cupid0210

iTrader: (10)

I would use safelite on my crack, but that thing grew too long in one night, so now I have to get it replaced...:-(

82ndABN

In June I paid $230 to "Auto Pros Windshield Glass" (609) 704 1753 (if you are in South Jersey) WITH the rain sensor and the work was done curbside in the front of my home. No hassle - squared away owner-operator who has been doing this for 13 years. As far as DIY, bear in mind the airbag system in often designed to work by ricocheting OFF the windshield glass (albeit I am not certain if this is the case for our cars - but many are designed this way) . If the windshield is not installed to OEM specification the glass could blast away from its frame and fail to redirect the airbag. Food for thought.

RJLsES

On our IS250, we got a stone chip with a 5-inch crack towards the lower edge of the front windshield. Our insurance and Safelite would have repaired the chip at zero cost but the Safelite tech said that the chip was too close to the edge of the windshield and we had to have the entire windshield replaced. Our GEICO policy had a $50 deductible so it was a cheap fix for us.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Sounds like a winner to me. Never want to get punched by Mike Tyson, and that's what an airbag does, good, bad or indifferent.

Beyond that - if you paid $230 out of pocket and didn't make an insurance claim, the job you had done was just adequate. I had a similar job done on my IS F and considering I was 3 hours from home, it worked out fine right until it didn't. The glass was fine, but the mouldings on the sides and the clips used to hold them in all broke when the installer removed them. To save me the hassle of replacing these parts, he just RTV'd everything back in place and told me to drive home easy and remove the painter's tape he used to hold those pieces in place while the RTV set. He also suggested I get a cup of coffee and hang out for at least two hours to give the adhesive a chance to set up - it was summer time, so there was plenty of heat and humidity to get the RTV curing.

When I got home, I started having weird wind noises, and discovered the side mouldings were not sealing as they should and ended up buying new clips and mouldings to replace the glued on pieces. Getting the old stuff off wasn't bad, and cutting off the RTV wasn't awful, but I would have been miles ahead if I had those pieces in hand when I got the windshield replaced. So now I have the full complement for both the IS F and GS F sitting on a shelf in the garage just in case I need them right away. If you don't mind annoying whistling noises, or if you want to keep going back to the installer to have them slap on some more glue, don't bother, but if you want your car Lexus quiet, I'd highly recommend replacing these pieces when you replace the glass. FWIW, I got Pilkington replacement glass, and it's good but not perfect. The spot where there is distortion isn't a issue except under the most unlikely circumstances so I've been happy with it for a few years now.

Jeff Lange has an awesome post in this forum on replacing the windshield. He goes all out and does it to factory spec which ensures the airbag will work as designed and the structural integrity of the passenger compartment in the event of a rollover is exactly as the factory intended. If you have the time and inclination, you can't beat doing it the way he describes.

LYNASYNX16

Hey! Dealing with a rock chip is always a hassle, but fear not! I recently had a similar situation, and I opted for a fantastic DIY Windshield Repair Kit that worked wonders. It's super easy to use, and the results were impressive, saving me both time and money. I'd recommend giving it a shot before considering professional repair. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about the process or need further assistance!