi in the meantime. Audi York say that Autogalss windscreen replacement, even with a genuine screen, will cause issues as the car needs 2-3 hours reprogramming and calibration for the adaptive cruise control and lane assist.

Audi York quoted £958 to replace and carry out all the calibration which seems very steep? Has anyone had their screen replaced at Audi before? Are Autoglass just going to stick a screen in and tuff luck with the issues that may occur with cruise control/lane assist?

Any advise is appreciated..

[smudge]

I've had 2 replacements, but I don't have the adaptive cruise. All I will say is, the first time the windscreen was replaced it was messed up by Autoglass (or whomever it was that did it) and the rear view mirror fell off within hours of the works being done. Transpires the tech had broken the mount on the windscreen and tried to bodge it back in place. I then had the car go to Audi for a new RVM & mount to be fitted which they kindly did under warranty for me.

Next time I got another crack in the glass was a few weeks before a service so I made sure Autowotsits went to the dealership and did the works there... This time no issues.

As for the charge, can't comment I'm afraid but I think searching the forum will bring up something as I'm sure I've read this before.....

[ARSEY4]

I had mine done 2 months ago. Check very carefully the wording on your policy. I phoned my insurers to say that Autoglass recalibration centre was too far away and I wanted Audi to do it, they said no problem but you will need to pay and reclaim which is what I did. Audi charged me £1095 and I duly sent the invoice off only to receive a cheque for just £600. I questioned why and they said that because I didn't use their nominated windscreen supplier I was only covered for the first £50 of the cost of the windscreen. I checked my policy Andy they were correct. I didn't take a note of the name of the person I spoke to and they had no record of me speaking to anyone!!!
So please check your policy and get it agreed in writing before you do it.
Good luck.

[Acprc]

I had mine replaced under insurance on my old S5 with Admiral. Autoglass replaced the screen with a genuine Audi one. I then took the car to Audi who re-calibrated the Lane assist etc. I paid Audi, Admiral sent me a cheque for what I paid within 4 days. All very easy. All I ever paid was the windscreen excess.

I couldn't believe what audi has quoted for the calibration but checked in the Audi Service Manual for the A4 and it's a long drawn out procedure so felt a little bit better when I read it.

[chandler99]

thanks for the replies guys. So it seems the best course of action maybe to have Autoglass replace (with genuine) and then get it booked in with Audi for the re-calibration.

How have you guys found autoglass's fitters?

[johnnydog]

I unfortunately had an arguement with a flying stone from the opposite carriageway last week, which resulted in a horizontal crack in the screen from the n/s A pillar. Absolutely gutted.... My insurance company automatically redirected me to Autoglass, but having had poor experiences in the past with Autoglass, I asked if they would agree to a genuine Audi screen being fitted at Audi by the local windscreen company Audi use rather than Autoglass, and to the recalibration for the lane departure warning etc being done by Audi at the same time. After a short pause, the insurance chap replied, 'It's an RS4, that's required, so we'll authorise the work as it's a part of the fitment of a replacement windscreen Sir'. I was impressed and I had already got a estimate from Audi for £1447 for the whole job, I put to him, and they authorised it all, with a text message confirming it too! Apparantly Audi quoted for 5 hours labour at RS rates, plus the cost of the screen and fitting. The other bonus was that my policy had a NIL excess! Well done Royal & Sun Alliance. Incidentally, I have been with them for the past 5/6 years, first with my B7 and now with the B8, and had good service and very competitive quotes. Can't recommend them enough to be honest. Made a bitter experience a whole lot better...

[Acprc]

How have you guys found autoglass's fitters?

This is the problem with Autoglass as a company, you solely rely on the quality of the fitter. Ours was very good but I have had poor service from them in the past when he slashed the boot seal and tried to hide it.

[RS4Guy...]

Hi everyone,

I had my windscreen replaced by Autoglass and I accepted a generic version assuming all would be well.

I discovered that the new windscreen was letting more light in and thus had less tint than the OEM screen. I took this up with Autoglass. During an inspection by them, I discovered the front passenger and driver side windows (original) had the correct tint and asserted that the windscreen should have the same tint.

The manager called me and said the windscreen tint was always less than than the passenger and driver windows.

I think this is simply incorrect (only based on my recollection that the OEM windscreen was more tinted than the generic replacement).

Are Autoglass correct?

I would be grateful for any thoughts.

Thanks

[johnnydog]

Maybe worth checking further, but my understanding is that the windscreen tint must allow 75% of light through and both front windows should let 70% of light through compared with clear glass. The rearmost windows can have a stronger tint basically because they arent directly in the normal line of sight of the driver, and this can be of any depth of tint.

[RS4Guy...]

Thanks johnnydog.