OEM vs. Aftermarket Windshield

If it's a major manufacturer like Pilkington or PPG, there's no difference; they're made in the same factory on the same line. Avoid Chinese glass , which tends to delaminate. (This information from my wife, who worked for an auto glass shop more years than she cares to admit.)

 

The OEM windshield glass is pretty special with high transmittance of visible light combined with blocking shorter and longer wavelenghts.

This protects you and the interior of the car. Insist that they provide glass with equal or better performance. You should be able to find specs for the OEM glass on line.

 

Good luck.......but this is not 1 u will win unless u wanna more $$$

 

I think your wife is correct. I have a 2014 Toyota Avalon. It has Pilkington window glass in it.

 

There are specs in this thread:
2010 Prius Window Specs | PriusChat

This shows glass that stops all UV radiation, and more than half the solar heat gain while only reducing visible light by 20%.

A separate benefit is reduced sound transmission. Other laminated windshields may give similar sound reduction but I doubt that many of them perform as well in controlling sunlight while preserving good visibility for low light conditions.

 

U do realize the OEM windshield is something over $1,000?

VS980 4G ?

 

If you lived near me, I'd tell you to go to Doctor Auto Glass and get an aftermarket one from them. That's what I did for our '04 Sienna....

At over $1200 discounted online price from Carson Toyota I'd consider looking into possible bullet proof glass....

SCH-R530M ?

 

I hope you realize Toyota does not make glass. All their glass is made by the same companies that make the aftermarket glass, such as Pilkington, PPG, or a factory in Japan. The only difference is that some are marked with the Toyota logo and some the manufacture's logo.

 

That isn't entirely true. I've seen a number of those "PPG" or "PGW" windshields display ripples and distortion on a variety of different vehicles.

Toyota may subcontract glass mfg to a vendor, but the end product is made to specs that are dictated by Toyota. The internet myth that the OE supplier will always produce the same product (but without the OEM label) is very misleading.

 

If it didn't crack in the first place I may be okay with such a high cost glass, but at Toyota prices I would at least ask a bullet proof manufacturer how much their glass costs first.

SCH-R530M ?

 

PGW is one of the cheapest quality you can get nowadays. My friend got a PGW replacement for his Tacoma for $129.00, installed. That is 100% imported cheap quality glass.

 

I know I'm adding onto a two-plus-year-old thread, but I just wanted to weigh in for anyone else who may review it, based on my experience today. Last week took my second stone to my Gen3 windshield, the first one (spider-crack) was repaired by Safelite about 18 months ago. This new chip was right in my line of sight, so combined with the first one -- also line of sight but off to the left -- I decided to pay my $250 deductible and go for a new windshield. Went to Safelite and they did a nice job putting in an aftermarket windshield. I unfortunately didn't make it out of the parking lot. The glass is distorted right in the line of sight across the windshield from left to right. My eyewear Rx has a prism in each lens, and the steeply-raked, distorted glass together with the prism is unsafe, giving me an instant headache and difficulty seeing. Safelite immediately ordered another aftermarket windshield, but this time I will look through it before they go through the entire dismount/remount routine. The 1-mile drive home was a bit challenging.

I appreciate the OP for pointing out that CA Insurance law requires aftermarket parts to meet or exceed OEM (look on the California Dept. of Insurance website under "Auto Body Repairs and Replacement Parts").

After several calls between GEICO and Safelite's "Executive Services" (Warranty) Dept., and armed with the CA Insurance law info, if the 2nd aftermarket glass doesn't work Safelite will request "Pricing Approval" from GEICO to install the OEM windshield. This after GEICO first told me that my option was to pay the $740 difference between the aftermarket and OEM windshields if I needed the OEM.

I'll follow up after I've gotten through the second windshield replacement appt. in 3 days, at which point I'll either be satisfied with the aftermarket glass or the OEM will be on order, hopefully covered under the CA insurance law, which I will fight for. I was told that I may need to provide my eyewear Rx, which is no problem. I realize that for most people the aftermarket windshield may perform just fine, but so far that's not my case because of my particular corrective lenses.

 

A distortion in any windshield is not good. Your prescription should be a non-factor as it is a corrective lens, meaning it is used to help aid/correct your vision issue. But if it gets you OE glass, more power to you! So far I am okay with the windshield I got at Dr. Auto Glass here in Arcadia. It cost around half your deductible, IIRC around $150, for my '04 Sienna including the electrical defrost connector near the wipers....

MT2L03 ?

 

Here's the follow up: Safelite's manager called me ahead of my appointment to install the second aftermarket windshield. He reported that they checked the second windshield, and it had the same defect as the first one, so he offered to get another aftermarket windshield from a different supplier. At that point I said that it was up to him, but that he could contact GEICO and ask for "Pricing Approval" for OEM glass. He immediately replied, "I can do that." He called me back only a few minutes later, and said it was a "go" for the OEM windshield. We scheduled it for a couple of days on. I brought it in, and in just over an hour they installed a Toyota OEM windshield. The difference from the aftermarket is amazing, it is as good a piece of glass optically as my original -- as it should be. I have no issues, and am completely satisfied with Safelite's service. They totally took care of me as a customer.

If it's true that the aftermarket glass is made in the same factory as the OEM, I'll speculate that the first quality gets designated as OEM, while the "seconds" get remaindered to the after market, though I doubt that they're made in the same factory by the same manufacturer.

Many thanks to the OP, SteakandEggs, for the head's up about the California Replacement Parts law.

 

Scott, what brand was the aftermarket glass that had the distortion?