Anyone have Pilkington Brand Windshield Replacement?

See post #7 below ... original Toyota made in Japan windshield is definitely better than a made in China aftermarket windshield that was on my car for a week ...

Well, the shop has my new windshield and it's set to be put in tomorrow. They recommended Pilkington Brand. AAA did not approve Toyota glass which would have cost me $1,100 out of pocket.

Just wondering if anyone had windshield replacement and happened to get Pilkington brand. It is supposed to be very good quality. Saw that brand on the Accord Hybrid last night.

Question is, is it very good for the Prius.

Ooops, no more pics of my cracked windshield.

 

Well, I went to the shop to have the Pilkington windshield installed, but I did not have it installed.

I immediately noticed the rearview mirror mount tab in the Pilkington was mounted lower down the glass.


Here's the Pilkington windwhield * The third visor (shaded area is the same height from top of shield as Toyota glass). Notice the mirror mount tab below the third visor -

* I saw a Safelite Prius windshield and the tab was same location as this Pilkington




Here's my (our) original Prius windshield mount tab (For the STANDARD MIRROR only, not the auto-dimming which is different). See the mount within shaded area.





I'm just kinda taking it in and realizing the aftermarket companies glue the mirror mount tab in the same place for the auto-dimming and standard mirror versions of the glass. ... to save money I suppose.

 

As long as I would be able to adjust the mirror up higher out of my line of sight, it will be ok.

I still think the aftermarkets cheap out by gluing the standard and auto-dimming mount tabs in the same place while they add the extra plastic piece to route the auto-dimming wire.

 

My AAA insurance letter states "... we will help to restore your damaged vehicle to its condition prior to the loss at no additional cost to you ... "

I've been shown one new 'Pilkington' brand windshield for Prius on a stand which I declined to have installed.


Pilkington windshield for 2011 Prius Three


Original Toyota windshield 2011 Prius Three



What vendors have worked consistently well for you??

 

EDIT - Even some (maybe all) original Toyota windshields will have some vertical distortion when looking to the opposite side of the shield. Didn't quite pick up on that before this post. But, Toyota windshield is higher quality than this one)
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I'm not going to name the vendor that replaced my windshield today, but I will say they are within the top 8 in sales in the US and it is not Safelite.

The windshield is full of ripples and distortion looking to the right or left. The shop achnowledged the problem and talked of replacing with a Pilkington next Monday.

Look at this PGW (Pittsburg Glass Works) DOT 563 which is really Shenzhen Auto Glass made in PROC, China. DOT number search: DOT Number Database

Look at the ripples in bike lane line. Much worse in person, ripples run top to bottom of windshield...




Look at the same line through the passenger (Toyota) window ...




This is a classic case of use of flawed aftermarket parts and insurance AAA, hoping to get done with this claim for $200 out of their pocket. Ain't going to happen. This will be fixed again and again until it's good.

 

They told me yesterday they would get Pilkington or PPG. They ended up procuring PGW which is Pittsburg Glass Works, but I heard they used to be good. They sold out for cheapo manufacturing in China.

I did see the 'made in China' sticker on the glass on the stand. This is a big place with 30 locations in CA. They were very courteous. Now they've created more work for themselves.

Look at all the ripples below -

 

EDIT - the moulding below is decorative and small gaps will not cause a water problem. Didn't know that when making this post

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Yes, the same shop installed new Toyota windshield two days ago. One issue with the molding at top of windshield. Look closely and see where is touches the body, then drops down out of sight about 8" then comes back up. So now I have to address that issue whether or not it would lead to water buildup, rot, etc... and do they need to put some sealant on ... or redo.

 

Insurance states it is my right to have the car returned to the condition it was before the loss ... and that does not include with 1) rearview mirror clearly mounted lower 2) Optical distortion in an aftermarket windshield
3) gaps in moulding that may result in water problems

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I got two opinions on the moulding. One with All star Glass that did the install and another with Safelite Solutions. Both say it is a decorative moulding and any small gap cannot lead to water buildup or problems. So, case closed for me.

I've already changed my driving habits leaving much more room in front of me (not that I followed so close before) and generally driving more defensively, especially around trucks!

Any chips in my windshield will be professionally repaired quickly!