hey guys,

Last week, I was traveling behind one of those huge, rock-star like mobile homes.
I was pretty far back, but not back enough as the vehicle began slipping off the side of the road
into loose gravel and sure enough, like a guided missile, I got sprayed with one hitting dead center of my eye line.
After going berserk, flashing my lights for the vehicle to pull off, I pulled around and got a glimpse of the driver:
a little old white haired lady peering over the steering wheel.
Thank god she didn't pull over or I'd be in jail by now.

After having it repaired, I determined that it's just too annoying and
have opted to have the windshield replaced. Too bad, the ding was the size of a match head and after repair,
only a small imperfection, but just enough to go through with all of this.

This coming Wednesday, I'm going with a shop that's recommended by my local Toyota dealer that
works on my 430 (no Lexus dealers around here; only oil changes to date).
I'm told they done one 430 is the past and assure me that they know what they're doing
(needing to charge for more labor for my job since the first one went way over their time estimate).

So, have you had a 430 windshield replaced?
Any good stories?
And most importantly, do you have any tips or guidance as I go into this?

Thanks. Jimmer

 

i just had mine replaced. if you're going through insurance, they probably won't cover OEM glass. they said it's exactly the same, but i can tell a slight difference. for one, i think OEM has a water repellant coating. the aftermarket glass does not. i might pick up some rainex and see if that makes a difference.

expect to find small pieces of glass in the nooks and crannies of your interior. they have to smash the old one to get it out. they cover the interior, but that's a lot of broken glass. some gets left behind.

 

I haven't had my SC w/s replaced, but did get my infiniti done-same scenario as yours except for me it was a truck with mudflaps.

They actually came to my house, took a tool that separated the glass from the seal and took the w/s out in one piece! I was amazed at the tool and the precision of it.

Then they put in the new w/s (aftermarket, and YES I could tell a difference too) and heated the seal to get it to fit right.

Like Liquid, I noticed a difference with water repellant so I bought rain-x and "invisible glass" which I now use for home/auto all the time and love the shine/view it gives. The rain-x works, but it's not magic.

I'd try to find someone that doesn't break the glass...IMO that could be a huge PITA

 

As with most Lexus repairs it's more complicated then you might think. I've attached the PDF with the step by step details.

 

This PDF breaks down the components for the windshield assembly. Once you understand this you understand why its so expensive.

 

You should be fine.

I had a local reputable shop do mine a couple of years back.
They used OEM glass and insurance paid 100%

 

I'm told the replacement 3rd party windshield matches Lexus OEM specs,
including the outer rain resistant coating.
I'm also told that they do have the special gasket slicing tool
and don't break the glass to remove. nice.
thanks to all of you for the right questions to ask and
a sense of what I'm going to get.

I'll let you know how it goes.

 

it took 3 hrs (cooling my heels at a really loud sports bar with excellent contemporary rock and blues,
plus grilled hamburger and frys), but worth it. the windshield, seals and finish turned out excellent.
and thanks to all your tips and after my quizzing the glass shop, it turns out that they inspected the first windshield,
rejected it for some finishing problems (including crooked, slanted antenna wires), reordered a different, PGW (new PPG),
product that absolutely matched my existing windshield.
my informed quizzing, plus being referred to me by their biggest referrer (local Toyota dealership) helped this process.
they looked out for their reputation and in turn, me.

so, many thanks for what to look out for and a satisfying replacement experience.
the knowledge-base of this forum can't be beat.

btw: it turns out this is the third, not second, windshield in this three owner car, said the installer.
I drove home frequently glancing at the road for loose stones.

 

Do you have an idea of the cost? My original OEM 02 glass is clearly and repeatedly pitted so it may time to replace it. I've priced out new lexus OEM glass at $1200 just too steep for me.

 

that's what i was told for OEM. aftermarket was roughly half that.