Heated windshields

[Brent Deines]

I know we have covered this topic in the past, but I'm curious as to how many of you repair heated windshields, and how often. Please chime in with answers to the following questions.

Do you repair grid style heated windshields?

Do you repair film coated heated windshields?

Do you repair conductive line heated windshields?

How many of each type have you repaired?

Have you ever had any problems repairing heated windshields? If so, please explain.

For the record, Delta Kits defers to manufacturer recommendations for the repair, or non-repair of heated windshields, but I know many technicians perform these repairs successfully and I have yet to hear of any problems in the field.

[GlassStarz]

I have done a few landrovers and range rovers they have a fine wire grid in them. They seem to repair like any others I was afraid the resin would flow with the wire or the wire would stop the fill but on the few I have done across the years(maybe 20?) I havnt seen a problem

[screenman]

I would say 50% of the cars I repair over here have heated screens and have never had a problem with them at all. Do you refer to solar screens, the slightly mauve looking ones as film coated if so yes I repair these as well. However if the damage is left in these for even a short while before repair then the will be a change of colour of the coating, this changes to a silver colour and will still be there when repaired. This silver is different to the delamination colour on normal screens. As for how many of these I have repaired, thousands.

screens = windshields.

[Brent Deines]

I'm just talking about heated windshields in this thread, although I had planned to ask another question about the solar windshields in a separate post. I too have experienced the white appearance in the break prior to, and after the repair of solar windshields, but not if they were fresh breaks. I don't know if it is the air or the moisture that causes the color change, but the repair does not seem to either help or worsen the color change. It is what it is.

So have you done many of the other types of heated windshields. I don't think there are many manufacturers that use the film on the inside of the outer layer of glass, but I have not checked a current list to be sure. I also don't see too many that use the screen printed lines down by the wiper area, or at least not around here, but I was curious about other parts of the country, and around the world.

The main reason I asked is that I think it would be helpful for new technicians to know what to watch out for, and what they can be comfortable with based on experiences from veteran windshield repair technicians.

[screenman]

To be honest I just repair every repairable damage on any type of glass, I never really inspect for make up etc. I have not come across any car in the UK that has any screen that is any harder or easier to repair than any other make. I will have to start looking harder.

[Brent Deines]

I have always been kind of the same way. I sometimes walked away from damage that I felt was too sever to be repaired, but not often, and other than that I was usually game to try just about anything. I just don't want to tell people it is ok to repair a heated windshield if there is any chance of causing an electrical short, which has been reported by some of the auto glass manufacturers. That has never been my personal experience either in the field, or in years of testing, but I have to admit that my experience with heated windshields is limited. I wish I could say I have done thousands, or even hundreds of them, but that is simply not the case. Dozens maybe.

[screenman]

Well I have certainly done the thousands for you. I think Fords said years ago that their heated screens should not be fixed, I just carried on as I had before they informed us. I think Glasseye should pop in and give us an update on the make up of todays heated screens. I tend to think the elements are set into the PVB , unlike most rear screens.

[Brent Deines]

Again, there are three different types that I know of. The ones with micro fine wires are indeed embedded in the laminate, but there are also the ones with a film on the inboard layer of the outer lite of glass, and the ones with the lines screen printed on the inside, similar to the heating elements on the rear windows of many vehicles.

I didn't realize that in Europe there were so many more than there are here. Until very recently you would seldom see a heated windshield in anything but very high end vehicles. Unless you specialize in high end vehicles I would be surprised if most windshield repair technicians repair more than a few heated windshields a year, and some windshield repair technicians may never see all three types of heated windshields, or even know they exist for that matter.

[ghost rider]

Same as the other guys, repaired many, never had a problem. I would guess that the shorting out problem could be excessive heat during dry-out.

[Glasseye]

As Screenman says most heated front screens on European models are of the micro fine type, the elements being set in the interlayer. If some of the fine elements break the rest of the screen continues to operate. The biggest problem is faulty soldered joints were the main wires are connected to the screens ( very fragile). I have never experienced a problem doing a repair on them.