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Had a chip at top of the windshield and about a 3" leg coming off of it for the last couple years, we'll I took it for a spin last weekend and the leg grew to almost the bottom on the windshield so it needs replacing and it's right in front of the drivers view.
I went looking for a replacements and saw them on the typical dent sites but also noticed that Safelite folks offered it as a service so I thought I'd give it try. Set up the appointment, they did ask me if I wanted the standard rubber seal or the one with the metal/"Metal" insert (I chose the latter since it's a Lariat and has it now). The big day was yesterday and that's when it all came crashing down.
1. They didn't ask me what type of windshield I wanted (clear, shaded or tinted I think are the 3 available kinds), I didn't really care but my least favorite was the tinted where it's all green with a dark green across the top. Murphy's law - that's the one the got. oh well, no biggie...
2. They had the rubber only seal... The tech said the could order the correct seal but in looking at my metal trim in it (some patina) he said if any broke that they wouldn't have a replacement for it and could not install the windshield without it. This killed the installation as I'd need to source a replacement set of the metal trim (which now I think only comes in plastic and maybe aluminum (Dennis Carp/LMC)) to have on hand in case they broke one of the metal ones taking the window out.
3. Then he says "If we pull the window and find any cancer in the windshield edge (rust to some degree) they would not be able to install anything. I'd have to have the truck towed somewhere to fix it before they would resume.
4. I went to talk to the manager as he was checking to see if he could source the correct seal and/trim - he said he couldn't nor could he buy from Dennis Carpenter, LMC, etc.. He did offer to install the windshield if I get the seal/trim but it would not be warrantied.
(Everyone there was very nice, talked me through all of this before a tool was lifted and genuinely felt bad they couldn't find a solution).
5. Drove truck home - will source the parts and give it a try myself (got a few projects in front of it as long as the crack (leg) doesn't make it to the other edge).
I do think it's a good option if you need to replace your windshield and are fine with a standard rubber-only seal.
Thanks for the links @Mark8man , I had seen some of them but not all.
Safelite was going to set me back about $500 (glass, rubber and labor) if I'd have completed the transaction. (cash - not through insurance or anything).
I had Safelite replace the seals and one windshield on my '64 and '66 CCs with trim. They didn't raise any concerns about rust issues prior to doing the work. That said, the '64 continues to leak from between the glass and the seal. I would ask if they will use any sealant in the channel.
I had the windshield on my 77 replaced in 2017 at my local Safelite. I won't be going back if I ever need one, but that might just be my local shop and not all Safelites, for what it's worth. It was just a terrible experience.
My 77 has the stainless trim around the windshield (and the rear window as well!) and I learned that most glass shops weren't willing to replace my windshield if I wanted to keep the trim. I love the look of the trim, so I tried hard to find someone who would replace the windshield with the trim. There was only one or two shops local to me that were willing to do it and they all wanted to charge something around an extra $100 or so due to the added labor. One small shop that was willing to do it also said they wouldn't guarantee it to not leak citing that the trim was prone to causing leaks.
Safelite was not one of the shops that told me they would do it with the trim, but due to some sort of error on their part, they did it for me anyway. Basically, I went online to get a quote on a replacement, while keeping my stainless trim, and the online quotes go through some sort of central hub in my state (Idaho) which is located in Boise. I'm not in Boise. I didn't get a response after that, so I just went to the local shop and the manager there said no on keeping the trim, so I said ok and left. Later I got a call from whoever does all the quotes and parts ordering in Boise and they said they could "absolutely do it and keep the trim". lol... so they scheduled an appointment for me at my local shop and would send the shop the parts they needed to do the job (gasket, glass, etc). I show up for the appointment and the manager sees me again and is like "I told you no before, wth did you come back".
Calls were made several times, longer story short-ish, they ended up doing it with parts that the people from their Boise hub sent them and my windshield finally got replaced. I should have gone with one of the local, non-chain shops that said they would do it with the extra fee as they were very much willing to do it, and one would guarantee it against leaks, but they were only concerned with the added cost where I was trying to keep costs down at the time.
Anyway, my local Safelite's manager is a huge dick, but my windshield looks pretty good. Would not recommend Safelite here in Southern Idaho. lmao. I think it cost me something like $330-ish back when I had it replaced in 2017.
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