I had the same grand DIY plan in Fairy Meadow last spring and bailed halfway. The salt air and those southerlies made keeping the bonding area clean a nightmare, and I nicked some surface rust on the pinch weld that would’ve turned into a leak. The urethane needs proper prep, primer, and a clean, dry cure—hard to guarantee under a carport when showers roll through. My Hilux has the camera near the mirror and I didn’t want to gamble with airbags or calibration. I ended up booking a Toyota hilux windscreen replacement with a local tech; night-and-day difference—no wind noise, no fogging, and they checked for hidden rust. If you want a sense of pricing and options, you could check out Windscreen Replacers—found their info handy without the salesy stuff.
This post was edited by Asher Reynolds at September 25, 2025 10:13 PM EDT
Totally get this — I’m in Dulwich Hill and went through the same thing a fortnight ago on my Mazda 3. What helped was asking for written quotes that itemised glass brand, mouldings, tint strip, sensor brackets, and whether calibration was needed. I literally requested each place, “how much for a windscreen replacement?” before they tried to upsell extras. My workshop quote was cheaper than the mobile by about sixty bucks, but the mobile crew won on convenience. I booked a morning slot so the urethane had time to cure before the arvo drive. For a quick read on windscreen replacement cost around the Inner West, I found Windscreen Replacers handy to compare options and snag next-day times without ringing five shops. If your Mazda doesn’t have a camera, you can likely skip calibration; if it does, ask if it’s static or dynamic and whether GST and disposal are already in the figure.
I’m in a rented terrace in Sydney’s Inner West, and it’s late August, cold mornings, lots of condensation on the glass. I noticed a tiny star chip after driving down Parramatta Road behind a tradie’s ute. Yesterday I ran the demister on high, and the mark looked bigger by the time I parked. I’m confused about how quickly these spread in winter and whether the temperature swings from frosty dawns to sunny afternoons make it worse. I can only get to a shop on Saturdays, and our street parking is tight and sloped. Is a repair enough for now, or could that be a waste if I end up replacing it anyway?
I woke up one morning to find a large crack across my windscreen after a stone hit it the previous day. The crack was noticeable, but I wasn’t sure if it was safe to drive to the mechanic for a replacement. I thought about all the places I needed to go and whether I could risk it. Would it get worse while I was on the road? Could it block my vision or compromise my safety? I kept wondering if I should just call for help and have my windscreen replaced immediately or if it was okay to drive for a bit longer.