Replacement Windshields

I made a healthy check off it! The safelite tech cut completely thru the VIN plate below the dash and cut up the headliner. The water leak left 3" of standing water in the floor. Had to replace all carpeting, removal and reinstallation of sound deadening on the floor throughout, mold remediation, new carpet pad, new upholstery, etc. Safelite had to send corporate reps to our shop to inspect the work so they could notate it all and track other installations by that tech to see how deep they might get.

 

Satellite doesn't make replacement windshields anymore. All Safelite windshields are now made by other manufacturers and a Safelite logo is printed on it. The only difference between OEM quality and ARG (replacement) windshields is glass thickness. The difference being 2.3mm versus 2.1mm. Less than half a millimeter total.

 

The only reason it gives off a double image is hud windshields use a different vinyl interlayer. The glass is the same.

 

The primary purpose of a windshield is to keep the passengers inside the vehicle in a collision. A 5lb steel ball is used during each run a particular part during quality checks to insure it meets federal standards.
PGW is not a part of PPG. PPG sold off all their automotive glass business in Oct 2008.
The distortion (wavy) that you see in a windshield has nothing to do with the vinyl interlayer. It comes from the manufacturing process of glass at the float plants. Automotive glass should be and supposed to be higher optical quality than architectural glass.

 

I had a local shop replace my windshield for $80 and they offer free lifetime chip repairs. No leaks.

 

Glad to see this thread... pissed that coming back from the range today I picked up a nice chip on my windshield... Anyone know a good place here in the bay area?

 

I got the answering machine on Friday when calling the closest place for a quote. I guess I'll call again on Monday, but not a good sign.

 

I had my 2nd windshield replaced at the dealer and it was wavy af! It was only noticeable when looking out the windshield at an angle, for instance all billboards were wavy. Very annoying and luckily that one cracked too. I thought the dealer would have a quality replacement but that was the worst windshield I've ever had in a vehicle.

 

The nearest glass place offers Migrant glass for replacement. They've replaced a windshield of mine in a prior vehicle without issue, but has anyone heard of Migrant?

I was quoted $310 with installation.

 

You sure that was a brand or were they just trying to tell you how they were going to save you some money... Like wink wink, nudge nudge.

 

They never mentioned saving money. I asked who manufactures their glass and that's what they told me. Is that not a brand or something?

Edit

It's Mygrant.

 

On some of the smaller chips I have successfully used the glass repair epoxy.
I was doubtful at first, but saw some chips my neighbor repaired and started to give it a try. So far saved me replacing two different windshields (one mine & one my son's Corolla).

 

p.s. In so far as the "wavy" part, you'll oftenevensee such waves in OEM glass on highend cars like Mercedes Benz, BMW, etc. You're rolling a layer of polyvinyl butyral between two pieces of curved glass under heat. Things don't always comeout silky smooth. I've worked on $70k Mercedes Benz windshields with horrible rippling in the original glass.

Just for s bit of clarification here. The "wavy" part you see in a windshield is caused by distortion in glass itself not the vinyl interlayer. The vinyl is placed in between the two pieces of glass cold. Then put in an autoclave where it is heated and pressurized to seal it and make it clear.

 

distortion in bent glass, like windshields, is almost always due to the bending process of the glass and not the vinyl interlayer. Unfortunately, I worked in an auto glass factory for ~5 years We dealt with this all the time in development by strategically wiring pieces of expanded metal on the molds to absorb heat where the distortion occurred. The vinyl is placed between the two panes of glass at room temperature but it then goes thru ovens and rubber wheels/rollers for primary bonding (de-air and tacking), and then is autoclaved to finish the bond.

Thinner glass is actually more expensive because it has a higher scrap rate: 2.3 mm glass is cheaper than 2.0 mm, or it was when I worked in glass. 2.0 mm is used as a standard for windshields because it is lighter and defrosts quicker. We gave a small cost discount if an automaker would switch to a 2.3 mm outer glass as our price for the raw glass was lower.

Quality is definitely not the same between auto glass manufacturers. OE will be better for sure, but even the Toyota dealership glass isn't as good cosmetic quality as what's put in at the assembly line. Our second rate stuff would be "service glass" for dealers. This was still way better cosmetic quality than the aftermarket glass that installers put it.

 

I had Safelite come out and replace the windshield on my daily driver 2006 Scion xB a few years ago after a rock cracked it. The first windshield they put in flat out didn't fit with gaps and puckers in the gasket / seal. (The technician even went as far as to try to fill a nasty gap between the windshield frame and the seal with RTV.) After I complained, they came out again and put a second one in. Same issues - just in different places. I then demanded that they do something to get me a windshield that fit at least as good as OEM. Even the technician said they always had problems with xB windshields. So, for their third attempt, they put in an OEM Toyota windshield and seal. Perfect! Would not go back to them again.

 

has anyone gotten a new windshield and had an odd film on the outside? cant get it clean...??? I dont go thru car washes so its not that

 

I'm just waiting for the day Gorilla Glass comes to Tacoma windshields. Already on McClarens and now Jeeps going forwards.

 

I wouldn't count on getting one for a Tacoma anytime soon. Gorilla glass windshields for Jeep are currently a high end option, not a normal production install. Probably be hard to get seeing as roughly 1000 is all that have been made.

 

A lot of distortion is due to bending of the glass but distortion from the vinyl is also a very common occurrence.

Thinner glass is not more expensive than thicker glass. Float glass plants pull glass by the ton, thicker glass uses more raw materials hence costs more.
2.3 is typical OEM thickness if glass due to federal safety regulations but there are some windshields that use 2.1 OE (2013 and up Chrysler Town and Country) 2.1 is used for ARG because it is cheaper.

OEM and "service glass" are exactly the same thing. Difference being service glass may have a slight defect in the paint not in the glass. Specs are different. ARG glass is the same way with specs being slightly different( 1mm versus 2mm in most cases)

I have worked in automotive glass for 30 yrs with PPG/PGW now owned by Vitro.