Windscreen Replacement
A crack that has spread, or glass damaged beyond repair? We fit a new windscreen at your home or work, matched to your registration.
Rear windscreen replacement across London
Heated Rear Window Replacement, and We Clear Up the Glass
A shattered rear screen leaves thousands of small pieces of glass in the boot and across the back seats. We hoover them up, fit a new heated rear window made for your car and reconnect the heating, without you having to drive anywhere. We are a local, family owned business based in Wood Green, N22.
- No callout fee
- Clear or privacy tinted glass
- Same day*
Local and family ownedHeating tested before we go
Get a free rear screen replacement quote
It only takes a minute. Tell us a few details and your reg and we will ring you back with a fixed price and availability.
Why Drivers Choose Prime Windscreens
Local and family owned
A family business based in N22, not a national chain. You talk to real people who care about your car.
Over 20 years in the trade
Our technicians have been fitting car glass for over 20 years, so there is very little they have not seen before.
7 year warranty
Workmanship warranty on glass replacements only, covering leaks and wind noise.
No callout fee
We come to you for free. The price we quote is the price you pay.
Toughened glass
What Makes a Rear Screen Shatter
Almost every rear screen is toughened glass. It is several times stronger than ordinary glass, and when it does break it bursts into small, blunt pieces instead of sharp shards. That is also why a shattered rear screen cannot be repaired, only replaced.
Hit by something
A stone flicked up by a lorry, a stray ball, a branch in the wind or a break in. Toughened glass shrugs off a lot, but one hard, sharp knock in the wrong spot and the whole screen goes at once.
A knock at the back
A bump in traffic or a reversing tap against a bollard can twist the tailgate just enough to strain the glass. It may shatter there and then, or days later when the tailgate is shut.
A chip on the edge
Toughened glass is at its weakest round the edges. A small chip there can let go hours or days later, which is why some rear screens seem to shatter on their own while the car is parked.
Loaded against the glass
A bike wheel, a pushchair handle or a suitcase that sticks up can press on the screen as the tailgate comes down. The glass may take it a few times, then shatter without warning.
Step by step
How We Replace a Shattered Rear Screen
The clear up comes before the fitting, because a new screen should never go into a car that still has broken glass in it.
-
Your reg and a photo
Your reg usually tells us which rear screen your car left the factory with. Some models came with more than one version, such as clear or privacy tinted glass, so a photo of the back of the car sent on WhatsApp helps us bring the right one.
-
Loose glass out of the frame
We pull out the pieces still stuck round the edge of the opening first, so no more of it drops into the car while we work.
-
Trims and wiper off
The wiper arm and the trim panels round the glass come off. Broken glass falls down behind the trims, and if it stayed there you would hear it rattle every time you closed the boot.
-
The car is vacuumed out
We vacuum the boot, the parcel shelf, the back seats and the footwells, and run the nozzle along the seat runners and seals, where the smallest pieces hide.
-
The new screen is bonded in
We cut the old bond back and prime the frame, then set the new heated rear window in place and tape it while the adhesive takes hold.
-
Heating on, then handed back
We plug the heating back in, and the aerial if your screen has one, refit the wiper and trims, then switch the demister on to check the glass warms up before we hand the car back.
Made for your model
What Is Built Into Your Rear Screen
Before we order your new screen, we check what the old one had built in, from the heater lines to the aerial, so everything that worked before works again afterwards.
The heating element
The fine lines are printed onto the inside of the glass. Your new screen comes with its own, and we connect it to the car's wiring before the trims go back on.
Privacy tint
Factory privacy glass is tinted right through, not covered with a film. We match the shade to your rear side windows, and the back of the car looks the way it did before.
Rear wiper and washer
Most hatchbacks, estates and SUVs have a hole in the glass for the wiper. We refit the arm in its parked position and check the washer jet still reaches the screen.
Manufacturer or equivalent glass
Every rear screen we fit is manufacturer glass, or equivalent glass made to the same safety standards. Both carry the E mark that shows the glass is approved for road use.
Recent work
Recent Rear Windscreen Replacements
The slider shows a Renault Clio: drag it right for the shattered screen, or left for the new one. The four photos show more rear screens we have fitted.
Planning the day
How Long a Rear Screen Takes to Fit
Allow about two hours once we arrive. The fitting is only part of that: getting the broken glass out of the boot, the seats and the trims takes time too, and it is the part we never rush.
The new screen is held in by adhesive that needs to set, so leave the car for about an hour after we finish before you drive it. The tape stays on until we tell you it can come off.
If your screen has to be ordered in
- Tape heavy plastic over the opening from the outside, using low tack tape, so rain runs off rather than into the car
- Keep the tailgate or boot shut, because every time it opens and closes, more glass drops out of the frame
- Leave the broken glass where it is, as we clean it up when we fit the new screen
Parked in a multi storey?
Covered car parks suit a rear screen well, because the frame stays dry. Check there is headroom for the tailgate to open fully, and tell us the level and bay number when you book.
Reversed up to a wall?
To fit a rear screen, we need room to stand behind the car and open the tailgate or boot. If the back of the car is up against a wall, a hedge or another car, let us know and we will work out where to do it.
Call 07426 801611Reviews
What It Was Like to Have a Rear Screen Replaced by Us
We are rated 5.0 out of 5 from 285 reviews on Google. These three are from drivers who needed a rear screen or window replaced.
Google review
5 star service from start to finish. Had my rear windshield replaced the day after I called. Highly professional service with competitive prices. Would highly recommend.
Rear windscreen replaced the day after
Google review
Made a silly mistake and needed my rear windscreen replaced the same day. Stefan called and reassured me that he could replace it. Friendly and professional service, thank you.
Rear windscreen replaced the same day
Google review
I really would like to thank Prime Windscreens called them ordered the window and came the next day and fitted it perfectly thank you very much brilliant customer service definitely recommend to anyone that’s having issues
Window ordered and fitted the next day
FAQs
Rear Screen Replacement Questions
My rear screen has shattered but the glass is still in the frame. Can it be saved?
No. Once toughened glass has shattered it has lost its strength, and the pieces are only held together by the heater lines and the bond round the edge. It can fall in all at once when the tailgate shuts or the car goes over a bump, so it needs replacing as soon as you can.
Why does a rear screen cost more on some cars than others?
It comes down to the glass your car needs. A privacy tint, a built in aerial and a hole for the wiper all make a screen more specialised, and a big SUV tailgate screen usually costs more than a small hatchback one. Send us your reg and we will price the screen for your car.
Can the heater lines on my rear screen be repaired?
No. The heater lines and the tabs that feed them are part of the glass itself, so once they stop clearing the screen, the fix is a new heated rear window. That also means every line on the new screen is new, not only the ones that had failed.
Will my radio work after the rear screen is replaced?
Yes. If your aerial is built into the rear screen, the new glass has one too, and we plug it back in along with the heating. On those cars the radio often loses stations once the old screen breaks, and the signal comes back when the new one is connected.
Is a rear windscreen the same as a heated rear window?
Yes. Rear windscreen, rear screen, back window and heated rear window are all names for the glass at the back of the car. On almost every car it has heater lines built in, and when it does, the screen we fit is heated too.
Other services
We Fit Any Glass on Your Car or Van
That means windscreens, door windows, quarter glass and vent glass. We repair stone chips too.
Areas we cover
Rear Screen Replacement Near You
From our base at 8 Stirling Road, N22 5BU, we fit rear screens across North, East and West London and into Essex and Hertfordshire. Each town page shows jobs and reviews from that area.
Rear screen shattered? We will clear up the glass and fit a new one.
Call now, or leave your reg and postcode in the quote form and we will ring you back.