Help with problems after windscreen replacement, please

[MowtaV40]

Hello,
I'm hoping someone can help please.... Although my car is a V40 I think this is a question which might be relevant across all marques....

I had a windscreen replaced in my MY17 V40 recently. It was done by my local dealers recommended windscreen firm.

Since the work was done I've noticed a couple of things which aren't working correctly and I'm wondering if they are all linked!

1. The auto wipers have stopped working. The wiper stalk is in the off position and the little green LED lights up for a few seconds when the auto wipe button is pressed but the wipers don't work. Also, I don't get the auto wipe symbol on the dash any more! I've even tried squirting water at the sensor to no avail.

2. The area around the rain sensor is not as black as it used to be - it looks like little air bubbles are trapped under the glass. I know this won't stop the wipers from activating but it might have a knock on effect to the auto wipe operation!

3. The auto lights are stuck on dipped head lights - they never go to DRL's even in bright sunlight. The sensor on the top of the dash is working as the screen dims when I go through a tunnel.

Are the lights controlled via another sensor?

My local dealer say the rain sensor doesn't need calibration. And I can't believe the windscreen firm didn't plug it back in!!! Although I might be taking it back to them!!!

Any help or advice would be gratefully received.

Many thanks,
Mike

[green van man]

Was the work done through the dealer or through you useing dealer recommended people?

If the former take the car back to them and demand it be fixed.
If the latter take the car back to them and demand it be fixed.

A 2 year old car is under manufacturers warranty, it is not working as designed, it should .
Being nice and not causing bother will get you nowhere from what you say, you are already being given the run round. Time to become assertive.
You do not know why it's not working, you are not a technician, you do know it was working, they did work on the car and now it's not.

Paul.

[dingov70]

Morning , did your local dealer organise the screen replacement directly or simply tell you who they use ? .

If the dealer organised the repair, get them to make it right , if you arranged the work using the dealers recommendation , straight back to the fitters with a polite letter stating your issues . Explain the problems clearly & politely and then hand the banch manager the letter , before asking what they propose to do to rectify the matter .

A letter normally has a very positive effect as it's content cannot be disputed ( obviously keep a copy )

[MowtaV40]

Thanks both for the quick replies,

It was a dealer recommendation, my local dealer doesn't do windscreen replacements. I'm definitely taking it back to them in the next few days but would like a bit of technical info so I can point them in the right direction!

I don't believe in coincidences and the auto wipers and auto lights not working now (they worked fine before) makes me wonder if there is some link between the light sensor and the rain sensor (a shared earth or something) or does the same sensor do both jobs? I know the windscreen firm will say they never touched the lights so a bit of info here would be helpful if available please?

I tested my City Safety this morning by trying to drive into a large (empty!!) cardboard box, I was on private ground when I did this. That worked a treat...... it was still hard not to hit the brake before it activated though!!

I'll have to wait for some cold weather to test the heated windscreen is still working but it would be nice to get the auro wipers and auto lights working as they should again - they are both features I quite like!!

Cheers,
Mike

[green van man]

From what I recall of my auto wipers, the screen in front of the senior must be clean and is quoted in the service schedule, others have had problems after screen replacement due to the distance between screen and senior.

Sorry, no idea about the auto lights, my car doesnot have them. New cars are not cheap commodities, wether baught or leased and the very least expectation is that things fitted should work.

Paul.

[MikeGMT]

You may find this thread useful with regard to the rain-sensor.

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=288324

[MowtaV40]

Thanks Paul & MikeGMT

I did see that thread, thanks, but their sensor was working (albeit not correctly). Mine doesn't even work. When I press the button on the stalk the green LED comes on for a second or two then goes off. I don't get the auto-wipe indication on the dash and the wipers don't move, even if I squirt water at the sensor!!

It looks to me like the sensor hasn't been plugged in but I can't believe the windscreen fitter missed that!! It is going back for them to check though but I was hoping to cover all eventualities by asking the question here, just in case there was another explanation!!

I had picked up the point in the other thread on the windscreen needing to be clean with no air bubbles in the silicon. I have air bubbles and I will raise that with them but I'd like to get the auto wipe working so I can see if the air bubbles are a big issue or not!!

Cheers,
Mike

[AndyJudge]

It could even be that the wrong type of screen has been fitted, Right car just wrong options for Auto-Wipers/Lights etc..

I'm with everyone else it's down to the fitters to resolved & any additional costs are theirs not yours

[Clan]

Originally Posted by MowtaV40

Thanks both for the quick replies,

It was a dealer recommendation, my local dealer doesn't do windscreen replacements. I'm definitely taking it back to them in the next few days but would like a bit of technical info so I can point them in the right direction!

I don't believe in coincidences and the auto wipers and auto lights not working now (they worked fine before) makes me wonder if there is some link between the light sensor and the rain sensor (a shared earth or something) or does the same sensor do both jobs? I know the windscreen firm will say they never touched the lights so a bit of info here would be helpful if available please?

I tested my City Safety this morning by trying to drive into a large (empty!!) cardboard box, I was on private ground when I did this. That worked a treat...... it was still hard not to hit the brake before it activated though!!

I'll have to wait for some cold weather to test the heated windscreen is still working but it would be nice to get the auro wipers and auto lights working as they should again - they are both features I quite like!!

Cheers,
Mike

He should do , ask them why they do not ... Volvo do the technician training courses for windscreen fitting , It would save stupid problems like this as the people do not have the knowledge about current cars systems ..

[MowtaV40]

Thanks for all the help and advice everyone. I've been waiting for it to rain to fully check everything but here is an update...

Took the car back to the windscreen firm who agreed the rain sensor had "come away" from the screen. It was easy to see an air bubble and they blamed a faulty silicon pad. They swapped it out - no question and everything now seems to be working perfectly. They are adamant the sensor had been plugged in and the air bubble had stopped everything from working...... I'm not convinced but I am happy everything is now working correctly.

For the record, here are my observations:

1: The rain sensor at the top of the windscreen also switches the auto lights from DRL's to dipped when light levels fall.

2: The red LED on the dashboard is also a light sensor which dims the dash and info screen when the light level falls.

3: It doesn't look like the rain sensor needs re calibrating but there must be no air bubbles - you should just see a silver dot where the sensor is - the rest of the screen in that location should be black.

4: It doesn't look like the City Safety needs re-calibrating either! I tried to drive through an empty cardboard box at walking pace and was stopped in my tracks before hitting it.

Disclaimer: If your car has any other safety features other than those above you'll need to check for any re-calibration needs for those features yourself.

I've yet to check the auto wipe in wet weather but several squirts with a water bottle seemed to have the desired effect.

Cheers,
Mike