Pilot assist struggling after replacement windscreen

[Chudy85]

Need to think about that when windscreen is replaced

Camera and radar calibration

[Davebbass]

It's nice to see I'm not alone here then!

I recently had to have my windscreen replaced after a crack appeared from the passenger side. Insurance (Admiral) flat out refused to fit a genuine Volvo screen, and are painfully impossible to communicate with on the phone.

I spoke to Autoglass who assured me that the car would have an OEM screen fitted as they use the same manufacture of the glass of rest of the car (Saint Gobain) to avoid issues. So I turned up to my 9am appointment to be told they won't be touching it until 1pm (that went down well!), but I had to suck it up as by the time I'd made it home, I'd have had an hour before having to make the return journey - pointless!

The job in hand took around 4 hours and the technician took the car out for the test drive, and interestingly he took it straight back into the workshop when he got back for a further 10 minutes. When I got the car back I noticed that the quality of the screen wasn't all that great, and it also wasn't a Saint Gobain screen but AGC. At this point I'd given up as I've been battling Admiral since January!

Started the drive home and then the problems pretty much immediately reared their ugly head. First up I noticed the leather dash had been scratched by the technician, which luckily for them I've managed to sort as it wasn't too deep. But as for the windscreen, the clarity all along the bottom edge and corners is horrifically distorted. Even just glancing over to look in the mirror and it's very noticeable. The heater elements are also very prevalent now compared to the factory screen. I had a 700 mile round trip the next two days and noticed within a couple of hours I was getting a headache and started to feel a bit sick. I thought I could've just been a bit under the weather, run down etc. Fast forwards to the drive home and the automatic main beam was all over the place, and Pilot Assist pretty much had me on the left line. Unusable!

Fast forwards to a week later (this weekend just gone), same trip up to Scotland, and lo and behold I start to feel sick again on the drive. I drive around 30k miles a year and have never had this issue arise, and my partner was with me this time and said that when she wanted to slump down in the passenger seat and relax, she couldn't for too long because the distorted windscreen was giving her a headache! This time the automatic wipers were also all over the show too.

I know these cars and the systems, I've been in a SPA Volvo since 2019 and this is my third one, and these issues have only occurred after having a crappy screen put in. Autoglass came out to it today and the technician immediately clocked the issues too and has said a new screen's going to have to be fitted. So, let's see where this goes!

[JonathanD]

Just to add to this that late last year I had to have the factory-fitted heated windscreen on my 2019 V90 replaced.

I am insured with Volvo Car Insurance, and my experience highlighted what in my opinion are benefits of going not for the cheapest insurance policy but for the manufacturer-branded insurance policy.

The windscreen replacement actually goes back to an incident in mid-2020 when a flying stone from the opposite side of a dual carriageway hit my windscreen and left small impact 'hole' just off the driver's field of vision. Fortunately no cracking resulted. Volvo Car Insurance 'partner' Auto Windscreens filled the damaged area in less than an hour and at no cost to me.

Fast forward nearly two and a half years to late last year when I noticed much of the filling had come out. Auto Windscreens said a repair cannot itself be repaired and the windscreen would have to be replaced. I was then given the option of going to an Auto Windscreens for replacement of the windscreen after which I would need to go to a Volvo dealership to have the recalibration work done, or a Volvo dealership could do the whole job. At multiple levels a Volvo dealership doing the whole job was a total no-brainer to me, especially as it meant the Volvo dealership I bought my V90 from new and where all maintenance work has been done, Volvo Cars Havant (Cambridge Garage Havant in old money) would be where I would go.

From here the only slight glitch was a delay in the replacement Volvo OEM heated windscreen arriving at the Volvo dealership, meaning the booking had to be pushed back a week, which was no inconvenience to me. Other than that, the booking was for two days (at the Volvo dealership's behest, not mine I might add to give credit where credit is due) to prevent any sense of the work needing to be rushed to get it done inside one day, I was given a near brand new V90 Cross Country for the two days while my car was with them, and when I got my car back complete with brand new Volvo OEM heated windscreen everything else was exactly as it should be, and all it cost me was the windscreen excess on my Volvo Car Insurance policy.

Which brings me to one final observation. The windscreen replacement was treated as a claim under my 2020/2021 year of cover as that was when the damage and initial repair happened, rather than as a claim under my 2022/2023 year of cover, which meant that due to a change of underwriter changes of cover in the intervening period (the underwriter has changed again this year for 2023/2024 but that is another story) I paid the lower windscreen replacement excess that applied under the underwriter of my 2020/2021 year of cover rather than the higher windscreen replacement excess that applied under the underwriter of my 2022/2023 year of cover.

So all in all I was completely happy with my experience, which to my mind has vindicated my policy of being insured by Volvo Car Insurance since I became a Volvo owner in 2014, and I would definitely recommend windscreen replacement work being done by a Volvo dealership rather than by a 'windscreen specialist' if the option is available.

[Wizzpop]

My experience, last year, was also satisfactory. My insurance company (LV) wouldn't accept my dealer, also Cambridge Garage, replacing the screen. I was advised to use Autoglass or National Windscreens. Autoglass couldn't fit me in for nearly a month but National was only a couple of days. I made an appointment with National, dropped the car off. As they only wanted a couple of hours I went for a walk. Sure enough after about two hours I received a text to say it was ready. All was good, although not stated to be an original Volvo screen all the labels indicated that it was. National did the recalibration themselves and I have not had any problems since. Chatting to the technicians when I collected the car gave me a lot of confidence in their ability.

[NickRno77]

Just had mine replaced, now is driving to far right in the lane, in left lane the right wheel rides the centre markings the fast lane nearly moves into the centre reservation . Took it back immediately 10 minutes after they calibrated, he calibrated it again same problem, no better. I’m taking back again tomorrow.

Not sure what’s going on as they seem to know what they’re doing.

I was wondering if the car needs to learn to get central between the lane markers?

BTW was not fitted with an OEM replacement.

[NickRno77]

Originally Posted by NickRno77

Just had mine replaced, now is driving to far right in the lane, in left lane the right wheel rides the centre markings the fast lane nearly moves into the centre reservation . Took it back immediately 10 minutes after they calibrated, he calibrated it again same problem, no better. I’m taking back again tomorrow.

Not sure what’s going on as they seem to know what they’re doing.

I was wondering if the car needs to learn to get central between the lane markers?

BTW was not fitted with an OEM replacement.

My Pilot Assist saga continues, the windscreen company replaced the 3rd party screen with a Volvo Screen.

Same problem, the car is not centred in between the lane markings, always right and sometimes riding on the right line. Also the Adaptive Cruise feels a bit slow to respond following a slowing car.

Possibly the windscreen companies equipment isn’t quite right?

QUESTION:
I have someone local that specialises in ADAS they can do a static calibration.

Any know if Volvo’s ADAS can be calibrated statically or does it have to be done using a spirit level and calibrated while driving the car?

[mr rusty]

FWIW I had my V90 heated screen replaced by national windscreens recently. Because of 3 week delays on getting a Volvo part (National confirmed it was identified as an OEM part and they would not fit a chinese screen, even if one was available), they said they had an AGC screen available which is OEM equivalent. AGC are an OEM supplier to other manufacturers. https://www.agc-glass.eu/en/products/automotive-glass

The job was perfect, the screen is indistinguishable from the original in terms of heating elements etc. and Pilot Assist works perfectly. Interestingly the fitter said that as long as the ignition wasn't turned on with the screen out, it shouldn't need recalibrating. Whether that's true or not IDK, but no complaints from me.

[NickRno77]

Originally Posted by mr rusty

FWIW I had my V90 heated screen replaced by national windscreens recently. Because of 3 week delays on getting a Volvo part (National confirmed it was identified as an OEM part and they would not fit a chinese screen, even if one was available), they said they had an AGC screen available which is OEM equivalent. AGC are an OEM supplier to other manufacturers. https://www.agc-glass.eu/en/products/automotive-glass

The job was perfect, the screen is indistinguishable from the original in terms of heating elements etc. and Pilot Assist works perfectly. Interestingly the fitter said that as long as the ignition wasn't turned on with the screen out, it shouldn't need recalibrating. Whether that's true or not IDK, but no complaints from me.

Seems a bit hit and miss! The ADAS specialist I’m taking it to said the Wheel Alignment should be done before any ADAS Calibration. Doesn’t make sense to me TBH?

[mr rusty]

I'm not saying they didn't recalibrate - the man at National was their senior fitter and ADAS specialist, and seemed to know what he was on about. I had a lot of confidence in them - National were very helpful. The delays on the OEM screen from sweden kept extending and they went out of their way to try and find a suitable alternative.

[NickRno77]

FYI I took the car to an ADAS Specialist

The ADAS specialist said it’s imperative to check the wheel alignment before doing ADAS Calibration..

1/ They checked the wheel alignment which was out, they adjusted correctly.

2/ Carried out ADAS Calibration.

Now my car is behaving just as it was before I changed the screen.

1. Pilot Assist is tracking between the lines in the middle and reacts better to following a bend.

2. Lane Assist is now correct. Bumps as soon as or before the wheels touch the line.

3. Adaptive Cruise is working more consistently, (before seemed to delay slowing following cars)

So you may be lucky getting the ADAS done at a windscreen installer and have no problems but if the wheel alignment is slightly out this will cause inaccuracy in the ADAS Calibration.

The ADAS specialist said it’s imperative to check the wheel alignment before doing ADAS Calibration.

I’ve attached report from the specialist.