Windshield Replacement: OEM or Aftermarket?

[anotero]

My GTI windshield finally cracked almost 7 years into ownership. Buying OEM glass and having it installed will run me about 300-350 more than if using aftermarket glass. Is it worth paying extra for OEM?

 

[kevinkar]

I think there have been plenty of discussions on this and some feel the OEM glass is "soft" and more prone to scratching and pitting (myself included - this VW glass is not as high quality as that in my other cars in the past.) While some might say aftermarket glass varies in quality as well, I'm presuming any auto glass has to be certified to the proper standards so all of it is "safe". Question is if it's better or worse than OEM and, for me, the jury is still out on that. My guess is it's not worth it for OEM over any other.

 

[avenali312]

Yeah, I feel like this has come up quite a few times. Pilkington and Saint Gobain are mentioned in the conversations, usually.

https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/windshield-replacement.420174/

 

[anotero]

Yeah, I feel like this has come up quite a few times. Pilkington and Saint Gobain are mentioned in the conversations, usually.

https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/windshield-replacement.420174/

Last I checked St. Gobain was unobtainable here.

 

[wvw89]

A

Last I checked St. Gobain was unobtainable here

I'd avoid Pilkington like the plague. Had a Pilkington replacement, very soft glass, full of pock marks from sand due to highway driving after one season. My previous St gobain looked great after 4 years of driving the same mountain highways til a golf ball sized rock hit it dead center.

My new glass guy said their quality isn't what it used to be and in his opinion Fuyao was a better option. We'll see after next winter how it fairs

 

[avenali312]

Last I checked St. Gobain was unobtainable here.

My car doesn't have any fancy cameras or sensors, so I'd probably just end up going with Safelite or something. I do have an annoying small chip right in my sight line. When it rains, the wiper leaves a streak from that spot, so I'm sure it's only a matter of time until it starts to spready from that spot.

 

[anotero]

My car doesn't have any fancy cameras or sensors, so I'd probably just end up going with Safelite or something. I do have an annoying small chip right in my sight line. When it rains, the wiper leaves a streak from that spot, so I'm sure it's only a matter of time until it starts to spready from that spot.

No sensors or cameras in my S either. But after seeing Safelite use shorter border glass on wive's car, I don't want to go near them. At this point due to dealers charging insane amounts for the glass alone, I'll probably go to a local glass guy with good reviews and pay half a grand less.

 

[Cuzoe]

No sensors or cameras in my S either. But after seeing Safelite use shorter border glass on wive's car, I don't want to go near them. At this point due to dealers charging insane amounts for the glass alone, I'll probably go to a local glass guy with good reviews and pay half a grand less.

How much is (your) dealer charging for glass? And how much is the aftermarket glass?

In SoCal I paid under $500 installed for new glass (with camera/sensors). Purchased glass from the dealer and work was done at the dealer. They contracted a local glass guy (that has his own business, but also does work for several dealers). Note I did not have them do the camera calibration, just the glass install.

 

[Roald]

I went through insurance and Safelite recently. No issues. Has rained a ton here in Ohio this spring and I've found no leaks. I don't even remember the brand they installed but so far it has been fine. I do know that it wasn't oem. And I haven't noticed any optical issues either. I'm relatively crazy about that sort of thing and this glass has been fine.
The guy that came out seemed to be knowledgeable enough, said he had worked there like 10+ years. Had the whole thing done in like an hour? I don't know. It was painless and the new glass is holding up fine. *knocks on wood*


Edit: I just looked, its Pilkington. So that's fun

 

[wvw89]

I went through insurance and Safelite recently. No issues. Has rained a ton here in Ohio this spring and I've found no leaks. I don't even remember the brand they installed but so far it has been fine. I do know that it wasn't oem. And I haven't noticed any optical issues either. I'm relatively crazy about that sort of thing and this glass has been fine.
The guy that came out seemed to be knowledgeable enough, said he had worked there like 10+ years. Had the whole thing done in like an hour? I don't know. It was painless and the new glass is holding up fine. *knocks on wood*


Edit: I just looked, its Pilkington. So that's fun

Ah, you might have better luck than myself....I drive around 500 -750 miles every month on a mountain highway....pretty extreme use scenario.

 

[KevinC]

I'm on my 4th windshield (Arizona is brutal!). First 2 replacements were OEM. I don't know how much the glass dude charged my insurance company, but they had to approve the "extra" expense of OEM. The last time I said screw it, just use the Pilkington glass - it's EXACTLY the same, including the markings, except for the lack of the VW logo above the Pilkington info. Again I don't know what the cost difference was, but no approval was required from insurance.

Fuyao is a huge company and BMW uses them for some of their glass, but it's a Chinese company and the glass guy warned me that there are aftermarket windshields out there for the Golf that don't fit well - something about the curvature not being exactly right. So Pilkington OEM seemed like a good choice.

Whatever you do, don't let the butchers from Safelite near it. Yeah they have some very competent techs that give a shit, but they have a lot more that are poorly trained and don't care at all about the quality of their work. I've experienced it firsthand as have a couple of friends. Never again. Find a competent indy local guy that comes highly recommended. Good luck!

 

[Cuzoe]

Agreed with @KevinC about safelite. And my glass, which was ordered/installed by the dealer, is Fuyao.

 

[nosmirk]

I've posted this before, if the Safelite tech wants to put their sh*t on your hood. Don't let'm. If they insist, take a close look at the hood before the tech leaves or better yet take photos before and after. Tech put his vacuum pump on the hood on my MINI for a crater/crack fill and left dents. Took far too much time and effort to get them to pay for the PDR.

 

[Roald]

Woof. This all sounds like a nightmare. Sounds like I also got pretty lucky so far. Thankfully I don't drive much and it's much surface streets into downtown. If I ever have to go through insurance again I'd probably have some preferences given all the experiences shown here.

 

[MonkeyMD]

Anyone ever have SCM Glass? Pretty reputable local installer uses this. I'm holding off as i haven't found anything about it.