PolishDude

I thought only the sides were thicker on the LS430, not the windshield itself?

Tom57

I believe you're correct.

CA2WALS430

Well, here I am, reading this 3 years later. I want to replace my 2003 LS430 windshield due to pitting. $1733 for OEM installed!!!!! $363 for a yet to be determined OEE name. My insurance is Ameriprise, and they are LAME. They called one of their shops and got a quote below my $250 deduct, so they have blown me off. I did NOT expect them to buy OEM (1/3 of the value of the car!), but meet me somewhere....I'll pay 70%, come on. Anyway, I am picky about this car. It is worth more to me than market value. Consumer Reports is warning people about OEE windshields.
What do I believe?
Would you guys do it?
$1733 out of your pocket? The part # for Lexus is 56101-50240, which is now deferring to -50311,and I cannot tell if that will have the rain sensor or not
It sounds like you guys are Pilkington believers?
Should I insist?
Anyone from Toyota corp here? Help!
I am tempted to go with $363 and pocket the rest, but if I get that thing back and hear more wind noise....I will notice.
As for the installer, I am satisfied that they are awesome.

Thanks, All.
Nathan

Johnhav430

To answer your question, yes, you should insist. I actually don't think you will win, but it's worth a shot. I didn't think I would on the BMW, but I did. That lizard co. told me try a repair. I said cracked in driver view. They said safelite. I said no, Saint Gobain Sekurit with a BMW logo. They said no, safelite, that is too expensive. I said what do you mean I have a $100 deductible so I pay $100 either way. The conversation droned on for 40 min., but in the end, they did what I said. But I do think we're all too old here to waste 40 min. of our life on such matters. We're talking about in my case glass that cost $750 when safelite was $140.

The principle is the same, it's insurance. My son broke his leg age 5 (the simplest of fractures no pins etc., basic break not near growth plates), and the billing is coming close to $20k (google it you will be hard pressed to find a $ amount). That is worth arguing about when he has 20 min. of PT and it's billed at $952. Politicians need to actually have some inkling and feeling towards our sick care system.

There is some clause I believe (since when isn't there) that says insurance can use both used and aftermarket parts, btw.

Peacebay

I just went through this! Geico refused to replace my OEM glass despite fighting pretty hard for them to do it.

I finally relented and got it replaced with aftermarket glass. I definitely notice a difference. I really miss the hydrophobic coating on the oem glass.. and I swear that this new glass makes the car louder on the highway. I would pretty much bet anything on it.

Super disappointing.

Johnhav430

I remember telling the person, I get that you're reading from a script but what you're saying isn't making any sense. I cannot have a repair in the driver view and pass a PA safety inspection, so why are you suggesting a repair? She says they always suggest repairs before replacement. So totally stupid. Then she threatened if I insist on OE glass then I will have to pay the $750-$140 i.e. above and beyond the $140. This means they wanted to pay $40 and that's it. As Ronnie Van Zant said, I gave them a big ol' southern uh uh, as in nosir yankee slicker. In the end I paid $100 and got glass with a BMW logo. But, like I said, I think we're too old to dwell on these matters and get all upset so likely just as I would unlikely get into a fist fight like I would in 2008, I'd probably rather spend time with my son than argue with a lizard.

edit p.s. my car has the Naples FL Lexus dealer sticker on the right side and I want to keep it, it would be gone if glass replaced. Serves as a reminder that my car originated in Naples FL and likely owned by a rich person who garaged it

Peacebay

I mean, I'm in my 20s still despite what my old man tan LS430 suggests so idk if that precludes me from getting angry. BUT I will say, I looked at $1000+ of repair for a piece of glass and decided against it. It is what it is.

biosurfer1

I'm in the same boat. Got a rock chip Friday on the drive home and scheduled a fix for Monday. Guy calls me out from my office on Monday morning to show me in the 2 hours it had been sitting out in the parking lot, the chip spidered in two different places at least 12" so fixing was no longer an option. I was annoyed to say the least.

I'll be getting it replaced soon, but there is exactly 0% chance I'll be spending over $1000 for OEM. It's not worth it for a car worth this little. I love my 430 and plan on keeping it, and I have no problem spending the extra $$ for mechanical fixes, but having a ~25 mile commute each way every day, its just as likely I'll get hit with another rock the day after it's replaced.

Johnhav430

Right now, I am on day 4 of a DFC 12 step program. It stands for drinking, fighting, and cussing. I ask myself, it's 2019. Why am I not living my life today, like a rock star did in 1977?

At the same time, I figure have to pick and choose battles. Like with health care, the $ amounts and the HRA are thousands and not hundreds. I've argued and told them that claims should have been rejected and due to carelessness they were paid. I don't want baseless claims to be paid, because it's out of my pocket. Providers are making folks who have insurance, cover their losses for those who do not, and it ain't right.

Peacebay

John you’re a legend

CA2WALS430

John,
I think we as humans blog for 2 reasons: 1-to gain knowledge about a subject, and 2-to connect. Thank you for your personal transparency. Fight, sir! I mean not to get preachy, but I believe in God, and to the fullest positive extent that this means to you, I say God be with you. Trials lead to triumph.

Now, about my windshield:
John, it is a lost cause. I am not even going there. Like I said, literally the windshield is 1/3 the value of the car. If I was an insurance CEO, I would deny me. But pay 30%?? C'mon. My question of insistence was about Pilkington as an OEE. I was not clear there.

Peacebay, you are a hero. One way to get an incredible car is to love what seniors love. To this day, it is not hard to find these LS430's with low mileage in good condition. That is where insurance co's are missing the boat. We have a car better than many newer vehicles, but they cannot look past the numbers ("It's too old, blah, blah"). I am driving a luxury vehicle for the maintenance of a Corolla. I say open the sunroof, put that visor on, drive 25 with your blinker on, and savor while watching your peers spend 2-3x the maintenance on their hipster-mobiles.

Nathan

Peacebay

Well said. I’ve owned an insane amount of cars for someone my age but I’ve always been super focused on how things were engineered and put together. To date I’ve only owned one German car — a VW GLI, and the backwards way some things were fastened together was mind boggling. I will say, I’ve worked on some Mercedes and they tend to be much more robust than their VAG counterparts.

but nothing compares to the 430. I’ve always been a thrill seeking person — owned fast cars, raced motocross for years, own a 200 hp Kawasaki street bike — but I will never get rid of my Lexus. It’s changed my perception of how a bunch of carefully engineered parts should come together to make a vehicle.

Which brings me full circle to how much of a shame it is to lose the OE glass!

430SLOwner

Politics is why healthcare is so expensive. Politicians are the problem (started almost 100 years ago when wage freezes resulted in benefits packages to attract talent...) not the solution. Any time the government gets involved in social programs it is the high commission (why does it cost taxpayers $5 to get $1 to a needy person) which results in higher and higher costs as well as government trying to protect its turf and power resulting in no benefit to people as bureaucrats' self-interest is contrary to citizens' interests.

You may get lower priced OE if willing to take some risk (would be on the phone asking person who can see item before ordering) e.g. https://www.partshotlines.com/parts/...eld-glass.html

Johnhav430

On the OPs original point, even though I was able to get the Saint Gobain Sekurit through the lizard co., it took me 40 minutes. And now I'm in the situation where I doubt it would happen with the hands guys whom I had for 7 years and now Jake with the pants. None of us like to get "shut out" where our blood pressure goes up and we don't get what we think is fair. It's totally not fair to say you have a $100 deductible we want to get you a $140 retail glass costing us $40, not $650 (plus they don't pay retail they just compute based on it). Here's the slick part--I don't want my glass to break, because I want my OE glass. so my interest is aligned with the insurance co. Perfect!

On the healthcare, yes I am naive. I woulda thought breaking a bone is part of growing up. I broke my wrist at age 13, and I don't remember my folks thinking this may bankrupt us. No joke my son's bills are approaching $20,000 for a broken leg at 5. Nothing compound or complicated, straightforward fracture. No we didn't pay anywhere near that as we have insurance--hit the deductible on the emergency room visit, that was billed at $6,400 (now I get why urgent care has popped up everywhere without even a MD in them). But every week there was a new bill of almost $600 for the weekly checkups--anyone go to medical school in these checkups? Nope, no MDs. And then $952 for 20 minutes of therapy. Not cool. When he was born we had straight up $250 deductible 90/10, so we weren't really that concerned. $250 deductible today is pretty rare imho ours is about 6 times that....

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

If you know anybody that works at your local Lexus dealership, the employee price at my dealership is around $1,000. It’s just a matter of finding someone who will hook you up. I plan on going this route but it’s still a lot of money.

I also talked to one of the parts guys and they recommended having a really good installer do the job, even if you have to go through your local dealership. He said most places the insurance companies use won’t do it properly and that’s why so many people get wind noise.