Windshield replacement over $1,100?????

[jrfaris]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(4n6 @ Sep 6 2007, 07:52 PM) [snapback]508309[/snapback]</div>

I am curious if you notice any distortion when looking at straight lines thru the edges of the windshield. When I look at the glass from an angle it looks wavey. When I look thru from the inside out, straight edges look like a reflection in a circus mirror. [/b]

I have to say that I really can't see any difference between my Safelite replacement and the original windshield. I paid particular attention while driving today and couldn't see any unusual distortion. I can accept that there may be some differences relative to OEM but after a couple weeks, they aren't apparent to me. I may have a different opinion down the road but unless I have another rock encounter, I expect this windshield will perform as well as the original. Higher cost does not always mean better value.

[Syclone]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jwe8f @ Sep 5 2007, 06:16 PM) [snapback]507532[/snapback]</div>

I have a large crack in my windshield, right behind my mirror. The crack is very large -- more than a dollar bill down, then at least another one towards the passenger side (L-shaped). It was caused by a stone, and the entire crack developed right away.

I called the Toyota dealer where I bought my car, and they said a new windshield would cost $953 (!!!), the molding $54, and installation $125. Total cost: $1,132!!!! That's like 5% of the MSRP of a complete new vehicle!!!! You GOT to be kidding.

I read in an old post that there are no 3rd-party suppliers of Prius windshields, but I went on-line to glass.net, and they quoted 3 local shops for $312-321, installed. That doesn't sound like the same supplier to me, but if it is, then my dealer is SERIOUSLY trying to rip me off.


[/b]

I've had my windshield replaced twice in the past 3 months. Both times courtesy of the Long Island Expressway.

The first time I went to my local Toyota dealer - final cost $1380.00 - Insurance company paid

Second time ( last week) Safelite Auto Glass - $370.00 . Insurance company paid again.

I could see absolutely no difference between the two replacements. The second time a van came to my house and the technician took no more than 20 minutes from start to finish. One hour later, I was on the road. The first time I had to leave the car for a day, Lay out the payment (Toyota wouldn't bill the insurance company) and then wait for reimbursement. Bad Toyota!

[jwe8f]

Thanks for all the replies! They were very helpful.

In the end, I decided to give the $300 replacement a try.

The glass was manufactured by PPG (DOT-18). It looks and feels EXACTLY like the original. Seems as quiet, and has the same tint and dot pattern.

Some precautions I took: Asked a lot of questions, called the BBB to check on the company, and took pictures before and after. I did end up with a couple of nicks, and one superficial scratch. They are barely noticeable, and I plan to buff them out and reseal them myself. They were very light, and did not penetrate the paint.

I decided to go with a shop replacement instead of a mobile replacement, because I figured the tech would be more comfortable, and had more resources at their disposal. It may have been a good thing I did -- at the end they said they still needed to call my insurance company, because it took 5 hours of labor to replace the window!! Don't know why it took that long, but even though they hadn't called them yet, it did not affect what I owed them.

I ordered the windshield on Tuesday, and they replaced it by noon on Wednesday. I had to pay the $100 deductible my policy requires, but the shop took care of everything else, including all the coordination with my insurance company.

Some things I learned: My window was "tinted" but not "shaded", and the big dot pattern in the center of the window behind the rear-view mirror is called a "third visor". It's supposed to handle any sun that appears at the center of the window when the other two visors are flipped down.

So far, so good. I am only 48 hours after the fix, but I have leak-checked it, and all seems well. It is very pretty.



Here's the text on the window for text searches:

SoundMASTER
SOLEX
DUPLATE
LAMINATED
ACOUSTIC
AS1 41
DOT 18 M413
FW2602

[tedb]

A couple of additional thoughts. We just went through this with our '07 Prius. Windshield fairly well demolished when something got kicked up into to it while we were driving at 70+. AAA Insurance sent out Safelite which initially replaced with non-OEM. I believe the total invoice was around $800 and I paid my $500 deductible. My wife noticed that she was getting a whole lot more interior reflection (the cowl) and complained to AAA. They said that because it was an '07, i.e., new(ish), Safelite ought to have replaced it with OEM. Last week Safelite showed up with OEM glass -- and, if memory serves me right, an invoice for around $1400.

My wife is convinced that the tinting on the OEM looks substantially different than the other glass.

Ted

[Wayne]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tedb @ Sep 16 2007, 06:22 PM) [snapback]513406[/snapback]</div>

My wife is convinced that the tinting on the OEM looks substantially different than the other glass.
[/b]

If the Safelite glass picture on post 14 of this thread is color-accurate, I can see how she might say that...

[hv74656]

For those of you wondering what degree of UV protection your windshield has, just do the following. Set up some kind of shoplight with a UV blacklight bulb installed outside the windshield. Wear a white shirt. Sit inside the car and check if your white clothing is glowing a purpleish color. If it is, the glass you are testing is letting UV light through.
I discovered this after cleaning the glass on my Prius with some white cloths. I had earlier put a spare blacklight bulb in my shoplight to complete the circuit and get the other normal bulb working. When I was cleaning the outside of the car, the cloth glowed, but nothing was glowing when I cleaned the inside. Just another interesting discovery that was accidental.

[sparkyAZ]

A few months ago, I took a rock chip in the upper middle of the windshield just above the mirror mount. Of course, being a high stress area it spread quickly. So after several phone calls, I found that Eveready glass of Phoenix does work for some of the local dealers and had them replace the glass. I wanted OEM Toyota glass, but the insurance would not cover it. Speaking with the technician that came out, he told me that Pilkington / LOF is the glass factory for Toyota USA. He said he has seen glass come through from Pilkington with the Toyota marking acid etched off, though it is still visible when viewing at the correct angle. The difference? About $600. The Pilkington glass comes standard with a light tinting, sound absorbing design. Of course, the glass is laminated (as all windshield glass is), not tempered. I requested the glass with shading (built in gradient shading strip at the top) which is an upgraded glass. Cash price would have been around $350 if I had to pay out of pocket.

Since I also am going to install my scangauge above the mirror, I decided to install a 7ft CAT5 network cable across the headliner and A-pillar while the glass was out. To save the technician some time (and because I'm uberanal about my car), I removed the rear view mirror, windshield wipers, and plastic cowling prior to the technician arriving. The replacement was done in my garage so I could help and observe the process.

Here are some photos of the installation:

1.) First layed down some old blankets on the seats, dashboard, and floor to catch any stray urethane shards and goop.

2.) Use a T20 torx head driver to back out the mirror set screw (not all the way) then slide the mirror up on the mount to remove. If you have the Homelink mirror you must first remove the connector from the back side of the mirror.


4.) Use a 14mm hex socket to remove the bolts holding the windshield wiper blades. Use a gear puller to separate the wiper blades from the drive shafts. Remove the plastic cover. There are two push-pin fasteners, one on each side. Then the cover lifts out.


3.) The technician pulled the existing rubber gasket from around the glass, then used a special draw knife to cut the seal between the glass and the frame from the outside. The inside seal was cut and the glass removed. The excess sealant was cut away and cleaned up.


4.) Installed 7ft network cable from mirror mount across headliner, down A-pillar and into dash compartment. Use a flat network cable such as this one I purchased at Fry's Electronics


5.) New urethane sealant applied.


6.) glass prepped and set in place. I helped support the glass while he aligned and set it in place.


He recommended letting the car sit for 2 hrs before moving and keeping the windows open for 2 days to avoid blowing the seal due to pressure differences from shutting doors or turning on the AC. I plan to let the car sit for a week to fully cure (plus it's my carpool friend's turn to drive next week ).


7.) all parts replaced in reverse order.

[hyo silver]

Our Prius recently suffered some vandalism, and the bill was close to $5,000. That included the windshield, side passenger window, hatch glass, and some repainting (which they STILL didn't get right, after the third try!)
The glass is not oem, which I wasn't warned about, and the hatch glass doesn't seem to fit properly. The good news is that the deductible was only $200.

[abq sfr]

This must be the official Priuschat glass thread. Rock hit windshield about 1/4 of way up on driver side near edge of glass, crack started moving up fast, yesterday it increased 2 inches so its probably 12 inches long now. State Farm has waived my deductible before on other cars if I go with their recommended glass shop, hope they do again. My windshield does not have the UV designation... it has

Toyota
AGC Automotive
DOT-207 M874 AS1
11T
Lamisafe

Does it have the extra UV even though it is not labeled that way? I wonder if Prius OEM glass is thinner to save weight. You would think it's at such a low angle that the rocks would deflect with a glancing blow and not crack it so readily. First car I ever owned that had a windshield replaced before 2 years. Guess I'll visit State Farm this afternoon.

[rigormortis]

windsheild and glass repairs fall under the comprehensive section of your policy, comprehensive claims do not raise your rates, there is no financial reason to pay for this out of pocket, hoping to save money down the road.

if you feel that the deductible for the glass is too high, you should shop around, a lot of insurance companies only charge $50 for a glass repair, where as other insurance companies will repair or replace the windshield free of charge, because it is illegal to drive without one is there reasoning

if your windshield is repairable, meaning you hit a rock, and theres a small chip in it, and a crack has not spread, that service is free of charge also. it won't make the window perfect, but it will prevent a crack from spreading (free meaning they wont ask you for any money out of pocket they will just bill the insurance company).

my brother recently had his passenger side window busted out, he made the mistake of showing up at a body shop, they quoted him 1,200 to fix it, the insurance company balked, and he had to actually rent a car for almost 2 weeks, while waiting around for them to do a simple window replacement, please do not make this mistake. there is no need to rent a car, they will show up to your home or work and do the work on site.



i wish insurance companies would let us get the dealer glass, just so it says toyota on it.

another neat feature about glass repairs that there is no claim work involved on your part , if it is just the glass, then all you have to do is call the repair company, and they will look up your policy, take the deductible from you, repair the damage ON SITE, and file the paperwork for you on your behalf.

if you have the work done at the toyota dealer, you know they are going to want you to drop off the car at 7 in the morning, shuttle you to work, and then it will be ready at 5pm!