New Windshield

Quincy

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Location
Arlington, WA
TDI
2015 Passat SE TDI, 2007 Dodge Cummins QC 4X4 6 sp, 2007 John Deere 3120
Safelite says my windshield costs $419. I guess I thought it would be less, but I don't know if I've ever had a windshield replaced. I've always caught it when I could still get the insurance freebie fix.
 

d2freeman

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2013
Location
NC
TDI
2013 Passat TDI SE
Had mine replaced a few months ago by Safelite

Windshield was $259
Install Kit was $65
Labor was $157
Total was $481 + tax = $514.
 

thundershorts

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 15, 2010
Location
west chester pa
TDI
2015 passat tdi sel premium 2015 golf s tdi gls tdi b5.5, 2002 eurovan,Peugeot 505 td,Citroen cx25 prestige
I'd avoid safelite as the st gobain windshields are much better quality. If you select grey tint the color rendition will be much better than green. My golf windshield was 300 installed. Safelite has a reputation for bad fit as well as poor glass quality. Expect to pay 20 bucks more if you have rain sensor.
 

Quincy

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Location
Arlington, WA
TDI
2015 Passat SE TDI, 2007 Dodge Cummins QC 4X4 6 sp, 2007 John Deere 3120
I guess that is just what they cost. It will be through my insurance but I just found out my deductible is $250. I thought they didn't cost that much. I think the last time I replaced a windshield, it was about $39 on my 71 Beetle in 1987. I did it myself, and it never didn't leak. At least the Safelite is supposed to be a lifetime warranty against leaking.
 

BroncoAZ

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Location
Flagstaff, AZ
TDI
2015 Touareg Lux, 2015 Passat 6MT, 2009 Jetta (long gone), 2011 Touareg (bought back 02/18)
I need a new windshield, mine has 3 stars and now a full crack left to right at eye level. I will be replacing it next month. AZ is a no fault state for glass, so it won’t cost me anything.
 

thundershorts

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 15, 2010
Location
west chester pa
TDI
2015 passat tdi sel premium 2015 golf s tdi gls tdi b5.5, 2002 eurovan,Peugeot 505 td,Citroen cx25 prestige
Rain sensor 'shields mount mirror differently so you need to install correct 'shield depending or whether it has sensor circuit.
 

thundershorts

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 15, 2010
Location
west chester pa
TDI
2015 passat tdi sel premium 2015 golf s tdi gls tdi b5.5, 2002 eurovan,Peugeot 505 td,Citroen cx25 prestige
Saint Gobain and Sekurit are now combined, imagine that, French and Germans partnered. If you are going to replace your 'shield you might as well install the best because it costs no more, in some cases less than bad glass.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
Any glass that has the VW logo on it should be top tier.
 

showdown 42

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
Location
naples,FL
TDI
2016 TDI touareg
If you have insurance insist on OEM replacement. I've had non OEM replacements and ended up having them replaced.
 

BroncoAZ

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Location
Flagstaff, AZ
TDI
2015 Touareg Lux, 2015 Passat 6MT, 2009 Jetta (long gone), 2011 Touareg (bought back 02/18)
If you have insurance insist on OEM replacement. I've had non OEM replacements and ended up having them replaced.
USAA will replace with OEM glass on vehicles up to 2 years old, for older than that they will use aftermarket glass unless it’s not readily available.
 

thundershorts

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 15, 2010
Location
west chester pa
TDI
2015 passat tdi sel premium 2015 golf s tdi gls tdi b5.5, 2002 eurovan,Peugeot 505 td,Citroen cx25 prestige
You are mistaken if you think VW glass is the best. VW used Vitro glass in the Golf s 2015. It was garbage. At certain angles, sun just off horizon, cloudy areas appeared in the lamination layer. It looked like a very scummy piece of glass and made driving unpleasant if driving into the sun. The distortion in the corners was another treat, if you like seeing the trees wiggle as you drive by. VW would have replaced it under warranty but with the same garbage so I saved myself the annoyance and had the grey tint st gobien-sekurit installed for 300. The list price of the VW shield was 800, not installed. I guess since the list price of the golf s was only 24,500 that it only rates crap windshield glass.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
That sucks. I'd probably walk away from a car with defective factory glass. If they are cutting corners where it's glaringly obvious, who knows how many other critical parts are garbage as well.
 

thundershorts

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 15, 2010
Location
west chester pa
TDI
2015 passat tdi sel premium 2015 golf s tdi gls tdi b5.5, 2002 eurovan,Peugeot 505 td,Citroen cx25 prestige
Like the seats,and wheels/tires, 'shield is easy to change.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
Yeah, hopefully there aren't gremlins hiding in the airbag, seatbelt, and braking systems. You'd likely discover those sorts of defects at the worst possible time.
 

BroncoAZ

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Location
Flagstaff, AZ
TDI
2015 Touareg Lux, 2015 Passat 6MT, 2009 Jetta (long gone), 2011 Touareg (bought back 02/18)
USAA will replace with OEM glass on vehicles up to 2 years old, for older than that they will use aftermarket glass unless it’s not readily available.
The difference on mine is $203 for factory glass, but they can get me the Plinkerton glass with the UV shield through insurance so good enough. Install is tomorrow.
 

thundershorts

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 15, 2010
Location
west chester pa
TDI
2015 passat tdi sel premium 2015 golf s tdi gls tdi b5.5, 2002 eurovan,Peugeot 505 td,Citroen cx25 prestige
Plinkerton glass has always been pretty good so you should be ok.
 

Quincy

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Location
Arlington, WA
TDI
2015 Passat SE TDI, 2007 Dodge Cummins QC 4X4 6 sp, 2007 John Deere 3120
I never found time to look into this more and the Safelite installer showed up to my office the other day. We'll see how it goes for the long run. It is supposed to be a lifetime warranty. I really only replaced it because it was bugging me cosmetically. The crack was on the passenger side, but totally visible from a distance. My view is remarkably clear now. I didn't notice how beat up the other one was.
 

thundershorts

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 15, 2010
Location
west chester pa
TDI
2015 passat tdi sel premium 2015 golf s tdi gls tdi b5.5, 2002 eurovan,Peugeot 505 td,Citroen cx25 prestige
What was the glass manufacturer that safelite installed? They had a plant that made their glass a few years ago but that facility closed.
 

BroncoAZ

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Location
Flagstaff, AZ
TDI
2015 Touareg Lux, 2015 Passat 6MT, 2009 Jetta (long gone), 2011 Touareg (bought back 02/18)
Well, my new windshield was installed yesterday, no issues. Call me less than 100% impressed with Pilkington glass, I noticed tiny waves (like corduroy) across the entire right side. I don’t know if it’s because I was specifically looking defects after the install, but if I focus on a fixed object like a sign while passing it at slower speeds it’s noticeable like judder on a fast motion scene on a crappy LED TV. I didn’t notice it on my highway trip home through the mountains, so I’ll probably forget about it in a week. On the good side it is really nice to have a windshield with no cracks, chips, or pitting.
 

BKmetz

Administrator, Member #10
Staff member
Joined
Sep 25, 1997
Location
Illinois
TDI
2015 Passat, titanium beige, 6MT
What was the glass manufacturer that safelite installed? They had a plant that made their glass a few years ago but that facility closed.
Safelite bought the aftermarket/replacement division of Guardian Glass. The Guardian Glass company that supplies OEM glass for automakers is a separate company. All Safelite/Guardian replacement glass is Chinese sourced and inferior to Guardian OEM glass. The only way you can get Guardian OEM glass is to demand OEM glass from your insurance company if you have glass coverage.

VW/Guardian OEM glass, NOT part of Safelite.


Drive more and worry less.

:)
 

BKmetz

Administrator, Member #10
Staff member
Joined
Sep 25, 1997
Location
Illinois
TDI
2015 Passat, titanium beige, 6MT
Plinkerton glass has always been pretty good so you should be ok.
I asked a local installer (Glass Doctor franchise) what he recommended as he can get any aftermarket/replacement brand. He said Pilkington so that's what I went with in my 2014 Passat. He did a good job.


Drive more and worry less.

:)
 
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