Windscreen replacement colours - What's normal?

[Danny R]

Hi All,

I'm after a bit of advice over windscreen replacement. My Elan's been laid up 18 months and I'm in the process of recommissioning it. I discovered last week that the windscreen got damaged inexplicably. It was irritating but as the car's insured I decided to claim on the policy. A week and a half ago I rang the insurance company and was put straight through to AutoWindscreens who booked me in for tomorrow. They took all my details including the colour of the glass which I checked is clear and has no hue.
They called today to say they wanted me to confirm my windscreen colour as a clear one will have to be specially made and will take up to 12 weeks! I can have a green or bronze by next Friday if I choose that route.

My question is: What colour should it be? The rest of the car's glass has no hue either. Did Lotus ever supply green or bronze? Have any of you guys been forced into this corner?

My main problem is as the car's not been MOT'd due to the lay up all my other jobs are slowly being addressed (at great expense) and now it won't pass the MOT with this windscreen which delays me being back on the road for upto 12 weeks if I want what's already in it replacing. I could then still fail in 12 weeks.

Not happy with that really, they'd made a booking with me without having any screen at all as well!

Thanks in advance.

[wayne]

Hi Danny,

This may help.

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I had the same problem about 15 years ago when I replaced mine. I thought it was clear, but actually turned out to be a green tint. It's quite a light tint.

Looks like the clear ones were made for the Australian cars.

I seen to think that the Bronze ones were fitted to early cars, but could be wrong.

Hopefully someone will be along shortly that can offer you better advice.

[Danny R]

Thanks Wayne, that is very helpful. It never occurred to me to check the online parts catalogue. It's put a seed of doubt about the original screen colour in my mind also, so I'll recheck.
Now I know Lotus offered green and bronze hues I'd feel better about putting one of those in now.

[dapinky]

Danny, when I had mine replaced about 6 years ago I too thought it was untinted.....

.... but on the advice of Autoglass I held a piece of A4 white paper behind the glass and could just make out a green tint. It isn't heavy, but was visible against the paper.

(they then fitted it within 48 hours)

[Brit-Car-Nut]

Regardless, the clear screen is NLS and was superseded by green. Current Lotus factory price is £560.08

[lotusflasherman]

The screen is a very light tint compared to the side windows.

My first Calypso SE had bronze but both my Pacific Blue SE's have green tint, one is earlier than Calypso, the other much later, so I'd guess it may have something to do with car colour combinations.

When the factory had a clear out several years ago they only had bronze side windows left so I now have a pair of bronze as an insurance policy but quite happy to swap for green if that suits anybody...

[Danny R]

Thanks All.

I'm much happier now and will ask AW to proceed with the green tint tomorrow.

I did the sheet of paper trick the day I reported it and was convinced there was no tint. I'll have another go tomorrow.

Thanks again.

[clemo]

Danny
Please be aware and beware .....
The windscreen is not actually the most difficult part of what is about to be undertaken.
Its the seals . It has been known that some windscreen companies don't know what they are dealing with. It would be prudent for you to have a copy of the workshop manual detailing how the works should be undertaken . The seals are the issue. A pillar seals are required as part of the windscreen replacement.

[Danny R]

Well AutoWindscreens have made this an absolute chore.

They missed 3 appointments by not ordering the windscreen, I've had to chase them every step of the way. They finally turned up two weeks ago with no seal and no channel to go around the edge (just as Clemo said).
They have re-used the channel but they stuck it to the windscreen before fitting it to the car. They didn't want to removed the A post seals and left them in situ and just cut the channel around the rivets holding on the A-post door seal.
It didn't look too bad a first, but the channel is already peeling.

It's my own fault really, desperation to get it done let me allow them to do a job I wasn't happy with as it was holding up getting the MOT. I read other posts on here so I had a good idea how this was going to go.

Now, on top of all this, they'd fitted the rear view mirror boss in a position where I can't get the rear view mirror back on because of the roof closing panel angle. I've called them, but they're ignoring me.

So, avoid Autowindscreens (especially Leeds branch), they're hopeless.