Downgraded windscreen quality, wtf..

Wessa1

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Hi All,

I just wanted to share this with you and see if anyone else has had the same experience.
A couple months ago I had my windscreen renewed on my E.
Now living in New Zealand, the UV is exceptionally high, and its the height of summer here so temperatures on average are 25-30 degrees. Not hot i hear you say, but with next to no Ozone to protect us, its a scorcher.

With this season upon us, the problem is that the dash, steering wheel etc are so hot after a short time i can barely touch them or sit on the leather seats.. (I didn't think of it before, i have a laser temperature gauge and will check it)

I thought i would question my local main dealer (where the screen came from) if the screen installed was the correct type (OE) as i didn't have any issues prior the new screen.
They told me that the previous type of screen which was a 'blue glass screen' which had UV protection, however, since 2015 that screen was discontinued.:mad: So, the new screen offers less protection if any, thus i can barely touch anything.!

I was told that they can offer nothing to prevent my issue so i was left pretty disappointed with the 'suck it up' attitude from a so called prestige main dealer.. I know the rest of the car has blue glass but I have now tinted all my windows to 35% (illegal) except the screen obviously in an attempt to keep the car cool. It helps a little but i'm now also forced to putting one of those nasty silver windscreen reflectors up which absolutely makes the car look classless and its a pain in the arse...

Would any of you good people have a suggestion for pursuing this further ?
I'd hate to be putting that nasty blind up when the suns out, which is most of the time here, and this being my first Merc, i'd hate not to want another as i've already started looking at C63's..:)

Thanks in advance.
Regards, ;)
 

00slk

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I won't be much help, but go and purchase the C63, now that's a cool car in any hot conditions ;)
 

LostKiwi

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If you look at the new cars in the dealership do they have the blue tinted screen?
If so the dealer is spinning you a line....
 

Craiglxviii

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1. All windscreens are OEM even if they aren’t marked as such.
2. UV Cut, which is a different formulation of the PVB interlayer that binds the inner and outer glass layers, is a PSA patent IIRC.

It also doesn’t work that well. Iirc something like 7% greater UV inhibitance than normal glass.

So, not knowing the specifics of this particular case, it’s entirely possible that PSA havevrefused to grant a license for UV Cut to Daimler service parts for your model. It could be as simple as that.
 

John Laidlaw

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In the summer I use one of those nasty blinds, just one of those things, it’s that or fry my hands on the steering wheel. Oh and don’t get a C63, get an E63, it’s the gentleman’s choice don’t you know?
 

s5tuart

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Can't help with the screen but I do know Lotus spent a LOT of money renewing all the dashboards in the USA cars, where the strength of the sun was blistering the leather they had originally used.
I do notice a lot of French cars seem to have some sort of blue reflective tint on their screens so the tech is there.
 

Craiglxviii

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Can't help with the screen but I do know Lotus spent a LOT of money renewing all the dashboards in the USA cars, where the strength of the sun was blistering the leather they had originally used.
I do notice a lot of French cars seem to have some sort of blue reflective tint on their screens so the tech is there.

The blue tint is UV Cut and it goes on mainly French cars cos it’s a French patent.

Bentley has an amusing episode a few years back when their new Quality Mgr noticed most of the complaints about cracking dashboards came from the Gulf Coast countries. He asked what their solar load test standard was. “What solar load test?”
 

Craiglxviii

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Only cos you’re jealous (I am!)
 
OP
Wessa1

Wessa1

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  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #15
Thanks Fellas,
Craig, I didn't notice a blue tint in the screen only the rest of the glass in the car.
I'm just bemused why they would downgrade the quality of a screen.

The Sun article is interesting.

I'm undecided if its going to be an E or C yet.. I will give my E550 a year maybe two then go for it. ;)

I am going to record the dash etc temperature and show Mercedes. Its going to be 30 degrees here today.
I think their response is unacceptable tbh..

Cheers
 

Submariner1

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Thanks Fellas,
Craig, I didn't notice a blue tint in the screen only the rest of the glass in the car.
I'm just bemused why they would downgrade the quality of a screen.

The Sun article is interesting.

I'm undecided if its going to be an E or C yet.. I will give my E550 a year maybe two then go for it. ;)

I am going to record the dash etc temperature and show Mercedes. Its going to be 30 degrees here today.
I think their response is unacceptable tbh..

Cheers
Sorry, I just Don't believe your dealer,
Even my UK spec car has an Infrared Reflective windscreen “to stop the car overheating in bright sunlight”.
I would phone or write to Mercedes direct, no dealers, and ask what the part number is and does it have a protective coating?
Do you seriously think they would have dropped that? What about cars sold in Saudi??
Must be like the devils cauldron over there!

Just had some similar crap.
They don’t sell the boot floor handle for my car, you have to buy the whole boot floor circa £361 and yes they are right that is what EPC says! Seen it with my own eyes.
But
The same part number printed on the handle, which is different to the part number on the whole boot floor, is used on S Class And The earlier CL 215s ... part cost £8.13!
OK to get Black I need the colour code, so all I need is to get the vin number of any 220 S ClAss or preferably a CL C215 with black trim.
 

Craiglxviii

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Thanks Fellas,
Craig, I didn't notice a blue tint in the screen only the rest of the glass in the car.
I'm just bemused why they would downgrade the quality of a screen.

The Sun article is interesting.

I'm undecided if its going to be an E or C yet.. I will give my E550 a year maybe two then go for it. ;)

I am going to record the dash etc temperature and show Mercedes. Its going to be 30 degrees here today.
I think their response is unacceptable tbh..

Cheers

They haven’t downgraded the quality of their windscreen. They’re simply fitting a non UV Cut one. As this is a service part, cost isn’t a factor so it’s not for cost reduction measures which means that it’s either due to parts supply, licensing or customs issues.
 

Craiglxviii

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The Sun article is a half- researched, poorly laid out, confusingly- concluded piece of exactly the quality I’d expect from The Sun. It does not represent a proper research article.
 

John Laidlaw

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The Sun article is a half- researched, poorly laid out, confusingly- concluded piece of exactly the quality I’d expect from The Sun. It does not represent a proper research article.
Sun....research? Never thought I’d see those in the same sentence!:(
 

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