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My windshield has a crack that is creeping across it, I'm going to have to replace it pretty soon I think. Do you trust someone like Safelite to do it, or should I try to find one in a salvage yard and do it myself? I've replaced them in old Mustangs and it's a mess, not sure if these would be similar. I also kind of like having original PPG glass, but not sure if that's a real issue these days or not. I'm also not sure I can even get aftermarket glass for it. Thoughts?
National chains like Safelite overcharge. They quoted me $146 + some BS $20 charge for "potential rust correction" stating these trucks may have rust that needs to be corrected before a windshield could seal flat against the surface.
Once they came at me with that BS, I was out.
I called like 10 different places and found a local small business that came to me, next day for free. Safelite required me to bring it to them unless ... of course ... I was going to pay more.
This small business did the whole thing for $96 total. (On-site install, and tax.) 20 minutes later, life was good! Nice new windshield! I was very pleased with their work.
steer clear of Safelite ... company dropped a windshield on my obs ford cowl during a window glass replacement a few years ago ... i even treated the repair technician to a bottled snapple after job completion... nothing was mentioned about the dented metal cowl ... regional company manager did not want to fess up to damage until i got my insurance company involved ... after that ... yes sir and very polite responses .... idiots...
Old post I know, but thought I would add my recent experience getting my '92 F-350 windshield replaced. I assume Safelite is a large national chain, just noticed it is here in Ontario Canada as well, I've never heard of them.
I agree to previous comments on searching around. I've done this for previous vehicles and found my local Speedy Glass to be reasonable price and quality work. The problem is, evaluating this before you get word done!
I called to see if they could even get a windshield for a '92 F-350, yes, no problem, and they even had a few different grades (don't ask me about the specifics, I don't recall), went in to show them what they were working with. And stressed this was an old farm truck now in the restoration process, and pointed out a few small details to let them know I am an overly critically person when someone works on one of my vehicles.
They were fabulous, invited me into the shop, more than once (I live close by), showed me some issue and what they could do to fix them (as mentioned by F350JOHN previously, possible rust repair), they did it, I got pictures of the process, couldn't believe how much additional work they put into the rust grinding/cleaning/priming/etc. At the end of it all, they didn't charge me any more than the original quote! I actually tried to give them more for the work they did and they wouldn't accept it.
All-in-all I think my message is, it's the people or person working on your vehicle, not the place or chain name.
Last edited by Kyle92Dually; Jan 26, 2023 at 11:52 AM.
I also use local glass shops instead of a chain store. All I do is ask them if they can get Carlite/ Ford glass. I have found that cheaper glass is sometimes wavy or has poor optics.
Never waste your time with a used windshield, even if you get it out in 1 piece it will be a pitted/scratched mess. This is a really good job for a professional. I'm all for doing things myself, but for what it would cost just in parts and material (assuming you don't break it or mess it up the first time) its cheaper to farm out. I have a guy that does the glass for a large local dealership do mine on the side for $75 plus the cost of glass. I can barely buy the urethane for that much. Also, like My4Fordtrucks said, go for the better quality glass(usa made if available), there is a difference.
I'm curious...how did they removed the old windshields?
When getting mine out the adhesive was hard as tire rubber and difficult to cut through. That right-angle blade tool didn't work at all. Had to use a carpet knife (rectangular blade) to cut it enough to reduce the seal to where I could push it out from the inside. It was already broken but continued to shatter as I forced it out. I sprayed some adhesive over the glass and put a sheet of plastic over that. This helped keep the glass chips from flying all over the place. You need to do this on the outside and inside.
I didn't think the cable cutter tool would work since there is almost no room between the glass and the body to work the cable properly.
I'm curious...how did they removed the old windshields?
When getting mine out the adhesive was hard as tire rubber and difficult to cut through. That right-angle blade tool didn't work at all. Had to use a carpet knife (rectangular blade) to cut it enough to reduce the seal to where I could push it out from the inside. It was already broken but continued to shatter as I forced it out. I sprayed some adhesive over the glass and put a sheet of plastic over that. This helped keep the glass chips from flying all over the place. You need to do this on the outside and inside.
I didn't think the cable cutter tool would work since there is almost no room between the glass and the body to work the cable properly.
Also, +1 for local glass shops.
Well in my case, the guy used this nifty airhammer chisel setup. It cut through the old adhesive like a hot knife through butter. He literally had that old windshield out in about a minute flat. And it didn't break any. They were able to remove the old one in one piece, with no more new nicks or cracks.
