bullet1

I work for an insurance company, and yes the issue is not who does the repairs. The issue is that AAA knows that an OEM Equivelent windshield is available and it is available at a lesser cost than your deductible installed. So, they are going to deny your claim no matter who you take the car to to do the work. Now, if you can come up with some sort of arguement against the safelite windshield not being OEM Equivelent, then you MAY have a case. Otherwise you are SOL. My guess is you wouldn't be able to tell a difference between the two anyway. Sucks that you have a $500 Comp deductible.

And no, Comp claims do not raise your rates, and at least for us, no matter how many you claim.

I-One-Da?

That is not true...

It does matter WHO you take it to. If you take it to a Lexus Certified shop that suggests Lexus glass to be used for "x" reason then the insurance company must obey that suggestion. The insurance companies job is not to choose what parts get used, their job is to spend as little money as possible on each claim and in turn increase their bottom line.

I would be willing to bet that the only way the insurance company knew that this cheaper windshield exists is because the shop you took it you suggested it to them.

bullet1- You will most definetly tell a difference between the Safelight and OEM glass. Maybe not by looking at them side by side but you will tell when 1 year down the road your new Safelight windshield is cracked/chipped again already. These windshields do not hold up to rocks and debris like the OEM glass does.

Believe me, I have experience in this subject. I average 1.7 (12 replacements in the last 7 years) windshield replacements per year for the last 7 years. I live in Central Oregon and they put down a lot of rock in the winters

javyLSU

iTrader: (21)

What is a 'Lexus Certified shop? I've seen Lexus DEALERS use aftermarket glass on their repairs.Surely you must be kidding. As you yourself said, the insurance company's main objective is to spend as little as possible while still fulfilling their obligation per the policy. OP can rest assured his company already knew about lesser cost, non-OEM replacement parts...

You do have a point about there being a difference between the Lexus OEM PPG glass and the aftermarket stuff. It's visible if you look at them side by side.

Javier

Keith13b

iTrader: (3)

Holy crap! Have you ever had your glass replaced with the low budget glass? Aparently not. It is SOOOO cheap. The glass is wavy and has some slight distortion as well as a slight color hue change; most likely from the different quality in the glass. Unless you absoutly positively have to replace it with the non-oem; don't.

It is well worth the $$ to pay the difference out of pocket for the factory glass. Also think of re-sale value. You will take a depreciation hit with non-oem!

Well, since you are screwed by the insurance company, don't forget to get your free box of steaks!!!

tex2670

I had an accident last year, and my choices were to use a shop approved my my *Insurance Co* (ie, NOT Lexus) and get all the benefits of lifetime warranty of the work, or chose some other shop. there was no mention of "Lexus certified" shops.

I-One-Da?

Well, a Lexus certified shop is one that is...wait for it...certified to work on Lexus

I guess body shops are different where I am from. I always make sure I go to a body shop that is also a mechanic shop that has certified technicians when I have body work done. Of course the OP is only looking to get a new windshield so this is not as important.

And NO, I am kidding. Most insurance companies get their info from the body shops about what parts to use. Now some of the bigger insurance companies will keep their own database of what parts work on what cars but most do not. They rely on the body shops. And the body shops are more then happy to help out the insurance companies any way they can. Remember that most body shops get a majority of their work paid for by these insurance companies and it pays to be one of the "Approved Body Shops" as tex2670 mentioned.

tex2670- If you go to any decent body shop they will stand behind their own work and warranty their work even if the insurance company will not. The shops that the insurance company suggests are shops that have signed up to be "approved" because they will do things like use cheap aftermarket parts to save the insurance company money. They also are "approved" because they do good work but most of the time it is because they know how to watch costs and keep them down.

Don't be fooled by thinking that the insurance company is doing you a favor by telling you what shops to go to. Do your own research and find a suitable shop in your area first. If it turns out to be a shop your insurance company suggests, then great

BTW- I work in the Insurance industry currently and I also co-owned a body shop with my uncle a few years back. I know how this corrupt system works unfortunetly

javyLSU

iTrader: (21)

You make some excellent points insofar as how insurance companies and repair shops choose to do business with each other. However, Lexus doesn't "certify" body shops. This is the same type of marketing gimmick that brings us "Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles." Since I don't know which insurance company OP is contracted with, I can't speak as to their policies - but having dealt with huge insurers like State Farm, Allstate, Mercury, and AAA, I can tell you with all certainty that they are very well aware of lower cost, non-OEM replacement parts, and encourage those shops to use those parts whenever possible. After all, like you said - the repair shops are usually "approved" because they have proven themselves to know how to keep costs down.

Perfect example - I've had my Lexus repaired three times by one of the largest Lexus/Toyota body shops in the country (who just happens to be part of the biggest Lexus/Toyota/Scion dealership in the world) and every time my advisor has had to fight for OEM parts, because the insurer wanted to use cheaper non-OEM aftermarket parts.

Javier

I-One-Da?

True, the larger insurance companies do have databases to keep track of non-OEM parts that can be used in place of OEM parts. The point I was trying to make is that the body shops (maybe not mine or yours but one somewhere) is the party that suggests to the insurance company that "x" part is ok to use in place of the OEM part.

I also know that Lexus does not "Certify" body shops. They do however certify technicians, right? I am new to Lexus but I know that Honda and BMW certify technicians. I was making the point that I only went to body shops that were also mechanic shops and had certified Honda or BMW technicians. That way they could also fix or identify other issues that the damage caused besides just the body work.

I guess I confused us all by saying "Certified Lexus" shop because like you said that does not exist

Bottomline, OP do NOT settle for non-OEM glass unless you enjoy paying out of your pocket for a new windshield one or two years down the road.

kt22cliff

Since AAA already said they want to use non-OEM glass, it's a lost cause. Specially since your deductable is $500 and non-OEM is $250. Unless Insurance company is being run as a charity, why would AAA take a hit for $900 - by letting OP get OEM glass for $1400 minus $500 deductable - when they know they can sit tight and let OP pay up $250 for non-OEM??? It's simple business decision. Either pay up $1400 for OEM if you must have it or move on.

Feirax

iTrader: (1)

Is this not official Lexus?
http://lccc-online.com/owners/faq.php

slowandlow

actuley aftermarket glass lowers the value of your car. also lexus designed the glass to work with the airbags in the car is the aftermarket bult to the same quality?

Sidney07

FWIW, we had the windshield in our 07 IS replaced by the company our insurance (Safeco) recommended (Safelite). I took it back two times to get it done right. First time, the moulding was not straight, and I asked for a different windshield, as the replacement (obviously not a Lexus windshiled) had a different curve than the roof. You could clearly see that the roof line did not match up with new windshield. The Safelite guy totally disagreed with me. I realized I would not get anywhere with him. He straightened the moulding, and we were on our way, convinced that I will NEVER use Safelite again.

We now have a new windshield. Oh yeah, it came with our new 09 IS 250 AWD

flowrider

iTrader: (9)

It locates dealers, not body shops or window installation shops.

Lou

GiantsFan

iTrader: (9)

Thanks for all the help guys... but as kt22cliff said, AAA does have a deal with safelight.... so I have a 0.00000% chance of getting OEM glass.

I will inspect the glass... putting it side by side with the old one before they put it in... if it has even one small problem/defect/distortion I will complain and demand OEM glass... saying they are NOT equal. I would get OEM glass myslef... but can't justify spending over $1400 out of my own pocket right now...

tqlla3k

iTrader: (1)

I think you forgot to put LOL at the End or some sarcasm tags.