Windscreen Durability

[Karearea]

Hi all, I’m new here and loving the informative discussions.
Seriously considering trading my two year old New Defender for a Grenadier.
This is probably a tricky question with so few vehicles in use and in different locations and environments, but….
When I’m facing my fifth replacement screen with only 24,000 kms on my lovely new defender, I’m wondering if anyone can advise on the durability of the screens on the IG? One of my screens lasted a week and only 1200kms!
The IG dealer tells me they are triple laminated and made by the same manufacturer as the Defender. This is not overly inspiring to be honest.
I’m sure we have a particularly bad problem with this in NZ due to poor road maintenance and volcanic sharp substrate which is regularly flicked up by our ever present truckies!

 

[NoAge Hunter]

Hi all, I’m new here and loving the informative discussions.
Seriously considering trading my two year old New Defender for a Grenadier.
This is probably a tricky question with so few vehicles in use and in different locations and environments, but….
When I’m facing my fifth replacement screen with only 24,000 kms on my lovely new defender, I’m wondering if anyone can advise on the durability of the screens on the IG? One of my screens lasted a week and only 1200kms!
The IG dealer tells me they are triple laminated and made by the same manufacturer as the Defender. This is not overly inspiring to be honest.
I’m sure we have a particularly bad problem with this in NZ due to poor road maintenance and volcanic sharp substrate which is regularly flicked up by our ever present truckies!

Well, I believe if you get a crack in the window or not, depends - next to speed on the highway and the terrain you are driving - to a big portion on luck .
I had my grenadier for two days , cruising with 90km/h on a highway with no car in front of me and out if the blue a stone from the other lane hit me. Typical sound and a hugh crack.
So a new windscreen was needed. Delivery time from Ineos to my dealer was….how van I call it…. at the beginning of a lerning curve.
The first two screens arrived at my dealer (Matzker in Gemany) totally broken. That bites a bit….since it trippled the delivery time to me. However, due to an excellent job and input of Matzker, the third windscreen arrived not in pieces but packed as I have never seen before….in a box in a wodden frame. Well at least Ineos obviously lernt something on that case: If you send „Glas“ better pack it right.

Back to your question…. After that bad luck after 300 km I now drove 4000 km and the last 1000 on green lanes, mud rioads and BOATs in Wales and notbing happend. As I said….. luck plays obviously a role.
Thanks again to Matzker for the input to get the screen fixed before my tour!

 

[Karearea]

That's quite surprising that they say that.

1. there are 3 layers visible (1 and 3 being glass, 2 being a kind of plastic foil in between)
2. the windscreen is slightly bent
3. How can they deform the glass without heating? > therefore it is heated!

View attachment 7823103

Look at this video where the process is described.
I had the "luck" in my very early career as a Quality Management Consultant to work in a windscreen manufacturing plant in Charleroi (Fleurus) of the Glaverbel group. The process hasn't changed that much since then.
Look at this Youtube video how they manufacture it.

Thanks Jean this supports what the guy at the dealership found out for me from Ineos.

 

[Karearea]

I have now done about 4500 miles in my Grenadier. Unfortunately I collected two chips is a week , one from a lorry and the second one from an Defender 110 !
Both on motorway drives , the flat and very upright screen does seem to have an effect.
I went through my insurer and three weeks later I'm still awaiting the new screen which they have had to order through an Ineos dealer.
Any information / advice on protective films etc would be useful as I think it may be something we will have to live with.

Thanks Dave and sorry to hear of your troubles. At least it’s a smaller target…here my Defender next to a “magic mushroom” I found in Wanaka!

 

[AnD3rew]

"Our formula molecularly alters the surface of the glass, making it stronger and able to withstand more abuse than untreated glass. Using propriety nano-chemistry originally developed for the space program, IntegraShield penetrates deep into the micro crevices of glass, chemically bonding to its surface. IntegraShield creates a molecular bond that seals microscopic surface pores."

Hey if it works, it works, but can’t help thinking the website spiel sounds like lines from a first order snake oil salesman.

I know what you mean, I probably wouldn’t have chosen it as a stand alone item, but the total package of stuff that I did want, ceramic coating (a good one) and ceramic window tinting etc was actually pretty decent value with a few other bits thrown in including this so why not. It does include this warranty.

Best of all if you chip or break your windscreen we will repair or replace your windscreen unlimited times for 5 years at no charge.

 

[DCPU]

Well that's putting your money where your mouth is.

 

[Karearea]

Well

I know what you mean, I probably wouldn’t have chosen it as a stand alone item, but the total package of stuff that I did want, ceramic coating (a good one) and ceramic window tinting etc was actually pretty decent value with a few other bits thrown in including this so why not. It does include this warranty.

Best of all if you chip or break your windscreen we will repair or replace your windscreen unlimited times for 5 years at no charge.

Well that sounds awesome and I’m sure also NOT available in little old Noo Zild!
I will enquire

 

[Karearea]

Well, I believe if you get a crack in the window or not, depends - next to speed on the highway and the terrain you are driving - to a big portion on luck .
I had my grenadier for two days , cruising with 90km/h on a highway with no car in front of me and out if the blue a stone from the other lane hit me. Typical sound and a hugh crack.
So a new windscreen was needed. Delivery time from Ineos to my dealer was….how van I call it…. at the beginning of a lerning curve.
The first two screens arrived at my dealer (Matzker in Gemany) totally broken. That bites a bit….since it trippled the delivery time to me. However, due to an excellent job and input of Matzker, the third windscreen arrived not in pieces but packed as I have never seen before….in a box in a wodden frame. Well at least Ineos obviously lernt something on that case: If you send „Glas“ better pack it right.

Back to your question…. After that bad luck after 300 km I now drove 4000 km and the last 1000 on green lanes, mud rioads and BOATs in Wales and notbing happend. As I said….. luck plays obviously a role.
Thanks again to Matzker for the input to get the screen fixed before my tour!

Thanks for the details…beginning to get a little concerned now

 

[AnD3rew]

Well that's putting your money where your mouth is.

Indeed, although to your original point you would wonder why, if it’s so good and it’s as easy as applying a coating, windscreen manufacturers wouldn’t just do it as standard. Maybe they are just playing the odds: revenue from sales - cost of goods - total claims = profit

 

[AnD3rew]

Well

Well that sounds awesome and I’m sure also NOT available in little old Noo Zild!
I will enquire

I think this is a package put together by the individual Agent (also a JLR) dealer. So maybe your agent has put something together

 

[MarkH]

Best of all if you chip or break your windscreen we will repair or replace your windscreen unlimited times for 5 years at no charge.

That'd alone would be worth having it done. I'll ask my dealer to look into including it in their packages.

 

[Tazzieman]

Best of all if you chip or break your windscreen we will repair or replace your windscreen unlimited times for 5 years at no charge.

Sounds too good to be true?

 

[AnD3rew]

Sounds too good to be true?

the package also comes with scratch and dent insurance so that for minor repairs to paint for 5 years they send someone to you to do a touch up for $0-$50 for 5 years.

 

[Fidei Defensor]

"Our formula molecularly alters the surface of the glass, making it stronger and able to withstand more abuse than untreated glass. Using propriety nano-chemistry originally developed for the space program, IntegraShield penetrates deep into the micro crevices of glass, chemically bonding to its surface. IntegraShield creates a molecular bond that seals microscopic surface pores."

Hey if it works, it works, but can’t help thinking the website spiel sounds like lines from a first order snake oil salesman.

I looked at a number of reviews of different products and it looks like the top end ones might cost ~US 500+.... And also on one video, it showed that the film gets scratched by the wiper blades and any dust/grit, so it might need to be replaced regularly.
So my take is to leave the windscreen uncoated and hope for the best. I am fortunate that here in Florida, there is a statute that if you have comprehensive coverage, you get free windshield replacement (i.e. no deductable) for damage caused on the highway.....

 

[holdmybeer]

I am fortunate that here in Florida, there is a statute that if you have comprehensive coverage, you get free windshield replacement (i.e. no deductable) for damage caused on the highway.....

Same statute here in BC; windshield repairs are free (government paid) if the damage is smaller than a loonie. (That's our dollar coin, same size as a Susan B. Anthony, bigger than a 1 or 2 Euro coin. And worth a lot less. Sigh.)

 

[Karearea]

I looked at a number of reviews of different products and it looks like the top end ones might cost ~US 500+.... And also on one video, it showed that the film gets scratched by the wiper blades and any dust/grit, so it might need to be replaced regularly.
So my take is to leave the windscreen uncoated and hope for the best. I am fortunate that here in Florida, there is a statute that if you have comprehensive coverage, you get free windshield replacement (i.e. no deductable) for damage caused on the highway.....

This is interesting as my dealer volunteered to apply something to a demonstrater (which funnily enough had a cracked screen)
They are due to report back on wiper issues or any other problems before I jump down that route!
Thanks for the feedback

 

[Shaky]

Add me to the chipped windscreen team.

Dual carriageway at about 75mph. Bang. Stone on the windscreen.

Nice chip and I can see the spiders leg crack appearing already. First one I have had in well over 25yrs. In fact I think the ,ast one that needed a repair was in the early nineties.

I have however had plenty of stones hit windscreens in the past. A very unscientific test but my conclusion yes the are more susceptible to windscreen damage.

 

[curb-optional]

The Wrangler has an optional Gorilla glass windshield, I wonder if we could get one for the Gren.

that's an excellent idea. I have that "gorilla glass" on my garmin running watch. I know, it's just a watch face, so what good would it be to a car windshield! But, if Jeep is using it, maybe there is a legitimate question as to why JLR is not using the best glass option on a $90k SUV? Same for Ineos if they are using what ND has...

 

[EllyS]

only 1500 km done with my Ineos and a rock hit my windscreen this week. Shocked by the price, around 2500 euro! And I’m in South Africa, no stock at all…

 

[Shaky]

only 1500 km done with my Ineos and a rock hit my windscreen this week. Shocked by the price, around 2500 euro! And I’m in South Africa, no stock at all…

So at that price I would say that one of the protective windscreen films is going to be good value. Especially with all the unpaved roads in SA.

Some of the paved roads I have been on there, could also be classed as dubious for a “paved” road