21 replies to this topic

[jaydee]

Although i think theres also its from a certain 'recent' year that you need E markings, speak to Lexan and they'll be happy to sort it out for you. Its their business by the way.

[cossiemark]

don't think i will bother to do this conversion to complicated and expensive.

[1984mini25]

I should have said that the marking was the important thing. Glass, even safety glass, is not legal either unless it carries the correct markings.

 

So where do you get plastic (i.e. polycarbonate or even perspex) with the correct markings applied? For that matter, where do you get non-standard sizes of glass, legally marked? (It used to be easy before the markings became a requirement, now it will be more difficult as the marking has to be applied by the manufacturer.)

Most poloycarb window kits you can but don't come marked...

[tiger99]

I have done some more checking, and I was only slightly wrong. See here:

 

http://webarchive.na...ad-vehicles.pdf

 

Any car first used after 1st April 1985 can only use "specified safety glass" in the side windows to the side of the driver, i.e. both doors in a Mini. The glass specs require the markings. However for the rear side windows, "safety glazing" is also allowed, which includes polycarbonate and perspex, and although I think it may be an error, there is no mention of which spec and marking needs to apply.

 

Between the first Mini and 31st May 1978, it seems that any "safety glass" is allowable, but perversely not any kind of plastic.

 

Between 1st June 1978 and 31st March 1985, you are again allowed only "specified safety glass" .

 

So, plastic windscreens and door windows are always illegal, rear side and rear screen windows may be plastic but only on cars first used after 1st April 1985. (I think the IVA test explicitly does not allow that!).

 

How is a MOT tester, or plod, supposed to know if a car is legal or not?

 

However, it is plain that plastic door windows are a complete no, always.

 

But sticking to technical things, on which we are on much safer grounds than legal, I am wondering if the use of polycarbonate is a good idea. Consider what most solvents do to it, for instance. It loses strength and crumbles. It is bound to come into contact with at least traces of organic solvents, and certainly oily fumes (we are talkingh about Minis, after all!), plus the unknown ingredients in windscreen washer fluid will find their way to the side windows in small amounts. Then there are various cleaning products, possibly traces of petrol......

 

Polycarbonate is a great material in the right place (and there are many right places), but I am not so sure that on a car is one of them. Perspex, on the other hand, is much cheaper, more robust to chemical attack, but mechanically inferior. There are other plastics which may be better.

[surfblue63]

 

 

How is a MOT tester, or plod, supposed to know if a car is legal or not?

 

 

 

No wonder no one knows what is right or wrong when two different government documents give two different answers.

 

An MOT tester is only interested in the windscreen, specifically damage to the screen. The other windows are not part of the test.

[tiger99]

I think the government run a Department of Disinformation. We have seen this before with VOSA.....

[the_samkingdon15]

cor they're expensive.. is there a cheaper way round??