I did a dumb thing: while replacing my wiper blades on my 2015 Highlander XLE, I allowed the passenger side wiper arm to smack the windshield, which put a crack, Probably I'm covered through my insurance but I don't want a black mark on my record

Did u see w.s. thread on pg 2? My point is I have ded. glass coverage & didn't effect rates when I had my HL w.s. replaced. Same with previous vehicles. Even got $50. back thru my AAA tow svc. IIRC...glass damage rated diff. than actual car wreck. Ask your ins. agent. Still a bummer way it happened.

 

Thanks. I hadn't scrolled down that far back. Hopefully there's no shortage for my model; the Safelite web app didn't suggest there was one. They were hot to sign me up for replacement :grin:

I'm not sure if I have full coverage (no deductible) or not. I can call and find out; I'm just a bit nervous to have any interaction with my insurer since between my wife and I we've had one thing after another and nearly got cancelled/down-scoped last year. I'd like to go one full calendar year with no claims. Sigh. You are right, that glass replacement is different from an accident.

Thank you for the reply.

 

Whatever you do make sure you insist on OEM replacement and get it in writing.

 

Frankinscript - You need to read your insurance policy or have the agent explain it to you. Full coverage does not mean no deductible. Full coverage means you have liability - collision - comprehensive . Liability only covers the damage you do to some ones property. Collision and comprehensive cover your vehicle and most always has a deductible.

 

Q

Years ago, I replaced the windshield on an older Avalon, due to age and scratches that impaired visibility. Not an insurance claim, just a "want" to be paid out of pocket. I called our insurance agent to ask where they send cars to for replacement claims. I used the company they recommended, who did a great job. ( We kept the car in the family for several more years and had no problems.)

 

Signature

FWIW...just aheads up for those who don't know. If u make a "signature" about your ride, u don't have to say & one doesn't have to ask "what yr, model etc" :wink:

DIY...click on control panel (next to log out), scroll down left side for "settings/options".

 

Many insurance companies offer specific glass policies. They know that stones and pebbles can cause chips and cracks on your windshield. If they can repair it, usually no fee. If the window needs to be replaced, usually a separate deductible. It should not have any impact on your policy.

zup

 

What the heck is a clue report? Why would a free tow impact things? Coverage you pay for from you insurance agent? Time to cancel that and just get AAA.

 

https://oci.wi.gov/Documents/Consumers/PI-207.pdf
Tracks insurance claims you make, much like a FICO report but for insurance companies to see how likely you are to file a claim against them.
AAA reports to the CLUE report too.

 

So your saying using AAA may impact my insurance rates? I will read your link but I'm not sold on that being the case. If it is I may very well say screw AAA as well. I have tried to use them twice in the last year and they were no help.

Edit: after reading that I see no listing of companies who report to it. How did you determine AAA reports to that database? It would not make a lot of sense as they sell tiered products that do not require a credit check or have variable rates. It is a form of insurance but not a typical product.

 

So your saying using AAA may impact my insurance rates?
Edit: after reading that I see no listing of companies who report to it. How did you determine AAA reports to that database? It would not make a lot of sense as they sell tiered products that do not require a credit check or have variable rates. It is a form of insurance but not a typical product.

Yes, I'm saying it CAN, not that it will.
There is no list of companies, because everyone does it.
How do I know AAA reports to it? Both of my AAA tows were on my CLUE report.

I'm not saying it will effect your insurance every time, I'm just saying watch out, as things people think are "free" can sometimes come with unintended consequences.
I doubt having one tow in 7 years on a clue will do anything to your rates, but I'm just making people AWARE that this stuff is tracked and CAN have adverse consequences.. That's all I'm saying

As you just found out, there are lists that track your behavior, and that can effect you and you had no idea such a list even existed
Just a heads up there is another list that tracks every time you return something to a retailer.
There are so many lists out there many people have no clue what's being tracked about them.

 

Generally you want to stick with OEM if you can, but you'd have to call around and see what auto glass places in your area can get the OEM brand of glass and what it'd cost compared to aftermarket.

Generally you can go with established brands like PGW (Pittsburgh Glass Works, formerly PPG) or Pilkington, there are even a few off brands that are quality but often they are vehicle-specific and some of their other stuff isn't so great.

Safelite is more for lazy consumers who care more about being at work/home than they do about the quality of the glass in the vehicle. These people don't care about glass thickness, waviness, etc. As long as it looks ok and doesn't leak, whatever. I've seen a few Safelite windshields and yeah, they're thinner than OEM and wavy from lots of angles. I would avoid them, especially for $400. I've had windshields replaced with quality PPG/PGW/Pilkington glass for a lot less than that.

Most auto glass places offer "free" removal/installation (meaning it's included in their pricing), so while you may ask to be sure, it's kind of a given. I'd avoid places that charge money unless perhaps the total cost is lower. Whatever you do, don't go with places that SAY their glass is "OEM" but then when you show up, it's some random no-name brand. Some quality places will only be able to order PGW/Pilkington from their supplier but won't be able to tell you which one will show up, since it depends on what the supplier has and they aren't able to request the specific brand. This can be ok if, again, the price is right.

You might try the dealer, but a LOT of dealers don't have a body/glass shop and contract that work out, or have an installer come to the dealership to do the install, so you typcialy have to pay the labor on top of the usually overpriced glass. You might be able to get OEM glass online through some dealers at a pretty good discount, but shipping something so large/heavy/fragile may negate most savings.


I'd say since the damage is minor, you can take your time calling/driving around to different places in your daily travels and see what you think you want to do. You may find a decent shop or a few decent shops with competitive prices who can get you want you want.


As far as the insurace stuff, pretty much anything you ever disclose to your insurance company goes on a record. It doesn't necessarily affect your rates depending on the type of insurance you have, but it does disclose a lot about you that they can build a profile from, whether you are prone to causing major collisions/minor mishaps, or are just constantly on the receving end of minor vehicle damage. It's probably a bit paranoid to not take advantage of coverage like windshield replacement if you have it and it won't raise your rates, but most of the times the deductible for something like that is a few hundred dollars and you can get a brand new windshield installed on most common vehicles for a lot less so there's no point it even involving the ins. company.

 

There are cars made and sold that have absolutely no spare tire, not even the donut tire. They have to be towed somewhere to get the tire repaired or replaced. Does not seem right that a tow can be held against the car owner.

 

Also here is a report from a National Radio Show Clark Howard..
http://clark.com/insurance/c-l-u-e-report-comprehensive-loss-underwriting/

Again, most people have no idea this existed.
Sorry to have opened so many eyes to this practice

 

Ok, OP here.

I finally got around to scheduling a replacement. I went to the Safelite shop and hoped for a smooth experience. No luck.

They finished and handed me my keys in 90 minutes But as soon as I looked out the window I could see waves and ripples. Completely unacceptable. I have a picture I can post later.

I went back in and complained; their quality guy admitted he could see the flaws. They are ordering a different brand (probably Pilkington or PGW) and redoing it where I work next week. I've told them they should inspect the glass before wasting my time; if the next one is wavy they can keep swapping until they get it right.

 

Curious - what brand did Safelite give you?

I went through a windshield replacement w/ Safelite for my 2014 XLE (no radar, no camera etc), got FUYAO brand which is OEM on BMW's and VW's (I checked, trust me), and it's good. Not wavy, no ripples, and the black dot matrix part is exactly like oem, and the side black frame lines up exactly with the a-pillar trim.

I guess I got lucky (phew).

 

FUYAO is the brand of the crappy windshield I got.

I've attached two pics from my cell phone. In particular look toward the far right side of the window, and you will see numerous waves and ripples.

 

Here's a better view with more pixels

 

Around here there's a company called Portland Glass, and they use about 3 different companies.


When you go to the local dealer to have you windshield replaced....they call Portland Glass. They have contracts with most (if not all) the dealerships around here. OEM glass - no such thing.

 

I called the Toyota dealer before deciding on Safelite. They suggested Safelite. The dealer "has a guy" who they call to do glass; they don't do it themselves. They gave me a name but I wasn't able to find him online.

 

Fuyao is a Chinese company which has opened two plants in the United States.

Safelite uses a lot of Chinese manufactured glass windshield replacement parts as I learned speaking to a few professional glass installers. Not sure if Fuyao is the only Chinese glass replacement they use, or if they have other Chinese suppliers also.

Not sure which products are manufactured in the US so the Highlander replacement received may well have been made in China. May be different quality control between the US and China, and replacement glass versus assembly line glass.

Search about Fuyao and you will find both good and bad reviews. Pretty much the same with most of the other aftermarket glass business, some good and bad reviews.

 

The passenger side was much worse than the driver side, after detailed analysis. Driver side had a few small ripples only visible at an angle from passenger seat. Passenger side of glass grossly defective obvious from any angle. Clearly a quality control issue . Not sure where this one was manufactured.
Thanks for the info.

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Replacement was due today but they apparently received the wrong windshield (they got another FuYao instead of a Pilkington). Trying again tomorrow..

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The replacement Pilkington branded windshield went in yesterday. While I can't say it's perfect, it's much better than the first replacement (FuYao) and it's not flawed enough to complain about. It wouldn't have triggered a problem had it been used first. OF course now I'm inspecting it from every angle and every lighting condition because of the prior awful glass so I'm seeing things that are might be pathological but are probably normal, so I'm just taking Thanksgiving to chill out. and be happy.

Thanks for your support, everyone.

 

Be aware that Toyota has issued a TSB that if glass is replaced then Safety Sense camera needs to be realigned. THis would only apply to 2017 and later Highlanders.

 

I'm becoming rather glad my 2015 XLE doesn't have this tech...

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PILKINGTON or NOTHING!!!

Glad you got a Pilkington. As far as aftermarket goes, it's always a safe bet to stay far-far away from SafeLite. They always try to install PGW/PGE which is the CRAPPIEST brand available. The glass always sinks in the middle and looks as though it's been sandblasted in sunlight.

Both of the PGW/PGE windshields cracked - one right where the rear-view mirror sits and the other a corner completely snapped off. I was done with that brand!

Pilkington is OEM for Toyota as far as I know. I went through two Safelite PGW/PGE Windshileds in six months on my 07 Camry before I told Allstate they better find a Pilkington Supplier! They came through for me and am now rolling on a super nice Pilkington replacement.

 

Anytime you need a windshield replaced, for whatever reason, insist on "dealer glass". It will have "Toyota", in the left lower corner. This
matters if you trade. Anything else dilutes your trade or sale value.
V

 

FWIW...Early on in 2014, my front wind shield got cracked. Don't know today, but at that time glass shop said to get oem they would need to get approval from my Ins. due to higher cost. My Ins agreed due to how new mine was. Here's the catch, oem ws was on back order (sound familiar) & no info when avail. Shop said Pilkington avail, got it in one day & had it installed. Point is..I saw no diff. in how glass looked vs orig. Only diff I saw was "no Toyota" printed, just "Pilkington". Geez, now my HL worth less, really. :wink:

 

PILKINGTON! No other brand is even close to OEM quality. Toyota's OEM brand is Pilkington for US built cars AFAIK. My research into this came from when I went through two SafeLite installed PPG/PGW windows [both cracked in middle within a month & had absurdly obvious waviness and sandblasted looks from certain angles].
I told Allstate they had better find a supplier who carries Pilkington & suggested they never contract SafeLite again.
Sure enough, six months later and the perfect Pilkington window is streak/wavy/bubble/polka-dot/sandstorm free and perfectly clear from all angles.
NEVER go with SAFELITE. Their business model is based on convenience and not quality. They buy the cheapest Chinese made knock-off PPG/PGW brands that are post processed here in the US for best-possible-fit into your OEM frame- with acceptable level of defects [20-50%]. <--- Pretty sure this is how they word it.