sc400

Does anyone know of a reputable place to replace the windshield in the Bay area, Ca? You know "Lexus" quality of work...

Since my insurance is going to pay for this I doubt that I can bring my car to a Lexus dealer. Thanks,

BkInBlk

When I needed the windshield replaced in our LS, I looked in the yellow pages and called a number of different places that specialize in replacing windshields. What I found was that they are all within a few dollars of each other and they were all mobile. They could generally be to your location within 4 hours and replace it onsite. Apparently, it is a very competitive field. I also discovered that if it was covered by insurance, the price seemed to be higher. They always asked first whether it was covered by insurance.

Hope this helps.

sc400

Thanks for the tip.
As I mentioned earlier my windshield will be paid by the insurance company so quality, not cost, is what I'm after;
only Toyota-brand replacement will be accepted and at a reputable shop.

BkInBlk

I didn't mean to imply that these shops are not reputable. All of them have retail outlets that you can bring your car to. And you can absolutely specify that you want original Toyota replacement glass. All I was saying was that it is such a competitive market, that you don't need to take it anywhere and be inconvenienced - they will come to you.

jberger

Beg, Plead and Demand Factory Glass as your replacement. That's the only way to ensure the optical clarity and make sure they use lexus sealants and replacement trim.

Typically your insurance company should replace it with a low deductable and it should not count as a collision claim (expect for Allstate).

You'll need to leave it overnight if you want the replacement sealant to setup properly. Those 30 minute sealants can fail, and non-oem window trim can cause wind noise, leaks etc.

scout

I just had mine replaced by a mobile glass company. The cost was $325.

sc400

I just got off the phone with my insurance.
The insurance-provided company will do for $400 total, with after-market PPG glass.
The Lexus dealers want $1000 part and labor. I called Lexus of Serramonte in the Bay area but they don't offer any discount for CL member.

Of course I want the oem part but will have to haggle with my insurance company. What a pain!

RealMarty

I wouldn't worry about the quality of PPG replacement windshields. I worked for PPG for 4 years in the western PA plant that made the replacement windshields. Granted, it was a few years ago, but PPG is still the leader in replacement windshields in the U.S. They pay a lot of attention to getting the fit right and meeting or exceeding the OEM specs (not tough since they make a large % of OEM windshields for new cars, other than Ford, which has their own plants).

And, at least when I was in the industry, the Japanese glass wasn't all that good. It tended to age quickly (notice all those small pits in the windshield after a year or so).

I doubt you need to worry about PPG.

lex430

any info on your glass, was it original Lexus part? does your price include labor?

Anyone knows any reputable shop in the southern california area that can replace windshields? I called a dealer today, they quoted me ~$700 for the glass and ~$130 for labor.

long story short, some AHOLE poured a cup of ice out of a bus next to me on the freeway, not only I have chips from hood, side doors, and all the way to the back of the car on the passsenger side, there was a ~5 inch crack in the middle of the windshield starts from the passsenger side of the windshield. 3 hours later, it's now at ~15 inches long, dont' think it can be repaired! I don' want it to be repaired, i want it to be replaced..,

want to bust a cap on the ****..

QBranchCars

Ask for Mark Owen at Lexus of Serramonte. He may be able to do better than $1K. A few of us have our cars serviced and mods installed there. I doubt if they'll come close to $400.

Shogun

Gents,
I went through this a few months ago. My Lexus dealer subs out all their glass work down the road to a small shop.

Soooo, I go and visit the small shop before I order the windshield from Lexus. The owner tells me that he'll be hapy to install whatever glass I order (from Lexus or him). He then goes on to tell me that "his" PPG glass is actually OEM glass for Lexus but with the PPG logo vs. the Lexus logo.

At the end of the day I didn't care - I have the PPG glass at $225 and it works just fine.

Good Luck,
Eric

lex430

dealer already told me they bring in outside vendor to do the glass work, but how do i find out who they are and go directly to them? I am planning on having my insurance pay for it, so other than my deduction, i don't care how much it is. Unless I ran into the same problem as sc400 with a cap, then i have to look for other options,

anything one needs to be careful of with glass work? sealing techniques? I've heard special removal techniques for lexus..etc,

scout

Lex430 - I've had my new windshield in for about 1 week and I can't tell a difference from the original. The seals and trim are perfect. The replacement windshield is made by PPG.

Call around to several places. I had one place quote me $700 and ended up going with a company which charged me $325 which included labor and everything.

If you know anyone in the car business around your area, see who they use.