i just discovered a crack in the windshield on my 00 gs300
i called around and prices ranged from $270 to $350 installed. then i called the dealer and they wanted $650 just for the windshield plus installation!!!!!
the service man told me that the O.E windsheild is more expensive cause it's thicker so it should be quiter.
is this true? does anyone know? i don't want my car to be noisier by going with an aftermarket windshield. i'll spend the extra money if the service man is right. but i want to make sure, i don't want to get ripped off.

 

Yes, I've heard that's true. A non-OE windshield may not be as uniform, tinted as well, be as scratch resistant, etc.

Maybe Steve Ganz can get you a better deal on an OE one.

 

All windshields have to meet govt regs so they all do the same job in the realm of safety and optical qualities (in the primary viewing area).

You can check on the replacement windshield's specs by asking the installer or the manufacturer. In my experience they will be more than willing to give out the information. Then you can compare the specs to the Lexus unit. The replacement windshield companies may even have the noise specs you are looking for. They try to replicate the features the OEM is emphasizing. You may even find one manufacturer making two qualities of some items -- the OEM-quality version and the low-cost version.

Good windshields come from PPG, LOF, Guardian and a few others. The difference between a good one and a poor one is more often in the optical trueness at the curves and the edges.

Ask questions...

 

I asked and they said $700 for the OEM windshield plus installation. So you aren't really being ripped off or anything, but I am very sure Steve could give you a better price.

 

If your windshield crack is small and you caught it in time before it propagates, you can get it repaired. Sure beats replacing the whole thing.

If you are insured with Allstate, they'll even do it for free. They figured it's cheaper to repair than to pay for a replacement claim.

 

thanks guys for the help. the insurance idea is not too bad, i'll have to check with them. and i'll check the specs on the aftermarket units to see if they're the same as the oem one. i guess worst case senario is not being able to repair it (the crack is about 10 inches long) and having to go with the dealer unit, in such case i can always call my insurance. my deductable is $500. so the new one from the dealer should only cost me 500 hundred big ones. i guess that's not too bad.
my baby is not having a good week. first i hit a pothole and dent one of the rims (da** dc streets) and now the crack in the windshield
oh well, at least it still runs.

 

No offense to you and I know you must be pretty mad with the bad week you are having with your gs. But I think we need to be carefull with our use of language, especially the word God in conjunction with obscene langauge.

I don't know about others who might have read your post but I myself was very disappointed with the misuse of the word God.

And like I said, I am not trying to offend you in any way, but this also serves as a caution to everyone else on this forum.

Thank you for your carefull consideration.

 

sorry people, didn't mean to offend anyone. i guess i do have a foul mouth sometimes even though i try to be polite on this forum. i got it from living in dc for the past ten years.

 

>>but this also serves as a caution to everyone else on this forum

What? I don't mean to flame you, but I find it disrespectful that you spelled Gd out in a textual manner (I may not be very religious, but I am very strict about certain things, i don't think that you can represent what it is textually and any attempt at it is blasphemous). There have been things said I don't necessarily agree with, but I don't try to force my values on others. Please keep this board free. Thanks.

 

I don't care if you use the word "God" in conjunction with regular language, but many people, including me, might find it offensive to use such a prestigious word next to a word that is typically used in anger.

God is not just a word; it’s also a name. If you would use my name while using profanity, I would be offended, if you used my friend's name while using profanity, I would be offended. I can't really say much about using my name in conjunction with profanity however because many others may also have my name.

For example, if I say something bad about Michael, and even if your name was Michael, you might not mind since I could be talking about any one of the thousands of Michaels out there. But we all know what the name/word God refers too. It typically refers to someone who a being worships. If I was Hindu, any offense to God would mean offense to whomever I worship, but for someone else who is Christian, it would mean offense to whomever they think is God or whomever they worship. Basically, it would offend most people who believe in a higher being or worship someone (that's more than 90% of the world's population).

I don't care and I am sure most of you others don't care about the use of bad language, but next to a word that is thought of in such a highly manner may be offensive to many.

I almost knew this would start an argument; I don't really want to argue. Of course since I am not in control of this forum, I can't really do anything about it and you all can do whatever you want with your use of language. But at least now, whoever reads this has in his or her mind to be a little be more careful when posting anything.