Battle of the Windscreens

Here's what I can say (and show) about the clear plastic windscreens. I can't offer any insight on the Saturn-Official-Badminton-Racket-Mesh windscreen as I don't have access to one of those. I will only cover two of the clear-plastic-stuff-in-the-trunk-gap models.

Both of the screens "tested" are from supporting vendors, so I think I can be frank and open. I like both companies; service from both has been great. The two contenders are the "Jay Senoff's" Windscreen and the KappaSphere "SkyShield". I wll refer to these as the JS and Kappa, respectively, for short.

First a general note that applies to both as to how they work. They both use a similar concept of a clear, plastic shield that inserts into the gap between the rear bulkhead of the cockpit and the rear deck (trunk) lid. The rear deck has a rubber seal on it, and a gap by design to allow a space for the convertible top to exit from the trunk stowage area when it is raised. This rubber seal on the lid presses into the rear bulkheead when the top is lowered, or into the canvas of the top when the top is raised. The rear bulkhead follows the contours of the "aero fairings" behind the headrests, and has four screws that attach the silver strip behind the seats to the structure of the car itself - what I think of as "the frame" although that might not be the actual technical term.

These four screws are recessed into indentations. From the factory they are phillips, sheet metal screws and fairly short - I will say 5/8 of an inch, although I did not measure them. When the car comes from the factory, I found these screws to be INCREDIBLY TIGHT. I had to use a blunt-tipped phillips screwdriver, and I had to press into them with extreme pressure to get them to turn. Until I used massive force the screwdriver was slipping and I found myself stripping the heads. What I suspect (but can't prove and it doesn't matter anyway) is that the screws end up sticking to the soft paint and so they are semi-bonded in place. But what you need to know is that you need the right screwdriver and near-gorilla strength to bust those four screws loose. Once they are loosened then it's a snap.

Tip for the ladies (or men who want to say "I am afraid of damaging my car" versus admitting that they are weak and don't want to be classed with the ladies) - have the dealer bust those screws loose. Talk to the service manager, and state that you are going to be adding an aftermarket component, and you'd like them just to loosen those four screws and then put them back in place with non-gorilla force. If you don't ask the dealer to do this, and you just try to bozo those four screws loose, you could strip the heads real easy because they are so tight. I had to use all my strength and every mechanical trick I know to get those screws out once the heads were partially stripped due to my underestimation of the tightness of the screws from the factory. Learn from my humility here - do NOT underestimate those four @!*#%%! screws and strip the heads.

Now let's talk about the two approaches. The JS screen uses those four screws to hold the screen in place. Loosen the screws so they are just barely hanging on, and insert the screen to rest on the screws and then tighten them back down wedging the screen in place. Note that the factory screw heads then go into the notches on the shield, and there is a slight airgap between the front of the shield and the bulkhead because these screws go into holes in a recessed area. (This is hard to explain, but the photos should give you a better idea.) There is no real indicator when the screws are "tight enough" to hold the windscreen in place. I ended up overtightening the rightmost screw and snapping off the end of the windscreen. I have chosen to show this area in the closeup photo. So, in short, the JS uses the factory screws - and the assembly is screw head to shield to air gap to hole in bulkhead.

Kappa uses a different approach. They provide new screws, and bobbins, to hold the shield in place. The bobbins press firmly against the bulkhead in the recessed areas, and are held in place with the Kappa provided screws. Thus, there is no air gap, and everything is very tight when the windscreen is removed. The screen itself has rubber "spacers" stuck to it, that being soft and pliable are capable of compressing. These then provide a snug, non-slip fit between the bobbins and the bulkhead of the car. To remove the shield, simply provide a gentle, steady pressure and it will ease out from behind the bobbins. It can then be stowed in a provided pouch in the trunk when the top is raised so it won't interfere with the rear defogger or scratch the glass or get scratched itself. When the sheild is removed, structural integrity is maintained by the bobbins - nothing is loose. When the top is in down, the screen is held in place to the bobbins by a pressure fit via the compression of the rubber pads, and there are no "air gaps" anywhere. To me, the Kappa sheild has a structurally superior design by far - both with the shield in place and with the shield removed and only the bobbins in place. The fact that you can remove the shield from the bobbins with no tools, and that a pouch is provided for storage is icing on the cake - well worth the extra dollars.

In terms of the screens themselves, the Kappa screen is thinner and more flexible. I also think that the Kappa screen better follows the lines of the SKY aero fairings - but you can be the judge for yourself in the attached photos. I also provided a shot of the two screens side-by-side so you can compare thicknesses.

Summary:

The Kappa product includes dedicated mounting hardware designed specifically to hold the shield in place and allow for its easy removal without tools. The Kappa shield also has a storage pouch to keep it from getting scratched when it is removed. The Kappa screen is also padded with rubber bumpers against the bulkhead when it is mounted, proving firm (but pliable) mount points. The Kappa screen also has better lines for the SKY, in my opinion.

The JS screen uses the factory screws and is not intended to be removed when the top is up. To remove it, you would need a phillips screwdriver. It is thicker, less flexible, and more brittle.

I have seen comments "the JS screen is designed to remain in place with the top up, the Kappa screen has to be removed." There is nothing in the Kappa design that would make it inferior to the JS in place with the top up; in fact, being thinner and more pliantly secured it is probably better than the JS with the top up. However, it is so easy to remove and the fact that jamming extra stuff in the slot and slamming the deck down with force can't be a good thing (not necessarily bad, but it can't be good) that the reason to buy the JS over the Kappa because "you can keep it in place with the top up" is a false argument. If you want to leave it in place with the top up, get the Kappa because it's better in that application, too.

Recommendation:

My "I have no dog in this fight" analysis is that the Kappa is superior to the JS product in every category - design, aesthetic, ease of use, everything - except price. Kappa's costs about 25% more than the JS. In my opinion, get the Kappa. It is well worth the difference.

(Your opinion may differ.)