The winshield I had replaced 2 months ago failed.

Two months ago, I had the winshield replaced on my Prius with an aftermarket replacement. Today, I just reached up to adjust the rear view mirror, and it pulled off in my hand, taking a big chunk of the glass with it. I just finished searching the pasts posts for discussions of OEM vs. aftermarket glass, and I am not sure there were any conclusions. Apparently, Toyota had some sort of new proprietory design that they just released to the aftermarket glass manufacturers recently. I am seriously thinking the aftermarket glass may not be as good.

Here is a photo of the area where the outer surface of the glass broke off where the mirror was attached, and there are a couple of little cracks on each side that I drew in becuase they were hard to see.

Tomorrow, I am going back to the installer, and hoping they don't give me any greif. I already called my insurance company, and they say that the installer should re do it again, no questions asked. I will believe it when I hear it.

[attachmentid=10103]

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dogfriend @ Jul 24 2007, 11:57 PM) [snapback]484569[/snapback]</div>

Well, if we ever get a chance to meet face to face, I would like to shake your hand, and we can be close friends, as long as your wrist doesn't have a pre-existing crack in it. He He!

Anyway, I agree with you, that their was very likely a hidden manufacturing flaw in the glass.

 

Godiva, good point. Like I said in my opening post, "I reached up to adjust the mirror and it just <strike>pulled</strike> fell off in my hand".

The weird thing is, when I called the insurance company, they say my claim was paid to their preferred glass claims installer "<strike>SafeGlass</strike>" "Safelite Auto Glass", but my receipt is for an alternate shop that I chose on my own. So now the question is, is the XYZ Glass company that I picked somehow affiliated with SafeGlass? I really hope I can get the glas replaced at a different SafeGlass shop, as I am not at all happy with the original shop that fouled up my window molding on attempt one, and then scratched my paint on attempt two and would not take any responsibility for it.

I turned in a complaint with my insurance company about the paint scratches and the glass shop denying any responsibility, but insurance company never got back to me, and I wourked thouh it with a little rubbing compound and a touch up brush.

OK, I am going to call <strike>SafeGlass</strike> Safelite Auto Glass right now to see if I can set up Attempt 3. Wish me luck.

OK, mystery solved, All Safco Glass claim payments are routed through SafeLite, and the Safeco rep just didn't get that connection. So I spoke with XYZ Glass, and low and behold, they said I need to come in so they can determing (with their magic eyes) if the mirror fell off or if some sort of force was applied, so they can decide if it is covered by their warrantee. I have an appointment with the same guy who would not take any responsibility for the scratches (other than offering to dab on the touch up paint if I bought it), so I am beginning to see Judge Wapner and Doug Leuellen in my future.

When I go back to the insurance company to make a second claim, I wonder if their "magic eyes" will make the same assessment?

 

Well, I now have the windshield replaced again, with just a few more scratches added to my dashboard this time, but they are in an inconspicuous place, so I am not going to fret about it.

Here is the conclusion I have reached. Cut rate repair shops think of cars as ordinary objects that are not special in any way, like they are fixing you a dollar menu hamburger that will be gone in 10 minutes.

A good shop that will treat your baby like a family member if worth the extra cost.

For their "warrantee" the XYZ glass shop ended up replacing my windshield, but they turned in another insurance claim, and asked me to tell my insurance company that it was hit by another rock. Since I wasn't getting any help form the insurance company regarding the less than acceptable repairs, I just went along to avoid any further hassles.

I proved to myself that if you go into a situation expecting a fight, you will get it. I think I could have kept my cool a little better, but the glass shop rep elevated the frustration once I expressed it.

Here is how it went down:
After speeking with Mr. We Won't Do Anything About Your Paint Scratch (Wewodoanyting for short), I had already decided I was going to ask for another rep I had worked with before. When I arrived, Mr. Wewodoanyting came bounding out to meet me, as I had an appointment with him. I showed him how the mirror had broken free when I tried to adjust it.

Rep Begins - "Well, you see, the problem is that these mirrors are heavy, and when you are adjusting them, you need to be carefull not to put too much force . . ."

Me (Having prepared myself for a fight) - interrupted him with "That's Bulls#@t!"

Rep (Set off by my over reaction) "What's wrong with your attitude? You come in and saying F---ing Bulls#@t!"

Me - "I didn't use the F-Word!"

Rep - "Weren't you in here before complaining about something?"

Me - "Yes, and you wouldn't take any responsibility for that either, so that is why I am like this! Can I just speak with Mr. GM?"

Rep - "Yeah, he is right inside!"

I enter through the door, and Mr. GM is behind the conter. I wait for his attention.

Rep (bursts through the door stage right, esculating his exagerating) - "This guy says I am F---ing Bulls#@t and he doesn't want to talk to me!"

Me - "I didn't say YOU were, and I didn't use the F-word!"

Mr. GM - "I can look at it, show me."

We move back outside.

Mr. GM (assessing the damage) - "Well, you see, the problem in this business is that some people lie. I am not saying you are, but for some people, their kid could have hit it, or they could have hit is loading something from the back and broke it. How about if I fix it without charging you the deductable?"

Me - "Wouldn't something like this be covered by the glass manufacturer?"

Mr. GM - "No, they won't be able to tell how it happened either."

Me - "Aren't some glass manufacturers better than others?"

Mr. GM - "No, they are all the same." Come back at 2 PM, and we will fix it this afternoon.

Later that afternoon, I return at 2 PM.

Mr. GM (turns to secretary) - "Call up Mr. NoMoShocks insurance company. (turns to me) "We will tell them it was hit by a rock. They will not raise your rates as long as you say it was hit by a rock."

Me - "What if they ask me what happened?"

Mr. GM - "Tell them it was hit by a rock. No one is at fault when it is hit by a rock."

Secretary (Passing me the phone) - "They want to talk to you!"

Me - "Hello. . . . No, I don't have my policy number with me. . . . Mr. NoMoShocks . . . . Yesterday. . . . It was hit by a rock."

Insurance Co Rep - "This repair will be covered by our super duper handy dandy no questions asked satisfaction guarentee!"
'

Me - "Thats wonderfull!"

Insurance Co Rep - "Oh wait, they are not in our network of providers. This is not covered by our super duper handy dandy no questions asked satisfaction guarentee. You should make sure you go over their not so super duper lack luster guarentee in detail with them"
'

Me (thinking to myself) - "I already know, their guarentee is that they will call your insurance company to set up a new claim."


Lessons learned = you get what you pay for. Don't cut corners when it comes to your baby.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pewd @ Jul 26 2007, 02:39 PM) [snapback]485711[/snapback]</div>

Well, I really do agree pretty much. One part of the tale I left out was that the insurance companies own glass claims administrator also told me that if the XYZ glass company would not honor this as warrantee work, then I should pretty much open a new claim. My white lie saved me my deductable, which the glass shopa greed to eat, but you are right, I should stive to be honest in all dealings. Thanks for the reminder.

As far as the shop running a scam, they advertise they will pay much of your deductable. In my case, they paid $175 of the original $250 deductible, and while I was waiting, I heard customers transactions.

Customer with insurance "We can pay part of your deductable, you out of pocket cost will by $169.

Customer with no insurance "We can replace that for you for $169.

Of course, I don't know if they were same glass.

 

It is DOT 65 by SGC.

The full marking looks like this:

[attachmentid=10189]

They did tell me this is a different manufacturer than the first failed one.

It looks like SGC it a trademark of Safelite Glass Inc., who is the administrator of Safeco Insurances glass claims services, and the authority that told me "If the glass shop wont cover it under warrantee, we will set up another claim.

DOT65, SAFELITE INDUSTRIES INC, WICHITA, KS, USA

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Katrina @ Jul 27 2007, 12:30 PM) [snapback]486287[/snapback]</div>

Just so there is no missunderstanding, it was NOT a Safelight shop that treated me badly, although the bad shop did use Safelite glass the second time. Safelite IS the administrator for my insurance company, and they did tell me if the 'shop' would not fix my window under warrantee, they would open a second claim.

The shop I used was a national chain, and they state that their warrantee covers "manufacturing defects" and "stress cracks", but if the stress crack happens to be right under the mirror mount, they will blame it on the customer. Normally, the glue would give way instead of the glass, which is why I am convinced there WAS a manufacturing defect. So in short, their warrantee is no good. With a good warrantee, if there is a question that it could have been a defect, or external force, the company should error on the side of the customer.

And guess what, when I removed the painters tape that they told me to leave on for 24 hours, I discovered the scratched my paint again this second time, but I am through with them. I will just touch up the paint myself. It is not really practical to spot paint and blend for a chip the size of a fingernail clipping, and would probably end up dimishing the value more than if I just dab it in. It is mostly hidden under the rubber molding