Aftermarket windshield?

skyactiv said:
Most dealers farm out glass work and just because the work is done at a dealer, it doesn't mean they'll use OEM glass.
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We farm out all glass work. It is much easier to have someone do it who does it all the time than have a tech do it. Also Ford glass ships direct to us from Carlex, usually takes 2-3 weeks and 2-3 tries to get one not completely destroyed in transit.
 
dfarr67 said:
I don't know any dealer that does their own glass.
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The point is I only deal with one company. In this case Audi. I could care less who actually installs the glass as long as it is OEM dealer glass. My insurance is OEM only these days which means they have had trouble with aftermarket. If there is a problem I talk to Audi. My last car had to go to the dealer for calibration anyways. Why not eliminate the middleman? None of this why isn’t my camera/radio/camera heater working? Installer blames Audi for and Audi blames installer. I have had this happen. Audi dealer will also know who does good work. Besides dealer gives me a brand new loaner for the day, and they have better food and coffee than any Safelite I’ve ever been to. In my case I’m paying $100 for dealer or $100 for Safelite with whom I have had problems with.
 
As far as glass goes, it’s good to know the appropriate terms so you know what you’re getting.

OE = original equipment which is exactly what was installed from the factory (likely with vehicle manufacturer branding).

OEM = glass made by a manufacturer who supplies glass to the automakers like PGW or Pilkington.

Aftermarket is your no-name stuff from Safelite or XYG.

That said, You should be good to be with an OEM replacement like Pilkington, PGW, Guardian, Fuyao, etc. If you go with PGW, check the DOT code if country of origin is of concern. I was told my PGW would be American-made, but looking up the DOT code after installation I found out it was actually made by XYG in China. Many say to avoid XYG but they actually make a lot of glass branded as PGW which is super common.
 
I would verify the aftermarket glass is exactly the same as OEM.

For example I believe on my F150 the OEM glass provides a significant reduction in cabin noise.

Strength and clarity might be the same but there might be some other tradeoffs.
 
The one windshield that I've ever had replaced had the same glass manufacturer company name in the bottom corner as the OEM glass, just not the auto manufacturer logo.
 
jjf729 said:
As far as glass goes, it’s good to know the appropriate terms so you know what you’re getting.

OE = original equipment which is exactly what was installed from the factory (likely with vehicle manufacturer branding).

OEM = glass made by a manufacturer who supplies glass to the automakers like PGW or Pilkington.

Aftermarket is your no-name stuff from Safelite or XYG.

That said, You should be good to be with an OEM replacement like Pilkington, PGW, Guardian, Fuyao, etc. If you go with PGW, check the DOT code if country of origin is of concern. I was told my PGW would be American-made, but looking up the DOT code after installation I found out it was actually made by XYG in China. Many say to avoid XYG but they actually make a lot of glass branded as PGW which is super common.
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Mentioned that early in the thread and it amazes me how so many are simply ok with saving their insurance co money. Reminds me of training day, and putting in the work. There’s no work in going to a dealer now you got another layer lowering their costs in the interest of big margins
 
skyactiv said:
Most dealers farm out glass work and just because the work is done at a dealer, it doesn't mean they'll use OEM glass.
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True that, I was mildly entertained by the....how do I say .....um......the wheel refinisher man out back of the VW/Honda dealer. A clapped up sun shade tent, Harbor Freight jacks and using the power of the Southeastern sun to dry his work before starting his next task: bumper cover "repair". He could possibly be their glass guy too for all I know.
 
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Quattro Pete said:
Yes, if it has ADAS, then most insurance companies will allow factory glass as they know aftermarket doesn't work very well with those features. Our Q5 does not have those features, hence they're not allowing factory glass.
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I think in my state it’s $100 no matter what. At some point I don’t bother to research. I do know that the coverage follows the law in the state that the damage occurred, in my last case California.
 
jjf729 said:
That said, You should be good to be with an OEM replacement like Pilkington, PGW, Guardian, Fuyao, etc. If you go with PGW, check the DOT code if country of origin is of concern. I was told my PGW would be American-made, but looking up the DOT code after installation I found out it was actually made by XYG in China. Many say to avoid XYG but they actually make a lot of glass branded as PGW which is super common.
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Just heard from the installer. They said the glass is PGW brand, made in Malaysia. Seems odd as I thought PGW would be made in US.
 
Safelite is pretty good, they have a high tech shop and very good training. I've watched them install OE glass on a relatives CRV and they did a great job. Safelite's garage has a lot of equipment to work with all of the windshield sensors and driver assist systems.

Your local low budget random glass guy might use the cheapest Chinese glass possible so they away from them. I've seen aftermarket glass that was very wavy and distorted from a perpendicular view as opposed to OE. Dealers will most likely use a local guy. The one dealer I worked at supposedly gave kick backs to the shop manager.

If Safelite can confirm they are using PPG or Pilkington for the windshield, you are just as fine as OE, though I would still fight for OE on principal lol.
 
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Safelite scratched my paint and somehow my camera heater, remote door opener and radio antenna didnt work as well as before after they were done. Some wire/ ground in the windshield is probably faulty as all these systems rely on elements in the windshield. Still trying to get reimbursed. Not worth the hassle to me. It is not the issue that Safelite might have messed things up, it is their lax attitude in making me whole that is irritating. They should be proactive and they are not.
 
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Owen Lucas said:
Safelite is pretty good, they have a high tech shop and very good training. I've watched them install OE glass on a relatives CRV and they did a great job. Safelite's garage has a lot of equipment to work with all of the windshield sensors and driver assist systems.

Your local low budget random glass guy might use the cheapest Chinese glass possible so they away from them. I've seen aftermarket glass that was very wavy and distorted from a perpendicular view as opposed to OE. Dealers will most likely use a local guy. The one dealer I worked at supposedly gave kick backs to the shop manager.

If Safelight can confirm they are using PPG or Pilkington for the windshield, you are just as fine as OE, though I would still fight for OE on principal lol.
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Reminds me of doctors who send patients to some small DME way out of the way. Latest is some doctors even steer their patients to private pharmacies claiming they’re cheaper (since when does a doctor even know what a patient pays or even who provides rx coverage to a patient). All of this reminds me of the tune C.R.E.A.M
 
Vercingetorix said:
Safelite scratched my paint and somehow my camera heater, remote door opener and radio antenna didnt work as well as before after they were done. Some wire/ ground in the windshield is probably faulty as all these systems rely on elements in the windshield. Still trying to get reimbursed. Not worth the hassle to me. It is not the issue that Safelite might have messed things up, it is their lax attitude in making me whole that is irritating. They should be proactive and they are not.
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This sounds awful. Escalate to upper management, or your insurance companies Safelite liaison if you are going through insurance. This would be an easy small claims court case as well.

I've heard of one situation where a vehicle had to be totaled when one of their techs damaged a vin plate, which of course could not be reproduced.

The only reason I like Safelite is because its a big company and you should be able to resolve warranty issues and damage concerns more easily than your random guy in a van. That doesn't appear to be the case here. :unsure:

p.s. Some windshield require a conductive adhesive. If this was not used maybe the lack of continuity or whatever is going on could be causing your issues.
 
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