20mpg

Just wanted to share my experience last week in getting our ES300 windshield replaced.

The original windshield was damaged by a rock over the Thanksgiving holiday. The crack spread quickly which made repairing not an option. I knew immediately a Lexus OEM glass was the best choice to ensure proper fit and quality glass. I was ready to shell out $600-800 for a new Lexus windshield because my insurance deductible is high at $1k. So I called up a few respected body shops in my area and was shocked to find out it will cost $1600 for the job. I learned the Lexus glass alone is $1200. So much for my idea this will costing less than a grand.

I spoke to my insurance company about me paying my deductible and they pay the rest. They recommended I contact this mobile auto glass company at www.mobileautoglassnow.com who could provide me OEM quality glass for much less. At this point I’m already skeptical about what this company can offer but I call them anyway to hear them out. To make a long story short, they said they could offer me an OEM windshield that is identical to my cracked Lexus windshield for $370 installed. The only difference is that the replacement glass will not have Lexus stamped on it. Plus they would guarantee labor and glass quality for as long as I own the car. Sounds great right? I think it over for a day and decided to roll the dice with these guys.

The next day they show up and swapped out my windshield in 1 hour. The install job wasn’t bad but the windshield they installed is crap! It's made by AP Tech with DOT 563 code. Talk about distortion!

20mpg

Picture of it.

imherenow

ya that doesnt look good..did u talk to company about it and what did they say..AND what type of website is that where i dont see contact information on the site..hmm

EEngineer

you have got to be kidding me!
i've never seen a windshield do that!

i had mine replaced for a mere $200 dollars and I couldn't tell the windshield was not OEM except the lexus logo
and it had no such distortion

TheDream

yikes that's some bad distortion. Unfortunately that happens with after market glass sometimes. Our LS400 and both acuras have an aftermarket windshield and there are absolutely no distortion issues and no leaks. But some rust bubbling is starting to show on the roof at the top of the windshield--that is the result of the installer scratching something and not from the glass. I'd make them change it again and make sure they do it carefully so they won't scratch the edge.

ayonnebay

I had same problem with my windshield - Insurance Co. (which gave me LEXUS glass in the past) said that since the ES300 was old (1998), they could not give me Lexus glass. They had a shop put in "SGC brand DOT 65" windshield - pure garbage. Wavy distortion, and small circular dots of distortion all over ....

Walt

20mpg

It only gets better! This morning the rear view mirror fell off as I was adjusting it.
I am currently working with the mobile glass company to fix this and the distorted glass. This is completely unacceptable for what I was promised.

20mpg

Walt,

What did you end up doing about it? Anything?

yeldogt

We have had many windshields replaced and we rarely replace them with factory glass. Remember these are Toyotas and the windshields are very common -- so......... many aftermarket sources

We had one of the 2000 es300 windshields replaced for $220.00 a few months ago and it's fine.


From what I understand the Chinese are moving into glass replacement -- the competition is evidently unbelievable and $10.00 makes a difference in peoples decision. The installers make very little profit


We always ask for the US made glass and have never had any trouble --- I do remember the installer mentioning that the way the Lexus mirror snaps into the glass mount makes it easy to damage the mount.

ayonnebay

Nothing - yet. I kept putting it off, and meaning to contact the ins co., but at this point, I'll have to contact them. It's annoying. It's been in for a few months, so glass co. will say it's too late. I'll have to deal w/ ins. co.

I'll post back if good or bad response from them.

Walt

EEngineer

whoa! without the rear mirror it's dangerous!
i remembered that my windshield guy was very careful with the rear view mirror. he torched the thing to make sure it's cleaned up properly and applied plenty of new urethane and glued it on properly.

EclipseAWD

Just a testimonial of my windshield replacement experience......I had the windshield replaced on a 2005 ES330 a couple of years ago by American Eagle Auto Glass in Champaign, IL. They charged ~$250 for parts+install. They used OEM (not Lexus OEM...so no Lexus logo) glass. I've had zero distortion or any other issues for that matter. I'm pretty sure it will provide the same OE protection in case of a catastrophic impact. As far as I was told....these windshields have to go through the same DOT protocols.

R1R

I had my windshield replaced with PPG, and it has been perfect.

I think it only cost around $240. This is for a 97 ES.

BradTank

Make sure you get a reputable glass replacement something like PPG or Pilkington, I ask the company specifically what glass they install and look it up to see if they have a good reputation.

The dealership stuff though is a rip off, $1600 to replace a windshield on a Lexus ES? You don't need to spend anywhere near that to get a quality replacement on a common car.

20mpg

Appreciate all the support from you all. Late last weekend the mobile glass company came out to put on a new windshield. This time they put on a glass by Pilkington which they claim to be "premium" grade at no extra charge. So far I have to say it's much better. Not quite Lexus OEM quality but pretty close. I'd say around 95% as good as the original glass.

Their excuse for the first windshield they installed was that it was simply defective. I think that's a bunch of bull.

In the next few days I will inspect for wind noise and test the rain sensors. Fingers crossed I have no further issues