Well, I don't know if I got fudged on or not by the body shop and insurance company but I recently had my windshield replaced because of a crack caused by a pebble strike.

I assumed (and we know what ***-u-me spells) that because the windshield was the rain sensing OEM soundscreen that the body shop would replace it with a Ford OEM Carlite brand windshield. You don't ask, they don't tell.

Well, they installed a Pilkington EZ-Cool Soundshield windshield with rain sensors. Link here --> Clear Advantage



To the folks "in the know". Is this a good windshield or a piece of crap knockoff? Be gentle.

Regardless, I hope this helps others if it matters if you have OEM replacement windshields on your nice trucks. To others, it may not matter.

Ford Carlite Soundscreen:
SoundScreen® Acoustic Glass « Carlite Carlite

 

I've been in the auto glass/collision business for over 15 yrs...

Pilkington is a quality Aftermarket glass company, you have a good windshield. 99% of the ins policies with glass coverage use aftermarket. This is in the fine print of the insurance policy that you buy for your coverage. Just like collision repairs, most policies out there include the use of aftermarket parts for repairs. It's all in the fine print of the policy that you signup for. You did not get scammed...

 

Thanks for the info.

 

He is 100% correct, I worked in the AutoBody collision industry for eight years got out when the mega insurance company dictators shut down all the mom & pop shops.

 

The thing to remember about the collision repair industry and with your insurance company is that the aftermarket parts they use must meet all the same tests that the o.e.r (original equipment replacement) parts have to meet. The windshields have be to the same thickness and offer the same level of safety. If you look closely at the aftermarket steel parts that are used in a repair they all should have a capa yellow certified sticker on them. Does your windshield still have the F150 logo at the top? Or did that go away with the replacement. The reason I ask is that you can get the aftermarket windshield with the logo. It costs more for the licensing to use the logo, but it is an option.

 

What does the windshield have to do with the rain sensor? How does the sensor work?
I got one in my truck and am just wondering.
I hate my OEM windshield as it has not sun strip.

 

I appreciate all the feedback on the replacement glass. I have no doubt that the glass itself is fine.

In the daylight today, I noticed that there is noticeable gap between the edge of the glass and the pillars on each side of the windshield. The gap is so large on each side that I thought the body shop must have left out a seal or something.

I actually stopped by the Ford dealership to look at the truck windshields.
On the new trucks, the OEM windscreen almost comes to the edge of the pillar with a very small gap between the pillar and the edge of the glass. On mine, the edge of the replacement glass is about 1/2" from the pillar and shows the black seal. The gap is so large in comparison to the OEM fitment that I thought there was something "wrong" with the installation.

The edge of the aftermarket glass is not finished well and the seal doesn't look as good (durable) as the OEM seal underneath the glass. The edge of the glass also is not "dark" and you can see the various sandwiched layers of the glass by looking at the edge of the glass. The edge of the glass also appears to have irregular/inconsistent grind marks.

Although the replacement Pilkington windshield works and may have similar functionality as OEM, it is obviously not close to the fit & finish as the original Ford OEM windshield.

My recommendation to everyone: fight your insurance company for an OEM windshield replacement. Your truck will look better. Look at my photos and then go look at your truck. You will see what I'm talking about.

Photo showing one of the grind marks in the edge replacement glass.


Photo showing edge of glass. It is rough and not finished well. In bright light, you can easily see the layers of glass sandwiched together. Like a real sandwich, I can feel some layers sticking out further. Not exactly a good looking glass.


Photo showing the large gap (between 3/8" and 1/2") between the edge of the pillar and the glass. On factory installs, this gap is very small, almost unnoticeable. Also, on factory installs, you may not even see the black seal that is under the edge of the windshield. In this photo, the seal is clearly visible, only highlighting the gap even more.

 

You have the right to call your insurance company and complain. They paid the bill, it's your obligation to ensure that they got what they paid for.

I had a windshield replaced on my '88 F-150 XLT. The numskull didn't replace my glass with the correct XLT glass, it was non tinted. Furthermore, he left black adhesive all over my truck and on the inside of the cab too.

I called the ins. company and raised hell. The glass company replaced my windshied with the correct glass, cleaned my truck and refunded my deductable.

 

What Tim said.

I am about once a year guy on getting a new one.

Currently have two chip/cracks in the current one.... holding out as long as I can just because the replacements never seem as good.

My glass guy will get a factory one if I ask.

If you are not happy your insurance company should make it right.

Mine has replaced distorted ones for me.

 

I wouldn't worry about it, I've never considered a windshield to be an appearance item. What does it matter if a little bit more of the seal is showing?

As long as it was distortion free and not leaking I wouldn't make a fuss.

 

The rain sensor uses IR beams at a 45 degree angle to the windshield. If there is no rain most of the light goes back to the sensor. The less light reflected the faster the wipers go.

Here's a link to one sensor:
http://static.ddmcdn.com/pdf/rain-sensor.pdf

I think it needs a special cutout and/or mounting area for the sensor.

 

To the op. I too would suggest you call you insurance company and complain. Let the know that you feel this is unacceptable to you. They will most likely want to inspect the complaint before making any decisions though. I would however suggest that you be firm in your complaint, but be polite. No need to be ignorant and rude as this will most likely cause them to not do anything more to make you happy.

 

Update: I spoke to my insurance company. As mentioned by earlier posters, (and I didn't know this and it was not explained to me by my insurance company or the body shop) my insurance company will only replace windshield or glass on current model year vehicles with new OEM glass. Older vehicles will get aftermarket glass, period. That's all they will pay for after you pay the deductible.

After I noted my concerns with the insurance company (actually got a call back from someone at their corporate office and not a low level functionary), the guy told me that there are several mfg of windshields and that there are choices even with aftermarket glass. I was told that if I went to the body shop that installed the glass and I wasn't happy with their response to resolve my concerns, that they would have it looked at by one of their preferred glass installers in my area, somewhat like a 2nd opinion. We would go from there.

The insurance company representative explained that the aftermarket glass had to meet the safety and OEM specs. It also costs alot less than OEM like Carlite. I explained that I understood this but noted that if the windshield met OEM specs, it should be the same width and fit like OEM as well. Again, the

 

A slight variation in width could be from the installation, molding or size of course. That size variation or some imperfections on the edge could happen with any brand. Pilkington is a top quality replacement and is oem for some other manufactures. Unless its a eyesore I wouldnt complain about such a small variation. Usually customers are requesting the windshield with the F150 logo on the top and Carlite is the only one that makes it.

 

I have learned alot in the last few days. I did call my insurance company and I did go by the body shop again.

As others have pointed out, ins. coverage only covers OEM replacement on current model years. Other vehicles receive aftermarket glass. There are choices for after market glass such as Pilkington and PPG and possibly another. My insurance company noted that the glass is supposed to meet the OEM specifications for clarity, rain sensor, and safety. They assured me that if the install was defective or the glass had defects, that they'd work with me to replace it. I didn't use the insurance co "preferred" glass installer for my geographic region and they noted that if I had concerns, that they would have their preferred installer look at my install if my body shop didn't get me satisfied.

The body shop I used is located on the same property as a Ford dealer. We looked at new similar F150 models. On new trucks, we found variations in the width and mounting of the glass. Some new OEM windscreens had large gaps next the pillar on one side and small gaps on the other. It seemed just about every truck was different, possibly from the install or the glass was not consistent. The factory installed windshields also were more recessed than my replacement windshield because of better or automated install processes. In my opinion, the look of the new truck windshield installs didn't look as good as my truck made in late 2011.

After we looked at my after market glass install, we found that the installer at the body shop had used alot of urethane sealant and it raised the glass "up" making the gap over the "factory" install appear much larger. The black vinyl seal under the glass actually covers up the sealant and is not necessarily the seal itself.

I have noticed additional wind noise at highway speeds, but in the end, I decided to keep what I had.