Is it worth putting a heated windscreen in?

Hey,

Im wondering if its worth replacing my windscreen with a heated one or not. Is it worth the hassle and extra beer tokens??

Been quoted about £140 for standard screen and £330 for heated one that price is fitted but i dont have any connections for the heated one so was just wondering if it would be fairly easy job.

Had a search and theres a defunct link to a magazine feature on how to fit.

Cheers Mike

Worth it yes.

Glass cover?

If when they ask if it was heated you say, "yes"... Or remind them it was!

Have some wires sticking up, not that the installer would probably care.

Just needs a feed via a ignition switched live and if your really fancy a 10minute latching relay and an earth.

Insurance wont cover it unfortunatly.
Im presuming i can get the wires hooked up to a relay and switch reasonably easy???

Got loads of electric issues to tidy up anway so if i do go for a heated one il sort it all at the same time probably.

they are not that much at all!

£30 for a standard one and £50 i think for heated! i have a crack in mine so will be getting a heated one i think.

Where did you find those prices??? And any is it a diy job putting a windscreen in??

i just went in my local parts shop!

i believe it is fairly easy.. i will be having ago some time soon!

Have seen a guide to putting in a windscreen yourself - gather easier with 2 people!

Seemed doable, but needing more patience and perseverance than I possess

I chickened out (worried about breaking the screen), so bought the parts and paid a local independent £40 to fit

Having watched a guy do it who does it every day of his life, I felt the £40 was 'money well spent'!


This is the photo guide I found:

http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=10250

Cheers for that!

It doesnt mention about how to get the old one out but it is a landy so thats probably where the old landrover "fix all" comes in to play...

sinclair182 said:

Cheers for that!

It doesnt mention about how to get the old one out but it is a landy so thats probably where the old landrover "fix all" comes in to play...

Click to expand...

Fair question, but I'd avoid the sledge hammer for this one!

The guy who did mine, cut off the outer rubber 'lip' (carefully) with a stanley knife, then using the palms of his hands and starting in one corner 'banged' the screen out from inside the cab

It took him a fair few blows to knock one edge/corner out, and then he (more gently) worked his way round to free the top edge.

Having done that, he was able to just pivot the screen forward from outside and lift it clear.

Why would you want to put a heated screen in? What's wrong with the age-old 'guess where the road is' system of winter driving?

Or are you intending to use it as a back-up for the heater?

OSD

I considered putting rear heated one in to keep my hands warm when pushing it!

SH thanks but your way does seem a bit less damaging to well everything, but wheres the fun???

sinclair182 said:

SH thanks but your way does seem a bit less damaging to well everything, but wheres the fun???

Click to expand...

I know - in the words of the song 'I love the sound of breaking glass (shown my age now :-( )

That said, I quite enjoyed the nervous look on the fitters face as he had to bang the screen pretty hard - must admit I was expecting it to suddenly break


PS - Nick Lowe if you're that curious about the song

Who???? Showing my age now!

Can't believe your insurance doesn't cover it, I have had windscreen cover on all my vehicles for the past 20-years or so and thought it was standard across the board?
My local independant says he will normally just replace a standard screen for a heated one if the owner asks at the time (the insurance company don't check the old screens).

Well worth fitting one, had one for about 8-years now and it is great in the depths of winter or even just a misty morning.
My original one was bought privately and fitted by my local independant and he charged me £10 (I supplied the new rubber) and since then they have been replaced under the insurance (£50 excess) when damaged or even just if the elements start to break (this happens after a period of time and you end up with vertical stripes across the screen).
As for wiring they draw a significant current (upwards of 30A if I recall correctly) but different screens have different set-ups. My first one had three connections at the top (Neg earth in the centre and two Pos on the outer edges) but the later ones (all Pilkington) have the connections along the bottom edge. Mine is manually switched (as are the heated mirrors) and the only time I have ever needed to leave it on for more than a minute or two is during heavy snow when it is usefull to help combat the build up of snow.
They come in different tints (mine is green to match the side windows) so be certain you order the correct one.