dwboston

Based on what I'm seeing above, I still believe the initial windshield I received was the incorrect one. The HUD image was blurry and doubled in the windshield. I now think that the second one they installed was the correct one - as the image was not blurry, just doubled - but it had several deep exterior scratches in it and was not acceptable. It probably would have been fine minus the scratches and with a calibrated HUD.

I spoke to the glass company yesterday and they ordered the new windshield Friday and expect to receive it today or tomorrow. Once I get it I will take the car to my dealer for the HUD calibration. The glass company is also ordering me a new rubber weather strip piece for the driver's side on the windshield exterior. They damaged it somehow during the second windshield install as it was flapping while I was driving on the highway over the weekend. My dealer looked at it and confirmed it needed to be replaced.

dwboston

It appears that my windshield adventure is over. Safelite just came and replaced the glass for the third time. There are no scratches on the glass and the HUD looks normal again. They also replaced the black moulding/weatherstripping on both sides of the windshield. Since the HUD looks normal now and does not appear to need calibration, I assume that the second windshield they put on the car was the wrong glass as well - I'm not sure if that was their issue or if the Audi dealer in RI gave them the wrong glass. In any event, I'm glad this is over (hopefully).

snagitseven

Could be there were manf. defects in the others they installed.

tenspeed

Sounds like a good time to have a protective film applied to your new windshield.

dwboston

Maybe in the second one they installed. The image in that one was clear but doubled. The first one was definitely the wrong one.

gatorguy7

Congrats. Glad you finally have a fully functional windshield. It is crazy how technology has advanced to make something as simple as replacing a windshield far more complex.

dicktahoe

What would you recommend for "Protective Film"?

dwboston

I assume he meant ClearPlex. They sell windshield film and screen protection film for phones and tablets. I'm not sure if the film would interfere with the HUD though. Plus, I watched the installation video last night, and it seems like it would be difficult to install without getting some small dirt or dust trapped between the film and the windshield, which would drive me crazy.

http://www.clearplex.com/

tenspeed

I have not had any experience with any of the protective films. If you search the internet, there are several brands available.

I don't know if it will interfere with the HUD but it is a important item to research. I would think that a professional installation would result in a dirt free result. It would depend on the craftsmanship of the installer.

dwboston

I thought my windshield adventure was over, but I was wrong. Since the replacement, I've been having issues with the driver's side windshield molding/weatherstripping vibrating loudly at speed on the highway, especially when the weather is cold. The lower part of the molding was noticeably loose. It seems what happened is the installer broke one of the rivets on the metal clamp strip that the molding snaps into.

I ordered the parts, but when I figured out what was involved, I was afraid of damaging something, so I decided to bring it into the dealer Friday to have them fix it. Mid-morning on Friday, I got a call from the service manage apologizing that the tech cracked my windshield while making the repair. The dealer is going to replace the windshield, but I'll be without my car (I have a loaner A4) until probably Tuesday. After my last experience, I made sure to tell them that the HUD requires a special windshield. Hopefully everything will be fully fixed this time.