I am getting my windshield replaced due to a pine cone dropping and cracking it...

I have two questions:

1. The windshield gasket looks like it is serviceable... It costs about 100.00 to replace... Would you replace it? Insurance is paying for the glass (non-OEM). The gasket cost would be on me.

2. The non-OEM windshield will be the OEM-spec'd green solar glass, but I have three options on the top of the glass... No headliner tint, green-tinted headliner, or blue-tinted headliner. My OEM windshield has no tint on the upper portion of the glass...

I am not looking for you to make my decision for me... So not really looking for "recommendations" per se... Just wanted to collect some opinions on what you would do so that it could feed my decision making process...

Thanks!

 

I think you should spring for a new gasket; it should prevent leaks. The old one may look great but years take its toll especially when re-used. As an aside, don't go for the cheapest company. There is a difference in quality/training. Take a look at Safelite if you don't use a glass place.

I personally like the tint at the top. I notice it when I drive a car without it. I prefer blue. Takes the edge off the afternoon sun. Blue blends in well with the, you know, sky.

 

You must not be a tall guy. A tint on the top of the windshield would further damage my ability to see traffic lights and interstate signs. I could never have the tint.

 

My OEM factory windshield has no tint at the top... Is that true of all model years?

I am not a tall guy, so I think I like the idea of a baked in tint on the windshield... And I have the perception that the blue tint will have a more "smoked black" appearance than the green tint... I guess I will try doing some image search to see if I can find some examples...

 

Why isn't your insurance company not paying for an OEM windshield?

 

^ That's what I want to know, and personally I wouldn't want anything but an OEM windshield going into my car, I've had some sketchy aftermarket windshields installed in previous cars I've owned.

 

I have a PPG windshield that is anything but resilient against rock chips. There are several chips in the glass and one chip that eventually gave way to a vertical crack on the passenger side. At some point I will be replacing it with an OEM windshield.

Certainly not persuading you to buy an OEM windshield, just giving you my experience with a PPG windshield.

 

A pine cone! Gotta stop parking under those coconut trees!!
Just kidding, good luck with the replacement. Like others have said, I'd try real hard to replace with an OEM part. If your insurance doesn't cover it, can you pay the difference?

 

OK... So I didn't tell you the entire story (in the spirit of keeping things simple)...

This is not being funded by my insurance... It is being replaced by my body shop because the pine cone came down on the windshield on their watch...

My body shop has been working with me to help me fix my little car imperfections here and there...being very conscious that all of this was coming out of my pocket, and not through insurance.

My current windshield was heavily pitted, and I was planning on replacing it before "the pine cone incident". At the time, the body shop advised me that "glass is glass", and that there was no reason to spend $500-$700 on an OEM windshield when you can get an OE-spec'd windshield for about $150. This advice was given to me by a guy I trust, and he gave it to me weeks before he knew he was going to be replacing my glass on his dime.

The shop is self-insured, so the money is coming right out of their pockets... The spirit of their initial advice was in the spirit of spending my money wisely, and I feel a bit of a *sshole now that I know it is on their dime to demand a 700 piece of glass instead of the 100 piece of glass that they advised me to get when they knew it was my money.

I guess I could let them off the hook and have my insurance pay for it and demand OEM...

With the rake of our windshield, I am confident that this will not be my last windshield... I see another heavily pitted windshield in my future...

 

In the end it's your car not theirs. I wouldn't feel in the least bit sorry making them replace with OEM sense it broke while under their watch. Whether you planned on replacing it or not is irrelevant to the fact you did yes have a pitted windshield before it went in but it wasn't cracked. No reason to cause further headaches with using cheap aftermarket glass or filing insurance claims just to not make someone pay for something out of their own pocket. Business is business and that's the cost of doing business for the company.
As for their glass is glass remark I would seriously reconsider anything they are doing to the car if that's their mentality towards repairing vehicles. Cheaping out on non OEM parts most of the time leads to more money and more headaches down the road.