Pilot Pete
New member
So today I ticked off another couple of jobs getting my 2015 V6S back to sparkling condition. When I purchased it earlier in the year it had a few marks etc that needed addressing. One of these was a chipped windscreen - one fair sized chip that had been repaired well lower left on the passenger side. Over the years it had picked up several tiny chips across the screen and one right in the drivers line of sight, which although small enough not to be an MOT failure had become increasingly annoying every time I looked at it when I got in!
The search started for a genuine, heated coupe screen, which really are quite pricey from Jaguar. I spotted one on eBay before I actually bought the car believe it or not, but left it and left it as I had other priorities. It was listed back in February and taken off at the end of August. However, it reappeared a few weeks ago and I though now was the time to take the plunge. It was a genuine Jaguar, brand new, heated coupe screen still in its original packaging. The seller was asking £550 collection only. With my knowledge that it had been listed and unsold since February I made an offer of £400, which was immediately accepted! Maybe I should have offered £300!!!! :lol:
I asked my Jag Indie if they fitted screens or put the work out. They confirmed they used one of two local independent windscreen companies. I contacted both and requested a ‘fit only’ price. One was £200+VAT at their workshop and they said they may need to fit and charge for any extras such as ‘clips, trims and sensor gels’. The other quoted £120 including VAT and specifically said that would be the final charge. I went with this company.
They are Autoglaze in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent and I dropped the car off at 08:30 and went for a bacon butty and tea just down the road. They said the car would be ready in an hour or two. It was ready by 10am. I went back to find a very clean job, which appeared to be to a very high standard. They also commented that I had got a bargain because the screen I had bought also had a solar reflective finish which apparently reduces the heat in the car on a summers day.
With that done, I noticed this morning upon using the wipers to clear the overnight dew that one (or both) wipers were catching somewhere. Upon inspection I noted that the driver’s wiper was set a fraction too low and contacting the lower windscreen finisher and the passenger side wiper arm was contacting the plastic scuttle cover. They were only just contacting, so that was a mark down for Autoglaze, but it was a very simple DIY fix.
As I was going to remove and replace them to correct their positioning, I decided now would be the ideal opportunity to refinish the black plastics under the wiper arms and across the back of the engine bay, which had all faded a bit due to UV light over the years. I had bought a bottle of G Techniq C4 Permanent Trim Restorer a few weeks back with this exact job in mind.
The pack comes with 4 wadded cotton applicators and some instructions. It is simplicity itself to use. First off though all the plastics needed thoroughly cleaning. I did this using a microfibre towel and Isopropyl Alcohol.
After wiping the C4 all over the plastics I wiped off the excess with another microfibre towel, leaving a much better ‘black’ finish (which more technically is a very dark grey). The results look much better.
I replaced the wiper arms in the correct positions and refitted the plastics that I had removed. I noted all the fasteners were looking a bit old so have ordered new ones off eBay, for not much cost. As I had a bit of C4 left I removed the plastic cover just under the front of the bonnet and did a similar treatment on this, and the two rear wheel arch plastics that just stick out slightly at the back of the arches.
Job jobbed and it looks much better in my opinion. Sure, there are some scratches which C4 simply cannot remove, but the overall effect is pretty good. Supposedly the finish can last up to 2 years. We’ll see. https://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/gtechniq/c4-permanent-trim-restorer.aspx
One thing for sure is that annoying chip in my line of sight from the driver’s seat is no more!
The search started for a genuine, heated coupe screen, which really are quite pricey from Jaguar. I spotted one on eBay before I actually bought the car believe it or not, but left it and left it as I had other priorities. It was listed back in February and taken off at the end of August. However, it reappeared a few weeks ago and I though now was the time to take the plunge. It was a genuine Jaguar, brand new, heated coupe screen still in its original packaging. The seller was asking £550 collection only. With my knowledge that it had been listed and unsold since February I made an offer of £400, which was immediately accepted! Maybe I should have offered £300!!!! :lol:
I asked my Jag Indie if they fitted screens or put the work out. They confirmed they used one of two local independent windscreen companies. I contacted both and requested a ‘fit only’ price. One was £200+VAT at their workshop and they said they may need to fit and charge for any extras such as ‘clips, trims and sensor gels’. The other quoted £120 including VAT and specifically said that would be the final charge. I went with this company.
They are Autoglaze in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent and I dropped the car off at 08:30 and went for a bacon butty and tea just down the road. They said the car would be ready in an hour or two. It was ready by 10am. I went back to find a very clean job, which appeared to be to a very high standard. They also commented that I had got a bargain because the screen I had bought also had a solar reflective finish which apparently reduces the heat in the car on a summers day.
With that done, I noticed this morning upon using the wipers to clear the overnight dew that one (or both) wipers were catching somewhere. Upon inspection I noted that the driver’s wiper was set a fraction too low and contacting the lower windscreen finisher and the passenger side wiper arm was contacting the plastic scuttle cover. They were only just contacting, so that was a mark down for Autoglaze, but it was a very simple DIY fix.
As I was going to remove and replace them to correct their positioning, I decided now would be the ideal opportunity to refinish the black plastics under the wiper arms and across the back of the engine bay, which had all faded a bit due to UV light over the years. I had bought a bottle of G Techniq C4 Permanent Trim Restorer a few weeks back with this exact job in mind.
The pack comes with 4 wadded cotton applicators and some instructions. It is simplicity itself to use. First off though all the plastics needed thoroughly cleaning. I did this using a microfibre towel and Isopropyl Alcohol.
After wiping the C4 all over the plastics I wiped off the excess with another microfibre towel, leaving a much better ‘black’ finish (which more technically is a very dark grey). The results look much better.
I replaced the wiper arms in the correct positions and refitted the plastics that I had removed. I noted all the fasteners were looking a bit old so have ordered new ones off eBay, for not much cost. As I had a bit of C4 left I removed the plastic cover just under the front of the bonnet and did a similar treatment on this, and the two rear wheel arch plastics that just stick out slightly at the back of the arches.
Job jobbed and it looks much better in my opinion. Sure, there are some scratches which C4 simply cannot remove, but the overall effect is pretty good. Supposedly the finish can last up to 2 years. We’ll see. https://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/gtechniq/c4-permanent-trim-restorer.aspx
One thing for sure is that annoying chip in my line of sight from the driver’s seat is no more!
