Windshield w/rain sensor

jdTrader

Staff
Moderator
Car
2009 FX50S
Please need a quick favor....

Long story short, rock hit the windshield, dealer replaced with OEM windshield, and they did a crap job (see pictures below). They agreed to correct the problem. They bought a new rain sensor that they plan on putting on tomorrow morning, but I forgot to to take really good shots of specifically the rain sensor before the windshield got replaced. I have some before and after shots to show them on paper for tomorrow to say hey listen it should look like this, and didn't think of asking you guys until now.

So, if anybody could take a picture or two of what it should look like just like pictures I took and upload them here, that would help a lot. I'm particularly interested to see if the shadow ring and the two shadow glue should be seen like this. It's obvious to me the white parts are definitely not how they should be.

Thanks for your guy's help!!! If I see some pictures by tomorrow morning, I can print those off and show before they start the work. Better/bigger the picture the better (here the pictures I just attached small but on paper they are bigger resolution). Hopefully someone can take a pic for me that also has rain sensor 09+! :) But I'm a little worried most of you guys already went to bed :(

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Definately not suppose to look like that. There is not suppose to be a white ring around it. It's suppose to be completely black around it. To me it looks like they applied the gel pad around it wrong. I'm at work right now and don't have the FX with me today. But I"ll take some pictures when I get home to show you. Mine has the rain sensor too.

You should of just had the windshield repaired instead of replacing it. My windshield got two chips in it and the dealer has a glass repair guy inject glass resin into the chips using some machine and the chips were the size of a penny and they completely disappeared. It came with a lifetime warranty and you can't see it at all.
 
I dropped off the car this morning and I hope it turns out better. The white parts I know is wrong and have a big problem with, but the part I'm interested in (because I don't know if originially it looked like that is) the black ring around and the two blobs of what looks like glue that's a little darker. You can notice it just slightly after taking the picture with flash but not really in person...I'm curious if originally that is how it is done too and I just never noticed it and maybe am being just too picky now. If it's not how it's typically done then I would want to show them that they should be doing it a certain way then by having a comparison picture of how it was before. I'll probably be on my way to get the car back at 5pm EST...not sure if you would be able to get a pic of that as comparison before then? If there are concerns, I would want to bring them up before I take the car out of the dealership since I'm already in this for a second time :frown:
 
I dropped off the car this morning and I hope it turns out better. The white parts I know is wrong and have a big problem with, but the part I'm interested in (because I don't know if originially it looked like that is) the black ring around and the two blobs of what looks like glue that's a little darker. You can notice it just slightly after taking the picture with flash but not really in person...I'm curious if originally that is how it is done too and I just never noticed it and maybe am being just too picky now. If it's not how it's typically done then I would want to show them that they should be doing it a certain way then by having a comparison picture of how it was before. I'll probably be on my way to get the car back at 5pm EST...not sure if you would be able to get a pic of that as comparison before then? If there are concerns, I would want to bring them up before I take the car out of the dealership since I'm already in this for a second time :frown:


Here's what my rain sensor looks like on the windshield:

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I also circled in red where the circle gel pad is:

cimg2938.jpg


---------- Post added at 12:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:23 PM ----------

Hope that helps!
 
Thanks Aaron so much!!! I see the black spots in your second picture where the glue adheres to the glass, so I know now that part is normal and the fact that the actual rain sensor part is a slightly different color and that is normal. Thanks again! :tup::tup: This is a big help!
 
Thanks Aaron so much!!! I see the black spots in your second picture where the glue adheres to the glass, so I know now that part is normal and the fact that the actual rain sensor part is a slightly different color and that is normal. Thanks again! :tup::tup: This is a big help!


No problem man!


Hope the dealer sorts out your problem.
 
So here was the scoop. The guy who replaced the windshield at the dealership (3rd party) put the same rain sensor back on. What happens is when you reuse the sensor, then the gel looks all funky like in my picture. All that white stuff is actually the gel. The dealer got the new rain sensor, but the gel piece was missing, so they overnighted a new one now and said it should be all good when it gets in Friday probably.

What you guys need to know: If you get the windshield replaced and if you want it to look right, then you will need to get a new rain sensor as well because the gel piece on it is basically a one shot deal. Think of it like this: if you put super glue on plastic and attach it on something, then remove it and then put super glue again on it and reattach it, it will look like crap. The dealer said he wish the 3rd party vendor told him that he needed to order the rain sensor new too then he would have had everything in one day, so just keep that in mind guys. Luckily since I had this done at the dealership, there is no cost for all this stuff to me. Just something new to learn :)

Another big Thanks to Aaron! Thanks Buddy!
 
So here was the scoop. The guy who replaced the windshield at the dealership (3rd party) put the same rain sensor back on. What happens is when you reuse the sensor, then the gel looks all funky like in my picture. All that white stuff is actually the gel. The dealer got the new rain sensor, but the gel piece was missing, so they overnighted a new one now and said it should be all good when it gets in Friday probably.

What you guys need to know: If you get the windshield replaced and if you want it to look right, then you will need to get a new rain sensor as well because the gel piece on it is basically a one shot deal. Think of it like this: if you put super glue on plastic and attach it on something, then remove it and then put super glue again on it and reattach it, it will look like crap. The dealer said he wish the 3rd party vendor told him that he needed to order the rain sensor new too then he would have had everything in one day, so just keep that in mind guys. Luckily since I had this done at the dealership, there is no cost for all this stuff to me. Just something new to learn :)

Another big Thanks to Aaron! Thanks Buddy!


No problem bro, I've seen this happen a whole bunch of times actually. Alot of 2010 G37's with the tech package had this problem after replacing the windshield. The rain sensor can't be reused.


I was wondering were they careful when they replaced your windshield? Did you carefully look at the car. I've heard horror stories of creaking, water leaks, and wind noise after replacing windshields. I've never had a windshield replaced in my whole life so I was just wondering haha.
 
^^ I have had windshields replaced on 3 different vehicles over the years and have not had a problem with any of them. No rain sensers involved though.
 
These Michigan roads are a disaster. I just got on a highway (3-lane) and after a few seconds noticed about 3 football fields lengths ahead of me a big ass dump truck with the top flying all over in the slow lane. I moved quickly to the fast lane and said screw this I'm going to exit on the next exit and didn't want to get any closer. By the way, this is the 2nd day of owning the car. When the exit was coming up I moved to the slow lane, but gave more distance (maybe now 3-4 football fields a head and numerous cars between me and the truck). Literally 5 seconds before I take the exit with by blinker on, a rock hits the windshield and it sounded like a person took a big sledge hammer and hit the windshield....not exaggerating on this...it was that loud. Quarter size and started splintering fast. It was too late. My friend said I should have followed the dump truck and reported him, but so what, so I can get hit with more rocks and then there won't be proof his rock hit my car.

Needless to say, I was pissed, but I looked at it this way after lots of grief: A rock that size could have hit the front of my hood and scraped up the whole hood, the windshield, and other crap. The bumper and everything else was flawless after that incident. That's what you gotta say for you to stay sane at a time like that.

Windshield install has no problems. Rained heavy yesterday no problems, but even if it was at the dealer they will take care of you. Just the 3rd party from the dealer reusing the rain sensor was my biggest gripe, but those pillars being dirty->that was from that guy too.

I had a windshield replaced literally 3 months ago on my stang right before I sold it. I got hit penny size, but got hit at like 7pm. No windshield shop is open! I looked, I called, etc. Praying it didn't spread because if it spreads too much it's not repairable and next morning yup it got like a foot wide. With Michigan weather (hot/cold) if you get hit and you can't fix it right away you are screwed.

I really need to find a 24/7 windshield guy. I've been trying to and willing to pay premium for immediate emergency service, but nothing like that is available that I can find. I think it's a potential open market for a great business here.

I heard one guy on his QX had and is on his 4th windshield replacement. The second time when they pulled it out the scraped the whole side of the pillar and had to repaint it. First time I was hearing a story like that.

These windshield by the way at the dealer installed are like $800. About $640 part and $140 labor. Outside of dealership is about $1,100 and it's OEM. They don't make the FX w/lane departure non OEM.
 
windshield

jdTrader,

Do you have any of the dealer documentation indicating that they recommend the senser be replaced with a windshield replacement?
 
jdTrader,

Do you have any of the dealer documentation indicating that they recommend the senser be replaced with a windshield replacement?

No they just did it....looks absolutely perfect now. Like factory not a single small bubble or anything.
 
If you replace the windshield, you should replace the gel pad that goes around the rain sensor on the windshield. If you don't it'll look pretty shitty if you reuse the old one because it won't stick to the windshield properly.
 
If you replace the windshield, you should replace the gel pad that goes around the rain sensor on the windshield. If you don't it'll look pretty shitty if you reuse the old one because it won't stick to the windshield properly.

But the dealer can't buy the gel pad without a rain sensor. I know because when they got it the first time the gel pad was missing and had to reorder the rain sensor.
 
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