An unseen chip on the upper edge of my original OEM windshield quickly grew into a 12' long crack. After reading through a few threads about incorrect and correct windshield replacements, I paid close attention to the conversation I had with Safelite in Sandy, Utah yesterday.
I'm happy to report that they spoke to the all the key issues when I asked them to describe how they would do the replacement on my LX. Only OEM rivets, careful attention to the gaskets and trim pieces, replaced as necessary, and only urethane sealants where appropriate. He volunteered that Toyota windshields can be tricky, and that he commonly sees problems with previously replaced glass in Toyotas.
I have confidence that they will do a good install. I will report back with results once they do to the work, tomorrow. I was quoted $175, installed.
I did also ask him about OEM glass and OE approved glass. As expected, actual OEM glass was beyond what my insurance would cover on my 2005. The Safelite representative said he would use the OE approved glass in his own vehicle without hesitation. I asked him about glass thickness (read some chatter about that here), and he said he gets lots of customers claiming that their OEM glass is supposedly thicker than normal. He claimed that "back in the day" you would see some glass that was thicker than the standard (5 mm on either side of the lamination), but that these days you don't due to weight considerations. Can't speak to the truth of any of this, but here it is.
I'll report back with results.
I'm happy to report that they spoke to the all the key issues when I asked them to describe how they would do the replacement on my LX. Only OEM rivets, careful attention to the gaskets and trim pieces, replaced as necessary, and only urethane sealants where appropriate. He volunteered that Toyota windshields can be tricky, and that he commonly sees problems with previously replaced glass in Toyotas.
I have confidence that they will do a good install. I will report back with results once they do to the work, tomorrow. I was quoted $175, installed.
I did also ask him about OEM glass and OE approved glass. As expected, actual OEM glass was beyond what my insurance would cover on my 2005. The Safelite representative said he would use the OE approved glass in his own vehicle without hesitation. I asked him about glass thickness (read some chatter about that here), and he said he gets lots of customers claiming that their OEM glass is supposedly thicker than normal. He claimed that "back in the day" you would see some glass that was thicker than the standard (5 mm on either side of the lamination), but that these days you don't due to weight considerations. Can't speak to the truth of any of this, but here it is.
I'll report back with results.