A bird hit my passenger window and scratched it. It appears there is a film covering the window. I wonder if it is a warranty item or how to fill out the scratch. The dealer said the new window is over $1000.

 

It’d be a super weird coincidence if when you were moving a toolbox, after putting a towel down on your passenger seat, a hammer fell out and shattered the window. Every supplemental glass insurance policy that I’ve had since the ‘90s would cover that, with no deductible.

 

Make sure you do it on a day it's not raining though.

Is it possible its an aftermarket tint? My new 24 has a tint but it's almost not noticeable.

 

It seems to be an infrared (IR) film, maybe. The dealer said they did not put Zurich Shield on the side windows.

 

On the outside, though? Maybe that’s a thing, but I’ve never seen an aftermarket (or even factory) film applied to the outside of glass for exactly this reason. Glass is pretty tough, so a thin and fragile plastic film will do its job just as well and also be protected from the inside.

 

The only thing I can suggest is to get an autoglass (windshield) repair kit on Amazon for about $12 and you can try to fill the scratch with resin. It won't be perfect but it might look better. I doubt there's any film or anything on the outside of the window.

 

Maybe it's some type of Hydrophobic coating? We used a "baked on" coating on our Aircraft windshields (Surface Seal) when the industry started dropping the Wiper systems. The side cabin windows also had a similar coating which was easier to repair by "buffing" it out (mostly due to scratches related to upper atmospheric Ash) and then a wipe-on filler applied.

That's a pretty good bird-strike. I've seen birds create some pretty extensive damage on aircraft not only to windshields/engines but also Cladded leading edges, they have some hard heads.

 

Here are a couple entries in TIS regarding the water repellent glass on LC's and other Lexi. I have not previously seen damage to them as shown on the OP's car.

 

when i took my 2019 coupe to a local glass expert, he pointed out that the windows have coatings of some sort
on both inside and outside surfaces, and he recommended against gluing anything to them.
at night, my windshield has the reflective quality of the rear view mirror at night - no glare from bright headlights.
as i want to keep the car in oem shape, i 'm glad i followed his advice.

 

Thank you for this. I had plans for window tint this spring, but I'll pass on it now. Thank you for sharing!

 

I've seen Carfox entries where the Dealer installed the window tint. I don't think they'd do that if it Might damage the glass. There are lots of LCs with tinted windows.
Now, with the LC I would more firmly request the tinter be Very Careful with the water they use to apply the tint inside. I've seen reports of some electronics being wonky after a tint job.
Bruce in Fl

 

correct, the glass guy was more concerned with the coatings on the glass, not the glass itself.
the coatings -inside and out - were meant for a particular function, which he thought best
not to obscure. i have heard mention of glare reduction, and water shedding, but i have never
read authoritatively what they are for.

 

I'll see what my service advisor thinks about it. The precautions listed are crazy imo. If it's that delicate, why put it on any vehicle they make.

 

Yes... I've heard the same. When I tinted my daily driver (22 4Runner Pro) I asked how they were going to prevent it. Basically they used towels to catch water; very low tech preventive measures but effective. They also pulled back the door panels during the install. On the rear hatch, the entire interior panel was removed. This all makes me a little nervous having panel opened/removed on my LC. Ive heard of installers breaking clips and glueing things together. Halfway up the wall was glass so you can sit there and watch the install. Most of the dealerships I know about don't actually do the tinting, they send it out to tint shops.