Hi everyone. I've lived back and forth in Utah and Idaho over the last 24 years or so. I've been back in Idaho for about 6-7 years now, so I suppose I should be active in this chapter.

I've had my current rig for about 3 years. Its a jade green 77 F100 Custom SWB 2wd with 302. The previous owner lives out in Gooding and had trailered it from Hermeston, Oregon after purchasing it there with the intentions of using the short bed off it for one of his other trucks (he had like 8 SWB 4x4 dentsides on his property) and I'm assuming parting the rest since it didn't run. Upon further inspection he decided the truck was too nice to part out, that's where I came in.

The widows on the truck have seen better days. The rear looks ok. The side glass has a lot of clouding of which I don't know if that's possible to remove. The windshield gasket has separated in two spots and leaks badly any time there's rain. The windshield itself is cracked quite a bit and from the color of things has probably been so for a decade.

My question, is there a glass shop anyone would recommend in Twin Falls where I live? I've experienced a couple and wasn't impressed. I tried getting a quote from Gary's Windshields last year when I started sizing up the problems on my truck and Gary's not a pleasant old man to deal with. He seemed irritated that I wanted to keep the trim along my windshield seal and stated that they're prone to leaking and that he wouldn't guarantee the install against leaks. He then said I'd pay dearly for keeping it. Remind me never to age. One shop stated that they couldn't even get the seal that has the groove for the trim in it. I'm just wanting to keep the trim and get the windshield replaced. If there's rust once they remove the seal I'll take it to a body shop and get it patched right before I get glass in it. Ok I'm done Thanks for reading.

 

I guess I'll follow up on this a little...

I've had 3 windshields replaced in the last 4 or 5 years on 3 different vehicles by 3 different companies. I guess I'm in the habit of buying vehicles with busted windshields. The first was replaced through Window Welder out by the Flying J on the north side of the Perrine bridge. The owner of the shop is the one who looked at my car, a 1988 Civic Hatchback that's seen better days. He noted it had paint bubbling up around the windshield which could cause a problem if the pinch weld turns out to be rusted. He was nice about it. They replaced the windshield and it turns out the weld was good. I got a coupon for a free pizza and a crisp two dollar bill. lol. Gimmicks. I still have the car AND the two dollar bill AND it's never leaked or had problems with the windshield AND it was replaced about 4-5 years ago. BTW I paid cash out of pocket (the back right one) for all three of these windshields.

The second windshield was replaced by Gary's Windshields on Kimberly Road. Gary SEEMS like a nice old man, like maybe your elderly neighbor or perhaps your dying grandfather who just won't stop working and go finish out his days on the back nine with a putter. On all of these windshield replacements I shopped around on price and attempted to go with the lowest bidder. Hey, that's how NASA does it, baby! So, Gary was the cheapest that I looked into. His guys replaced the windshield, fantastic. When I went to pay he told me that the pinch weld had a hole rusted through it and that his guy patched it as best as he could and then installed the windshield. I really didn't have a problem with it. It was an old 94 Accord and that doesn't surprise me that there would be rust. What bothered me was that there was no proof of it. He didn't bother to snap a picture or document it, as far as I know he made that crap up. He said that he wouldn't warranty it against leaks. Alright, whatever. I had the car for about two years before I sold it and the windshield never leaked.

The last windshield to be replaced was on my 77 F100 that's in my avatar. It was cracked and old and discolored and what you might expect of a 40 year old truck windshield that's been neglected and abused. It leaked in one spot on the top driver's side where the gasket seam had separated, but other than that, didn't leak anywhere else. This time Safelite, surprisingly, had the lowest price. I called the 800 number and got a quote and then never scheduled to have it replaced. I was too busy to get it done, but I wanted the quote. Well, apparently, Safelite will keep calling you back trying to get you to set up a time. About 3 weeks later I figured I'd try to give it a go and just went into the local, and only, Safelite that's on my way home from work and, like Gary's Windshields, is located on Kimberly Road. Actually, its dang near directly across the street from old old Gary. The store manager said he couldn't replace my windshield unless I wanted to get rid of the sweet stainless steel trim that goes around my windshield. He said they could only do the gasket that doesn't use the stainless molding in it. I thought that was odd since that's not what the lady told me on the several messages that she left me. I decided to call the number that was left on my voicemail from weeks prior. The lady that answered said she's based out of the Boise area and that she's the "Parts Specialist" and that, yes, they indeed could do it with the trim, which was my one caveat when getting this particular windshield replaced and that I didn't want it replaced if they couldn't do it with the trim. She said they'd have to send the windshield and gasket from Boise down to Twin. Not a huge deal for me. I set up a date and time. At that point I was working 12 hour days from 6-6 which meant I'd have to leave my truck at Safelite on my way to work and have my wife drop me off and then she'd go in when they opened at 8 and give them my truck key. All of this happens as planned. What wasn't planned was that the store manager gave my wife a bunch of **** over my truck and told her how he couldn't do it and that he already TOLD me he couldn't do it with the trim. She was just there to drop the key off. I'm at work and can't leave until Safelite is closed. She told him not to replace my windshield until he talked to me, because she knew I didn't want it done unless they could keep the trim, my wife has my back. He called me and left me a message telling me what he told my wife. I called the "Parts Specialist" on my lunch break and was like hey... you said this can be done... he says it can't... what's goin' on. After my entire lunch break on hold she tells me she'll call me back once she gets it resolved with the store manager. LOOOONG story short..er. I get my windshield replaced a couple days later while it sat there at Safelite the whole time. I talked with the lady out of Boise prior to it getting replaced and asked her "He's not going to be bitter about all of this is he?" Referring to the fact that the dude was gonna have to replace it after he said he wouldn't, several times. The manager calls me and leaves a message telling me that "I guess we can do it after all" Dude was super rude and given his temperament and attitude should be working at the DMV.

Two days after it was replaced it rained. My windshield leaked in several spots. Imagine that! I took it back. I explained what I found. "Well did you pressure wash it?" Why... why would I do that? I had explicit instructions to not do that and was even given a Safelite brochure when I picked up my truck that gave a list of things NOT to do for at least a few days. It leaked while it sat in the parking lot at work for 12 hours. So they basically shot a bead of caulk around my windshield, which looks like **** btw, and kept my truck at their shop allll day to make sure there were no leaks, allegedly. Well I never had another leak, because it never rained again. It's been a few months of nice hot weather. Hey, it rained last week. It leaks still. Horrible experience. Horrible. I will never go back there. I'd rather overpay Gary and get no warranty and have a non-leaking windshield. Actually I should have gone back to the Window Welder and got another 2 dollah bill. Lesson here. Pay a little more, go somewhere you've had experience and good results, and avoid the Twin Falls Safelite.



Safelite, I really hate yooooou. I waaant a leak free windshield, baby.
When you need a windshield don't go to Safelite.
Go somewhere else where they will do iiit riiiight.