robpgreer

So a rock hit my windshield on the passenger side resulting in a crack that runs straight across to the driver's side main viewing area.

I called a local windshield replacement place and they came out to my house with a $300 replacement. When the guy arrived and compared the replacement to the original, he said that the replacement was exactly the same except that there was an 1/8 of an inch black piece (can't remember if he said rubber or plastic) around the original that wasn't included on the replacement. He said that there would be a slight gap when compared to the original although it would seal fine. I said no sale and sent him on his way.

So I called my Lexus dealer and they told me it was $1,800 for parts and labor to replace the windshield. My deductible is $1,000 so this was some pretty harsh news. Is there another option? I don't want third-party glass if it looks different from the original glass. Did the local windshield place just order the wrong part? Shouldn't the aftermarket replacement look exactly the same as the original Lexus glass?

KA8

iTrader: (1)

Stick with oem. I had mine replaced with FYG first then PPG but both had distortion that made me dizzy. You can try junk yards. Good luck. I just filed a claim since my deductible is only 250.

Oh also if you're going to junkyards ask them if the windshield is by Lexus. Also ask them if it's on the car or off the car. I found two in socal but both times they were on the car and when I went they broke it BOTH times. Such a waste of time.

LexBob2

Some car insurance covers full replacement cost, with no deductible, including OEM. You might want to double check your policy or check with your agent. I had it done a couple of years ago.

miniz

See if there is a state law requiring insurance to pick up the entire cost or ask your insurance if they treat this a full coverage case. You could also try setting your deductible down to $250 or even $0 for a month, getting a replacement, then upping the amount to $1000 the next month (if there is no fine print that says you cannot do this).

robpgreer

Mine doesn't.

Umm. That's insurance fraud!

garsarno

Mine was replaced last year / $50 deduct. I remember it had a cost of $1200.

IS350jet

Lexus spent considerable time and money on sound insulation. Part of that sound insulation is a special windshield that absorbs acoustic energy. One reason why the ES is so quiet. I can almost assure you that the aftermarket windshield does not have this technology in their glass. Why do you think the Lexus windshield is so expensive? The glass companies love to tell their customers that they're exactly the same but in reality, it goes much deeper than what's on the outside.

Luvmy350

iTrader: (2)

Try calling Toyota. Maybe their price will be lower.

oldcajun

I had my windshield replaced by a privately owned local shop. They bought OEM windshield from Lexus at about half what the dealer wanted to charge me. Total bill was still almost $1000 which my insurance covered. My insurance agent actually recommended the shop I used.
Steve

miniz

If the fine print says you can't do this, then yes it is fraud and as I said, don't do. If it doesn't say this anywhere (some of smaller insurance companies don't have the best policy writers), then there is nothing illegal about it. It's called being smart and reading between the lines.

flowrider

iTrader: (9)

It's called Fraud.

Two definitions of Fraud:

"In criminal law, fraud is the crime or offense of deliberately deceiving another in order to damage them – usually, to obtain property or services unjustly. [5] Fraud can be accomplished through the aid of forged objects. In the criminal law of common law jurisdictions it may be called "theft by deception," "larceny by trick," "larceny by fraud and deception," or something similar."

"noun
wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain"

Lou

garsarno

I remember when my cracked windshield happened. Driving on a 4 lane road, car passes me at 50mph or so. I see this tiny tiny little chip fling up from the side of the passing car and it hit the drivers side of the windshield, about where it starts to curve near the bottom 1/3. It gave a slight "ting" and there was the crack, about 1/2" in length at best. I could not believe it! Just a single second slower and the chip would have hit the side post. Wrong place / wrong time.

plovell

I paid 400.00 installed for an aftermarket windshield. There is absolutely no difference between that and the original. No distortion, no additional noise...nada. There really isn't anything special about the OEM unit, other than the price!
The reason there was an 1/8" gap that the original post mentioned is you have to buy a new sealing strip....the old one is generally not reusable. The replacement strip is about another 25.00.

2008ES

Well, if you don't count the sound layer or the water-repellent coating, and if you don't have the automatic windshield wipers then you can probably get away with it. $425 is a whole different beast from $1800. But I wouldn't want to have a car without the automatic wipers now that I've gotten used to them.

retired

I would personally go with the aftermarket windshield (also to me automatic windshield wipers are not worth an extra $1500)...make sure you get a written warranty for parts and labor....I had my passenger side window replaced for $220 (glass shop) instead of $660 (Lexus) and got a lifetime warranty..