How reliable is windshield replacement?

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This is about my 2013 Honda Civic, 63, it has 63,400 miles on it now. I was driving down the road today minding my own business, going about 55, a rock flew up and put a starburst chip about the diameter of a quarter in the top left corner of my windshield. About 30 seconds later a crack formed from out of the center of the glass, about 4 inches long. By the time I got home the crack about doubled in length. Safelite is coming out on Friday to replace the glass, I am just wondering how good/reliable is a windshield replacement nowadays? I wonder about leaks, also wonder if it will bring down the value of the car without the OE glass. Any help/others' experiences is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
I've had numerous windshields replaced over the years and none have leaked nor were there any problems.

Tell Safelite you want OE glass...they'll use it. Had the same thing when I replaced an F150 windshield.
 
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Safelite will either use:
OEM glass which is the exact same as the original windshield but without the Honda logo
a windshield that is the exact same except made by a different mfr but still an OE supplier (eg Fuyao, PGW, Pilkington, etc)
a windshield that Safelite makes themselves
 
My Sonata is on its third windshield and the Dakota is on its second.

No problems with leaks. Can't answer about diminished value since I drive them until they're undrivable so resale is a non-issue for me.
 
Definitely ask them about OEM glass or Pilkington, I had my Jeeps windshield replaced and they originally where going to use a really cheap brand when I requested Pilkington they had no issues with the upgrade.

You can find out who makes the windshield by looking up the DOT Code as well, http://www.carwindshields.info/dot_db
 
Safelite changed my windshield and family vehicles for years with no issues. Getting hit with rocks from large construction vehicles is a everyday issue in Florida. More so in South Florida on all highways.
 
Originally Posted By: Jimmy9190
I am just wondering how good/reliable is a windshield replacement nowadays? I wonder about leaks, also wonder if it will bring down the value of the car without the OE glass. Any help/others' experiences is greatly appreciated. Thanks.


Don't buy Safelite's own brand of glass. It's the only kind I have ever had that only lasted a month. That and it leaked. Plus Safelite is often way more expensive than the competition.
 
I had a bad experience once with a windshield replacement by a chain business, it was for my 2001 Grand Prix, in 2001. It lasted a long time (life of the car I believe, most of the 13 years I drove it from new). They replaced the factory black trim around the windshield with a generic rubber gasket. It was never as quiet at highway speeds as it was when I bought it. Next time I needed glass on my older Grand Prix, a 1994 model, I asked the dealer where they get their glass done. They told me the name of the glass shop that does their work. I went there, got OEM glass, and they were able to re-use my trim around my windshield. Was very happy with them and have been back at least once more for my 1996 Buick Roadmaster. I had them repair a chip in my Cruze, I didn't think the repair was that great and was more expensive than it seemed it should be ($30). I got another chip later the same summer and bought a kit off from Amazon to fix it and it came as good or better than the professional repair and was only $10 and I have material left over. UV cured and there was no sunshine available so I bought a cheap UV flashlight at walmart to cure it. Worked well.
 
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I just had the windshield in my 2010 Civic replaced with Honda OEM glass. (55k miles, car is flawless)

I made a deal with my insurance that if they paid for OEM glass I would cover the labor. So my dad and I removed the old glass and we paid a friend $75 to set the new windshield.
 
I recently had the windshield installed in my old Sienna after I repaired some pinch weld rust (I removed the old one). The place used Fuyao glass, made here in the US by a Chinese company. The quality appears excellent, there is virtually no distortion down in the corners and so far it has worked fine.
 
Originally Posted By: WishIhadatruck
I had a bad experience once with a windshield replacement by a chain business, it was for my 2001 Grand Prix, in 2001. It lasted a long time (life of the car I believe, most of the 13 years I drove it from new). They replaced the factory black trim around the windshield with a generic rubber gasket. It was never as quiet at highway speeds as it was when I bought it. Next time I needed glass on my older Grand Prix, a 1994 model, I asked the dealer where they get their glass done. They told me the name of the glass shop that does their work. I went there, got OEM glass, and they were able to re-use my trim around my windshield. Was very happy with them and have been back at least once more for my 1996 Buick Roadmaster. I had them repair a chip in my Cruze, I didn't think the repair was that great and was more expensive than it seemed it should be ($30). I got another chip later the same summer and bought a kit off from Amazon to fix it and it came as good or better than the professional repair and was only $10 and I have material left over. UV cured and there was no sunshine available so I bought a cheap UV flashlight at walmart to cure it. Worked well.


I use the repair kits off ebay and they appear identical to the JB Weld kits only half the price and made in USA too.
 
Thanks for all the info. I am not too worried about it now, just wondering about the procedure. I was planning on trading the car in this fall anyway. I may trade sooner now. Thanks again fellow BITOGers.
 
It really depends on the tech installing it and the brand of glass. Most insurance companies have Safelite process their glass claims and in many cases, they'll also do the install. I recently had Safelite come out, the guy who came by knew that he was doing and installed a Pilkington. He told me a few stories from his days installing glass at Pick & Pull before this job.

AGRR, like many automotive trades is filled with hackjobs. There's a few hard and fasts you'll be on the lookout for with a glass tech. If he/she doesn't take the time to take the cowl and wipers off, keeps a big roll of universal molding in their van/truck or carelessly uses a long knife to cut the urethane, those are all signs of a hackjob. Prep is also important, that tech should be using one brand for urethane, glass/metal primer and prep.
 
I've seen a few horrible hack job w/s installs done by Safelite. Most recent was on a buddy's F150 pickup. They broke the plastic cowling, didn't say anything and "glued" it back with black silicone. A Ford dealer fixed it on Safelite's dime after a bunch of hassle. I would avoid them if possible.
 
Originally Posted By: Jimmy9190
also wonder if it will bring down the value of the car without the OE glass.

Who is going to check ? It's a Civic, not a classic ! I love Hondas, by the way....

We've had a few windshield replacements and my opinion is that other than optical issues with the glass, the main factor is the installation quality. One replacement we had leaked so we had them fix it. They removed the windshield, re-did the sealing part (rubber gasket, some sort of goop - don't know, don't care) and put the same windshield back in place. No leaks....
 
Zero issues, don't hesitate to do it, but of course use a reliable installer ... which isn't difficult, just avoid shops that don't do it on a regular basis. Auto Glass shops and body shops should be fine.
 
It's only going to be as good as the guy driving the Safelite truck, and how much sleep he got (or didn't get) last night.
 
I found Satellite to use really poor in-house glass in my wife's 2005 Subaru Legacy. It was like looking thru a funny mirror the visual distortions which were not consistent across the 4 windshields they replaced. We finally replaced at an independent and it was perfect.

I would not waste my time with Satellite.
 
Originally Posted By: Jimmy9190
This is about my 2013 Honda Civic, 63, it has 63,400 miles on it now. I was driving down the road today minding my own business, going about 55, a rock flew up and put a starburst chip about the diameter of a quarter in the top left corner of my windshield. About 30 seconds later a crack formed from out of the center of the glass, about 4 inches long. By the time I got home the crack about doubled in length. Safelite is coming out on Friday to replace the glass, I am just wondering how good/reliable is a windshield replacement nowadays? I wonder about leaks, also wonder if it will bring down the value of the car without the OE glass. Any help/others' experiences is greatly appreciated. Thanks.


Never heard of this on vehicles "every day" folks drive. Trading in several cars (and doing my homework) I have always received "top dollar" on trade in. Many of these had windshields replaced.
 
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