Non Genuine Windscreen. Are Obriens telling the truth

snshami · Postby **snshami** » Wed Oct 05, 2011 9:23 am

Hi, my windscreen got a chip on it and qualifies for a replacement. I rang Windscreens O'Brien and they told me they would order the correct mouldings and glass and get back to me. A day later they arranged a time with me to fit the glass. When the repair person came I discovered that he was planning to use a generic moulding that came off a huge roll and the windscreen he had did not come with a mirror base attachment, nor the black ceramic patch that goes behind it.

We both agreed that this would create an unacceptable outcome and he left without doing the work.

Today I got a call from WOB who informed me that the Mazda glass was no longer available and I would have to use the glass he supplied and that he could attach the mirror base to it. She was also going to ring the Mazda dealer to find out if they had the mouldings.

I need some advice please. Is what she said correct. Is the genuine glass no longer available. How is the mirror base attached ? Can one at least buy the mouldings ?

Pamex · Postby **Pamex** » Wed Oct 05, 2011 9:40 am

I had mine done about 8 months ago, and to get an OEM would have meant a few weeks wait to get it from Japan.

I didn't bother looking in to it, as I get one free windscreen a year and this one is covered, so if it had been terrible, I could have just replaced it. It's been great however.

The other reason I didn't bother looking in to it is that it would be no surprise if OEM ones aren't stocked any more. There are a lot of common OEM parts for early MX5s that are no longer carried by Mazda... both here and in Japan.

For the record, I had the seal and windscreen replaced. Both have held up very well after 8 months.

snshami · Postby **snshami** » Wed Oct 05, 2011 9:41 am

Thanks Pamex. Did your windscreen come with a mirror patch.

mazdatenfive · Postby **mazdatenfive** » Wed Oct 05, 2011 9:43 am

E-mailed.

Pamex · Postby **Pamex** » Wed Oct 05, 2011 9:48 am

Hey,

It did. He didn't have any problems matching the mirror up to it. I went through O'Brien's as well (they are the company Shannons use), so maybe give them a crack again and see what other ones they have in stock.

Cheers.

zossy1 · Postby **zossy1** » Wed Oct 05, 2011 10:14 am

Yep, had a non genuine screen installed in my car when we rebuilt it. The screen is great and it came with the mirror base. I wish I knew the brand but can't help you there, only to say that they DO exist.

snshami · Postby **snshami** » Wed Oct 05, 2011 10:57 am

Just got an update from WOB, they have now located the correct glass with a mirror patch and the genuine moulding. It should be delivered soon so am looking forward to getting a good non chipped screen soon.

I'll let you know how it goes.

BTW, thanks for all your help, everyone. You are great as usual.

Mr Morlock · Postby **Mr Morlock** » Wed Oct 05, 2011 11:08 am

Not all glass is the same and not all fitters are the same either.

Pamex · Postby **Pamex** » Wed Oct 05, 2011 11:17 am

Gee, I see Captain Obvious strikes again.

If the glass meets current ADRs it should be fine. O'Brien's comes with a warranty period. If you have issues, you can get it sorted. Many insurers offer 1 free windscreen per year now, so it may cost nothing depending who you are with.

We used to use National windscreens who supplied generic to us. Never encountered any problems with their windscreens (pretty much all generic) and the same cars used to come back regularly for servicing.

NMX516 · Postby **NMX516** » Wed Oct 05, 2011 8:42 pm

Just make sure they do use a Mazda seal - some of the generic or non genuine ones are known to leak. I had WOB replace a windscreen on my last NB, and the generic seal they used let water in, so I had them come out and replace it with a genuine Mazda one, and no problems after that.

snshami · Postby **snshami** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 2:29 pm

I think I need to provide you all an update. This is something of a cautionary tale although it ends well.

It started when I got the chip in the windscreen and contacted Obriens. When I spoke with them I insisted that they use a genuine Mazda moulding. They ordered the moulding and sent an operator out. When he got to my home he unpacked the glass and we both noticed that it did not have the ceramic patch to hide the mirror to glass join and he had also not been given the correct seal and had been prepared to use a generic seal off a roll.

Anyway he left and after more conversation on the phone with the Obriens office staff another appointment was organised. This time it was a different operator. My wife opened the garage door for him since I was at work. I spoke with the person on the phone when he got to my house and asked him if he had the correct glass and the correct moulding. He assured me he had.

When I got home that evening and opened the garage door I saw the moulding was new but it was very badly wrinled at the corners and gapping to the frame. The windscreen also did not have the correct ceramic patch to hide the mirror and the glue was visible through the glass.

I am going to post some images so you can see what I mean.

In a state of shock I rang the man up on his mobile who insisted that he had used the correct seal and that it would all smoothen out in a few days after it was exposed to the sun. I also rang the central Obriens help service and they assured me that everything was going to be fixed and that I was going to be contacted by the Obriens branch first thing the following day.

Next morning after not hearing back from them I rang them and they at first tried to shrug it all off. I then sent them photographs and they said they would investigate. They kept insisiting that since the moulding was a genuine one it had to fit properly. The point was that it didnt.

Anyway I decided to have a look on the internet at some high res images of an MX-5 seal and discovered that the operator had installed the seal the wrong way around. The seal has a channel that the glass sits in and this channel was abutting the sheetmetal frame. How an experience operator missed that was very hard to understand.

Anyway it took another week for them to organise another correct windscreen and a new rubber moulding. This time I made sure I was there.

To cut a long story short this time around it was installed properly and now I have a good windscreen and a properly installed new rubber surround moulding.

If ever I need another glass I will ask Shannons if they will allow me to use another glass company.

Hammer · Postby **Hammer** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 2:37 pm

I had my windscreen replaced only last week by WOB. It was through NRMA with their free windscreen policy.

The windscreen wasn't geniune but it has the black patch for the rear view mirror and a black frame (border) around the windscreen just like the OEM. They also used a generic moulding but it all looked flush with the car so I didn't mind.

Now that I've had it fitted for over a week, you can't tell the difference in the moulding unless you were really looking for it (or it's parked next to another MX5).

Mr Morlock · Postby **Mr Morlock** » Fri Nov 04, 2011 4:12 pm

I mentioned that not all fitters are the same and not all windscreens are either - I was warned not to use WOB and this merely supports that view. Shannons do not insist on WOB.

Steampunk · Postby **Steampunk** » Sat Nov 05, 2011 12:54 am

So the mirror on NA6's windscreen mounted? NA8's are A-pillar mounted, so this will explain the missing patch, ie. they would have looked up model type and came up with "NA" so they won't know the difference between the 6 and the 8.

If the glass looks wrong to you then it IS wrong.

Locutus · Postby **Locutus** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 5:23 pm

mirrors were A pillar mounted until late NA8s, and from then they are windscreen mounted.

my 2c:
my NA8 original japanese windscreen with 240,000kms of stone chips in it is far superior, optically, then the WOB replacement by the last owner in my SP. i forget that it is a non original windscreen, but every now and then i am annoyed with optical distortion in the screen. just sayin.

my replacement screen has a ceramic mirror patch.