Windscreens that cause performance issues: Vehicle List

[allyoops]

Athermic Glass (also known as Heat-reflective, or solar glass, or solar control, or infra-red interlayer) can impact on the performance of your radar detector, GPS detector or portable GPS navigation unit.

It's basically a very thin layer of metallic content that is laminated into the centre of the windshield, so it can reduce radar detection range to the front and can make your GPS device take much longer to get a satellite lock. It can also mean your toll transponder can't be read.

The solution is to find the "clear spot" in the windscreen that manufacturers normally leave, often behind the rear view mirror area, or to consider a custom installed "remote" radar detector system. Use a pair of polarized sunglasses and if should be clearly visible.

This picture (Great spot by euro - €) shows you it clearly.



If you have GPS performance issues, then most manufacturers sell an extension antenna, which you can run to the back window, or to the outside of the vehicle.

A more drastic solution is to have an "accident" with the windscreen which requires an aftermarket replacement.

Vehicles confirmed with Athermic windscreens include:


Aston Martin Rapide
Audi A8 ('06 +)
Bentley Continental GT (all windows except a 2 inch strip at top of rear window)
BMW X5
BMW 7 series
BMW 6 series
Buick Rendezvous CXL 2003
Buick Roadmaster (some '90s models)
Cadillac Fleetwood (*possible)
Chevrolet Caprice "Fourth Generation" (1991-1996) - (*possible)
Chevrolet Corvette (some late-80s/early-90s models - look for a red-bronze tint)
Chevrolet Impala SS (some '90s models)
Chevrolet Lumina minivan ('89 - '96)
Chevrolet Venture ('98 +)
Citroen (French car - all models '01 +)
Dodge Durango (06)
Ford Focus (UK Spec '05 +)
Jeep Commander (Deep Tint Sunscreen Glass)
Jeep Compass (Solar Control Glass or Deep Tint Sunscreen Glass)
Jeep Grand Cherokee (Deep Tint Sunscreen Glass)
Jeep Liberty (Solar Control Glass or Deep Tint Sunscreen Glass)
Jeep Patriot (Solar Control Glass or Deep Tint Sunscreen Glass)
Jeep Wrangler (only a problem on a few vehicles that were fitted with the optional extra Deep Tint Sunscreen Windows. Most Wranglers only have the normal Tinted Windshield Glass fitted as standard and that does not cause issues.)
Lexus IS300
Lexus LS
Mercedes A Class ('08 +)
Mercedes S Class ('08+)
Mecedes SUV
Oldsmobile Silhouette ('89 - '96, 98+)
Peugot (French car - all models '01 +)
Pontiac Aztec
Pontiac Trans Sport ('89-'96, '98 +)
Renault (French car - all models '01 +)
Vauxhall Zafira (UK)


Please add in other vehicles and I will edit this original post to as the list grows.

Ford vehicles can be equipped with InstaClear windshields. This is a different thing to Athermic glass and does not affect radar and GPS as much, but it does have a lot of metal filament embedded into the glass so it's worth recording here and it can have a slight negative impact on performance. Ford didn't start using Athermic glass on some models until 2005, but here are some of the Ford Models to watch out for:

Ford Taurus (optional InstaClear windscreen - look for a bronze tint)
Lincoln Continental (optional InstaClear windscreen - look for a bronze tint)
Lincoln Town Car (optional InstaClear windscreen - look for a bronze tint)
Ford Crown Victoria, "First Generation" (1992-1997) - optional
Mercury Grand Marquis
Mercury Sable (optional InstaClear windscreen - look for a bronze tint)

[YTCD]

New mercedes i have seen (SUV) have a heavy blue tint to the windshield, so I think Mercedes benz are switching to it, so far in there luxury SUV's

[KustomEagle]

im pretty sure my dad's Mk 4 VW golf tdi has a metalic windshield... my kustom radar gun has pretty crappy range otu the front window but had fantastic range out the back... also my rx65 didnt seem to have as good of range in that car as any others i'd used it in...

[allyoops]

Pretty sure VWs don't have it but I think the high-end mercs do

[KustomEagle]

Pretty sure VWs don't have it but I think the high-end mercs do

let me put it this way; one evening in that car i had my kustome goledn eagle k-band radar set up; front antenna mounted level on the dash facing dead forward;

up ahead maybe 1/3 of a mi there is a large ford pickup obviously hauling 85+ in a 65 so i'm going to blast him...

i hit hold, front antenna comes on, nothing; takes a little bit to get a lock; usually its instant on big vehicles then finally it locks sure enough he's going 84 obviously no rd as he never slows down then as he PASSES my car front antenna still on i'm still getting a doppler echo loud enough for the GE to track... i track him for maybe another 1/4 mi before i HAVE to switch to the rear antenna to track him...

so yea; radar energy was bouncing off the windshield hitting his truck then bouncing back to the radar antenna...

nothing else in the car; ant was NOT covered by stickers just windshield...

no other explanation i can come up with besides metallic glass would cause that; in other cars as soon as a target in the front of the vehicle gets even with my fender the front antenna won't get enough doppler echo to post a reading so i switch to rear antenna...

[Loiosh]

Lexus LSs have this type of glass.

[thestaton]

Thanks Ally. Stickied.

[€]

There's easy way to recognize athermic windshield. You have to look at it through polarized sunglasses. It's purple-rose then.

I'll try to make some photos tomorrow.

[djrams80]

There's easy way to recognize athermic windshield. You have to look at it through polarized sunglasses. It's purple-rose then.

I'll try to make some photos tomorrow.

purple-rose? just sayin' Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[€]

Yea, almost exactly like that