Windshield replacement experience

Welp a rock finally got me. Gone 46 years without getting hit. My insurance covers glass with zero deductible but I would have had to pay for the difference to get OEM Toyota so I went with a Pilkington replacement. The installer was very knowledgeable and did a great job. He removed the sealer everywhere except along the bottom. He used a razor blade to even it out there then pulled out a battery powered caulk gun and heated tubes of sealer and laid a perfect bead all the way around. I asked why he didn’t remove the sealer at the bottom and he said that he uses it to keep the proper spacing along there so the windshield doesn’t contact the dash which could lead to vibration and noise you don’t want. Was actually happy the original windshield got broke because it was getting pitted pretty bad. No waves or distortion that I could see in the new glass. This is an independent shop and he said they get to inspect the windshields before they buy them. Same tint, same everything as OEM. He used a new gasket that was slightly different and is supposed to keep the rain from getting flipped out over the A pilars. I’m a real skeptic and don’t just take people at their word but this guy seemed legit. I could tell He’s been doing this for a while cause his forearms were like Popeye and he handled the windshield like it didn’t weigh anything.

 

Cool, I went with Safeline a couple years ago and it's been great.

 

Yea I know just another boring windshield story. Cool, did you mean Safelite?

 

Yeah, Safelite. It's not a metal detector, lol.

 

I don’t know much about auto glass, but my 2015 OEM windshield is Pilkington so it sounds like you got something similar. Good luck with it!

 

My 2010's windshield was pitted all to s**t, so I replaced it in March of 2018. Wasn't too dang long before I picked up a rock and it started a crack that ran all the way from the center to the left driver side. So earlier this month I got to replace it again!

Glass Services in Shreveport. Good product, good price. I think all of the windshields are made by the same company regardless of how they're labelled.

Having a small ding in your windshield seems to protect you from getting hit again. Just saying.

 

Same. Pilkington is an OEM supplier of glass, so OP probably got Toyota quality anyway.

 

I dont want to hijack this thread but has anyone in a hot area ever replaced theirs with an IR Blocking windshield? The kind that keeps heat out? Curioua about the down sides or experiences other than cold days suck since the sun wont head up the inside at all.

 

Mine is an '09 and I had to replace the windshield once a few years after I bought it. My insurance also paid though I believe I had a small deductible. Anyway I just went to the local safelite and the replacement was perfect. No leaks, no noises. Of course I got my first rock chip in it a few months after it was replaced and have been seeing it out of the corner of my eye for years, but that's the way life is.

 

It was literally raining every day after mine got cracked so it took a few weeks to get a good day that they could come to my driveway to replace it. So during that time I was reading posts by members here about their experiences to get an idea of what to expect. There were more than a few seemingly unhappy customers. However you really have to take the stuff you read here with a grain of salt. I’m a bit of a perfectionist but there are folks on here that take it to a whole other level. Not judging, to each their own. Maybe if my truck was really something special I’d be just as manic about it.

 

I’m on my third windshield in a year. I’m never using Sucklite I mean Safelite again.

I think their windshields or install are miserable. I’ve never had these problems on other vehicles.

I had a horrendous customer service experience with them last time so I won’t use them again because of that alone but any time the smallest thing hits the windshield it breaks and splits again.

I will check when I get home what brand it is. I need to find another installer that has a quality product and figure out what those quality products are.

 

My safelite windshield says "sgc". It seems fine. It has a couple chips but they haven't spread.

It's glass. If anything significant hits it, it will chip or crack. Not sure why that's a mark against safelite

 

SGC is for Safelite Glass Corp. They undercut everyone else by making their own glass. Toyota doesn't approve of their glass to be up to their replacement standards (told to me by a collision director from Toyota corporate in Torrence, CA). Would you rather Bob's Plumbing to install a Delta faucet or a "Bob's Best" brand? And remember, glass makes up for part of the structural integrity of the vehicle. I don't put cheap glass in my car if my family is riding inside.