Mk 3 Windscreen replacement fiasco.

[MACH1000]

I just wondered if anyone has come across this problem:

My daughter's 2013 Focus Titanium was recently hit by a flying stone which (typically) hit the screen right in the driver's field of vision.  No problem, we thought, the car has fully comprehensiove insurance and windscreens can be fitted at your home by any of the specialist firms.

Unfortunately NOT, it seems, if you have a Ford Focus!   As the car is fitted with the lane-keeping warning system, we are now told that the screen cannot be replaced at home - because the lane-monitoring system needs to be re-calibrated after the new screen is fitted.   The windscreen company put forward by Aviva have branches in Exeter and Yeovil - both about 25 miles away!   No problem, I thought, at the end of the day if the specialists cannot sort the car out, at least we have a large Ford Main Dealership here in Taunton - and we could always get them to fix the screen.

Wrong again!  The Taunton Ford Main Dealership cannot replace a windscreen!   They use a specialist firm (not altogether unexpected).   Not only that, they were not exactly sure WHY changing the windscreen was so difficult - although to the young man's credit, he did make a few enquiries and confirmed "It was something to do with the lane-keeping system".

Whilst I can understand that changing a windscreen is not a 5 minute job, it seem that it is beyond a Ford Main Dealership and is in effect, a major problem - particularly if the car owner happens to be nearly 9 months pregnant and NOT in a position to undertake what SHOULD be unnecessary trips just for  a new screen.

Maybe Ford need to think either about enabling their main dealerships to be able to handle this repair - or alternatively make the systems in the car more robust so that windscreen replacement is not a MAJOR problem.

[Botus]

none of this is new - been like this since at least 2006

they closed most fitment centres and its all mobile vandalism for the peasants....

posh cars (and these days high tech other ones) need special dealer diagnostics / calibration tools and lots of space with a flat floor and all these target pattens - the set up of some are within a few mm, after first doing all four wheel alignment

she bought the car with all the toys - sadly it means a bit of pain to sort - FYI I had to drive 40 miles to sort mine

https://www.maxisysadas.com/

 

 

[DaveT70]

You can calibrate the lane keeping camera with FORScan

[Botus]

I forgot a bit

because its related to ADAS safety systems - they can't do it at the side of the road - once undertaking the job they are legally liable for handing back a safe vehicle meeting the manu specs - if someone was to crash because they chose to activate a system that wasn't safe (as it hadn't yet been calibrated back to factory stds) the screen fitters would be liable

likewise bodging at home - will get messy if you then crash and they can prove you were fiddling - especially if the other party died - you'd now be liable / likely to be found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving - an offence that is newish and once had a very high threshold to get a prosecution - it was drastically lowered till they can just about charge you with it for sneezing

[DaveT70]

13 hours ago, Botus said:

likewise bodging at home

 

20 hours ago, DaveT70 said:

You can calibrate the lane keeping camera with FORScan