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Windshield Distortion on Test Drive - 2017 Edge


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Today I took my first test drive in a 2017 Edge Titanium 2.0T AWD with 301A and Cold Weather Package - exact feature set I'm looking for! Before I even got out of the parking lot, my wife and I both noticed a slight vertigo effect as we circled the dealer lot in our tester. Out on the road, while stopped at a red light, I noticed a number of business signs at various distances. I kept my eyes focused on one sign, then slowly lowered my body/head down, and back up several times, and noticed a distortion to the text of the sign at certain points. It actually gave my wife a headache similar to watching a 3D movie, and just made me feel a little dizzy. Has anyone else experienced this?

 

I told the dealer about this (who was not in the car with us), and he said he hadn't heard of anyone bringing it up before. I asked to take out a different Edge, which was an SEL. The windshield had pollen on it, so I used the wiper washers to clean it before going out on the road. I noticed just a bit of distortion out of this windshield from time to time, but not quite as severe as the first car we drove. I asked if they put any type of coating on the glass, and he said he didn't think so. It was sunnier when we drove the Titanium, and more cloudy during the SEL run, so I'm not sure if that played a part or not.

 

I loved nearly everything about this car, although the windshield wiper motion is strange like the old school busses, but if they are all going to give my wife a headache and me a dizzy feeling at times, I will be really upset if I can't purchase one for such an odd reason. I am quite perplexed.

 

Thoughts?

 

I will go drive one from a different dealer in a different town to see if the problem persists.

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PerfA, maybe I am not understanding you. I though laminated windshield glass WAS a sandwich of safety glass held in place with the interlayer of polyvinyl butyral. Are you saying it's a single layer of glass? Is there a misplaced 'not' in your post above?

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  • 3 weeks later...

I just picked up a 2017 Sport and the windshield is perfect - no distortion that I noticed. I would guess faulty windshield or fitment (installation)..

 

 

One tiny gripe (and so far it is the ONLY gripe I have) - the wipers are a bit "weak". I park under a tree and every night tiny drops of sap fall down (well, not every night but a few nights a week). My prior car (2015 Cherokee) had no problem wiping it clean but the Edge doesn't seem to have the same "pressure" on the wiper arms. That is, the force that the spring in the arms exerts downward toward the glass. Anyway, really not that big of deal and perhaps some different wiper blades or fluid will help it. Otherwise, I really love the car!

 

As for the wiper motion "school bus" style - not much you can do there although I would think/hope that you'd get used to it after time. At least they aren't mounted on top of the window!

 

~S

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Sap is extremely difficult to remove once dryed. There are professional treatments that can be applied to windshields and will greatly reduce the difficulty in removing sap and road grime. (I had this done on a 1974 Chevett and was well worth to cost).

 

Just Google "windshield coatings "

Edited by enigma-2
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Sap is extremely difficult to remove once dryed. There are professional treatments that can be applied to windshields and will greatly reduce the difficulty in removing sap and road grime. (I had this done on a 1974 Chevett and was well worth to cost).

No doubt. I'm going to try swapping out the wipers first with some framed/braced aftermarket blades.. I'm almost out of fluid so I may try upgrading to one of those bug/insect removing kinds (I think they're the green-colored fluids). Not a terribly big deal. I actually noticed that for whatever reason, the sap varies in consistency - I park under several trees so I'm wondering if perhaps one is worse than the other.

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I can now confirm that the original Edge I test drove must have had a faulty windshield. I've sat in a few others since then, and they have been crystal clear. What a relief!!! Now I just need to negotiate a fair price, and I'll be all set to make my purchase. Thanks for all of your replies!

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Tree sap, as bad as it is on glass, is even worst on the paint of your car. It's important to get it off the paint as soon as possible. The following URL's may be helpful in understanding what's involved.

https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/how-to-remove-sap-from-a-car

 

http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/you-can-use-hand-sanitizer-to-remove-tree-sap-from-your-1778908321

 

Nail polish remover to remove sap on glass: http://lifehacker.com/5903634/get-sap-off-your-cars-windshield-with-nail-polish-remover

 

 

.

Edited by enigma-2
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Tree sap, as bad as it is on glass, is even worst on the paint of your car. It's important to get it off the paint as soon as possible. The following URL's may be helpful in understanding what's involved.

https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/how-to-remove-sap-from-a-car

 

http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/you-can-use-hand-sanitizer-to-remove-tree-sap-from-your-1778908321

 

Nail polish remover to remove sap on glass: http://lifehacker.com/5903634/get-sap-off-your-cars-windshield-with-nail-polish-remover

 

 

.

Crap! Thanks for the tip...

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  • 2 years later...

I bought a 2019 Edge SEL and the windshield was pretty badly distorted.  I noticed it a bit on the test drive but thought it would be alright.  Wasn't until I was on the highway home that I realized I wasn't going to be able to handle it.  I took it to a dealer 3 days after purchase and they drove it and agreed it needed replacing.  They took some photos for Ford which was hard to do because you can't really tell unless you are moving - but anyways Ford agreed to replace it and a new one from the factory was installed.  I noticed right away that this one was a bit distorted as well (although better than the original).  I really don't like driving this car any distance or on the highway as it makes me feel sick and I get a headache. Sooo.. I guess I'm going to try and get it replaced with a non-OEM windshield at my cost.  Too bad - I like everything else about the car.

 

My advice to anyone thinking of purchasing - really pay attention to the windshield and make sure to test drive one roads where you focus at least 500 yards ahead.

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7 hours ago, AndrewNE said:

I guess I'm going to try and get it replaced with a non-OEM windshield at my cost.  Too bad - I like everything else about the car.

 

Sorry to hear about your experience. 2 in a row. Anyway, if you still are thinking of going 3rd party, remember that the OEM windshield has an acoustic layer for better sound insulation, non-OEM might or might not have it.

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