Windshield replacement - brands to avoid?
Laughing Gas
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 913
Likes: 7
I have seen issues from every brand of glass working in a Ford dealership - even had Carlite glass come in that was wavy/flawed. Pilkington, PPG(PGW), Carlite, and Fuyao Group have all passed through my hands. Out of those few Fuyao tends to be the cheapest - I have it in my '88 and havent had any issues with rock chips/cracks.
Concerning being "crack or "chip" prone - I have to say it is 90% the conditions it is subject to - just like with automotive paint. You can spray the most expensive base/clear systems, but nothing is going to stop it from failing if it isnt maintained/cared for.
Concerning being "crack or "chip" prone - I have to say it is 90% the conditions it is subject to - just like with automotive paint. You can spray the most expensive base/clear systems, but nothing is going to stop it from failing if it isnt maintained/cared for.
Fleet Owner
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 21,437
Likes: 76
From: Gilbert, PA
Diesel Brad:.... Care to specify some of the "correct" procedures involved with installing the glass. I am glad to see people interested in posting to this thread, but would really like some knowledgeable folks to (talk) about proper installation procedures vs. what I guess many consider the inferior, mass commercialized, guys.... Safelite, with their catchy commercial gingle.("Safelite repaire, safelite replace"). I looked up by zip code (on a site I came across) for who was AGRSS (Automotive Glass Replacement Safety Standards) certified in my area. I thought a bunch of the local glass shops would come up. NOPE! There are many but they are NOT EVERYONE. And NONE of the big popular names! I guess short of getting some good comprehensive information on this site I will have to start making phone calls to these glass shops and hearing what stories they have to (push/sell). Unfortunately, These days it seems VERY HARD to find people to be honest and give information in an unbiased way. (Never let the truth get in the way of a new customer!). You folks probably know what I mean. Look forward to any NEW/GOOD information about what to look for in an installer and what to look out for. Brad:...Do you suggest I call body shops and ask them who they sub contract out their glass installs to and what they think of the quality of the job? Or are (they) really even going to know the "DETAILS" of a good job vs. a bad one? Except from the uneducated public that comes back with a complaint afterwards. Let's not forget, Short of the most obvious screw ups, Many IMPROPER installs may not be known or visible to the eye OR until much later date or an accident. There may be an argument that "sloppy looking work" might actually be a good installer making sure he put enough adhesive to maybe fill in where a not perfect shaped glass might have left a space that could have leaked or not made contact with the adhesive? Maybe "squeeze out" of adhesive is just the way it is with any replaced windshield? I would REALLY like to know these things BEFORE I have some monkey install my window! DDT
#2 if you scratch the paint when cutting the old window out, BE SURE to touch it up
#3 When putting the bead of urethane on, make sue to cut the tip properly to put a "V" of sealant
#4 make sure you work the sealant together then you join the ends
#5 and pretty much most important, use TWO people to set the glass
Tuned
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 269
Likes: 6
Thanks Brad......Just wrote a whole big post before I saw your answers.
I will have to go back and edit it before posting it again.
I think I still had some valid points and questions in it.
I talked to a guy at a local Safelite and brought up some of the things you mentioned.
He actually seemed familiar with them.
Correct way to join urethane ends.
Priming any scratches.
He also mentioned that (they) remove the glass with their own "system"
of using a wire to cut through the adhesive. Says this allows for the old glass to come
out in one piece. Now as to how much further clean out of the area is done I guess
I will not know unless I stand over them while they do the work. Same with if they
gouge and scratch paint...
Unfortunately, I can't imagine any (shop) that is going to allow the customer to stand over them
and look at everything they do & be in their way. Not to mention the old insurance does not cover you being in the work area line!
A part of what I wrote in my other post was about how all the negative comments about Safelite are probably more properly addressed to the individual installer. I have read as many bad comments as good about safelite installations. OTOH, These people probably have NO IDEA what the difference between the two are. As I believe I mentioned before....Most of the differences between right & wrong or bad & good are not things that can be seen AFTER the installation and are only descovered many days, weeks, months or even years down the road if ever at all. I also have to think there might be differences between jobs done in the actual shop vs. the mobile service installations. We know those are one guy installations. And if he is trying to keep an appointment schedule he might start to take shortcuts to stay on schedule. I would hope that if these IN SHOP installations were such poor jobs
that these shops would gain bad reputations and be out of business. But again, In so much as many of these poor installations may never be realized by the customer for many months or years, It's hard to say.
I will have to go back and edit it before posting it again.
I think I still had some valid points and questions in it.
I talked to a guy at a local Safelite and brought up some of the things you mentioned.
He actually seemed familiar with them.
Correct way to join urethane ends.
Priming any scratches.
He also mentioned that (they) remove the glass with their own "system"
of using a wire to cut through the adhesive. Says this allows for the old glass to come
out in one piece. Now as to how much further clean out of the area is done I guess
I will not know unless I stand over them while they do the work. Same with if they
gouge and scratch paint...
Unfortunately, I can't imagine any (shop) that is going to allow the customer to stand over them
and look at everything they do & be in their way. Not to mention the old insurance does not cover you being in the work area line!
A part of what I wrote in my other post was about how all the negative comments about Safelite are probably more properly addressed to the individual installer. I have read as many bad comments as good about safelite installations. OTOH, These people probably have NO IDEA what the difference between the two are. As I believe I mentioned before....Most of the differences between right & wrong or bad & good are not things that can be seen AFTER the installation and are only descovered many days, weeks, months or even years down the road if ever at all. I also have to think there might be differences between jobs done in the actual shop vs. the mobile service installations. We know those are one guy installations. And if he is trying to keep an appointment schedule he might start to take shortcuts to stay on schedule. I would hope that if these IN SHOP installations were such poor jobs
that these shops would gain bad reputations and be out of business. But again, In so much as many of these poor installations may never be realized by the customer for many months or years, It's hard to say.
Last edited by dieseldogtom; Apr 8, 2017 at 12:54 PM. Reason: delete
Tuned
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 269
Likes: 6
No I have not seen his build thread.....A link to it would be REAL helpful. I'm sure if you are doing some (major) build/paint job you are going to have a much better window installation. I have resolved myself to probably going the Safelite way because... This is a 2003 vehicle and with the amount of rust developing I don't see it being in my possession for much more than a few more years. UNLESS I can find a body shop interested in doing a COMPLETE repair and repaint for some (reasonable) price. I would rather spend $5000 or more on that than $30,000 or more on some newer vehicle that may very well not have the proven reputation as this 7.3 diesel train I am running right now. Not to mention that the longer you own a specific vehicle the more familiar you are with it. (the learning curve) so to speak. You know it's history, It's modifications, What's going to need to be R&R soon based on age...Belts, hoses, shocks... There's a lot to be said to owning and maintaining a vehicle for 15 or 30 years!
Tuned
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 276
Likes: 0
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Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,858
Likes: 1
From: Dark side of the sun.
Carlite is OEM on mommas escape and took some beatings for sure until a kid threw a large object at it and spidered the be-jesus out of it so now I'm looking for a replacement aswell. And Pilkington is what Case uses on their weather cabs and those are some strong windows. Between the vibrations and shocks of driving on the road to on the job site, Then loading and unloading the backhoes, NEVER seen on break. Only time I seen one break is when it came across something alot stronger than it was.
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