combres

I got my windshield replaced today by safelight. I thought I could save it with a fill by USAA (they would do this for free) but a few hours after I got off the phone with them, it had a full crack.

Anyways, I thought I was going to be faced with having to fight to get an OEM glass (with a $2200 price tag, per other posters). I would pay my ded. of $500, but still, it would be a fight.

So when the safelight tech called me to install it I asked about the glass he had. He had the PGW and said it was american made glass, good quality. Also by law all windshield glass has to be laminated, so it is the same as the Lexus glass. He came, quoted me a price of $400 installed. I was a bit shocked to find out the windshield was only $128 (list was $214) plus the $28 and $22 rain sensor pad (toyota) and gasket. The labor was $172, quite reasonable considering the crazy tools he had to use. The glue he used has to be kept hot, I guess to make it fast drying (it dries in 1 hour). The whole process took about 1.5 hours.

He explained that they are using a new technique in the last year, where they attach a suction cup to the drivers side window and use a lever system to swing the new windshield into place. Pretty cool, the alignment was spot on.

I asked him about the $2200 windshield, and he said most likely if it is a lexus brand it is that much, but the PGW is just as good and they install these at dealers.

Maybe it was that USAA has a deal with Safelight, but I am pretty happy with the $400 windshield. As a previous post said, the PGW is fine with the rain sensors.

I've only had the car a month and rarely go on the highway, so I was pretty pissed when this rock hit me, such rare odds this would happen.

I highly recommend safelight to anyone getting a windshield installed.

Playdrv4me

I think it is a supply/demand issue. I often find it surprising how cheap front windshield glass is for a lot of different brands of cars. Yet conversely, if you ever have a SIDE window crack from an object or pressure in the car, those can be astronomically expensive, even though there's much LESS material!

nkoppy

We need to write some letters to our respective State Legislatures, folks. For years, it was always our right to insist on OEM glass, when making an insurance claim. This changed when the insurance companies successfully lobbied to get out (more cheaply) from under their contractual obligation to us, the policy holders. We now suffer because of it, and I haven’t seen my premiums go down…

I recently had a stone chip in the middle of the windshield of my old 2002 GS 430. I could have gotten a new windshield for zero cost from Allstate, but I insisted on having the chip filled when they said they wouldn’t spring for factory glass. Since the chip was “in the driver’s field of view,” Allstate refused to have it filled. So, I paid for the repair myself. The chip was DEEP, and so the fill job wasn’t perfect, but I was happy to live with an imperfect piece of Lexus glass, versus the alternative. I’ve heard so many horror stories about squeaks, creaks, water leaks, wind noise, etc… when aftermarket windshields are used (even when “properly” installed by a “competent” technician, the end result just isn’t as good).

Unless we start making some noise about this issue at the legislative level, I fear that nothing is going to change. As a compromise, I’d even be willing to pay a deductible on glass claims again, if it meant that I could have the option to get an OEM windshield installed if/when necessary. Thoughts??

Bocatrip

After I purchased my LS430 4 months ago, it had a chip that I decided to have Safelite repair. They botched it and it spread across the windshield. After my insistence, Allstate sprang for a $2200 Lexus windshield, which I was told was the way to go if I didn't want grief with my rain sensor. It was an excellent install and have had no problem with the sensor.

gtfour43

Lol same here so I don't leave it on auto anymore.

AudioBuff

I also had Safelite install the OEM windshield on my 04 (Allstate covered OEM...of which i was pleasantly surprised). Install went fine and my auto works fine, but they accidentally cut my aftermarket car alarm and fried my alarm CPU. Now I have to get them to reimburse me all expenses to repair it.

combres

nkoppy. I think u missed the point of my post. I am saying that the PGW glass is just as good as the factory. It is highway robbery to pay for OEM when it isn't that much better.

It really just increases our premiums on auto insurance for us to demand OEM glass. $2200 is a lot different than $400 and it is essentially the same product. I bet that PGW manufactures for Lexus and just whitelabels it with Lexus brand.

Anyways, I think I got a great product for a good price.

Flintstone

Before I decided to replace my windshield I did some reasearch and found this forum which alerted me to several problems with the rain sensor not working after the new windshield was put on. Well I ignored it and proceeded to get a new windshield. I will tell you I live in Taiwan now and when they told me the cost was $90.00 USD and that included 2 employees to do the job. I was suspect for sure as in the States this windshield is 20 times that. With that in mind I showed up at 8:30 sharp and got started. I was able to watch as it was being replaced outside on the street in morning traffic. First thing I noticed was the heavy 6 inch band of tint at the top of the new one . I remembered reading here that that could be a problem. Then I watched them remove the windshield and scrape off the silicon pad for the rain sensor with a rusty old exacto knife. Then threw the pad down into a tool box. At this point I was sure I would never have auto wipers again. But because I have lived here for many years I have learned to be patient and keep my mouth closed and just observe. Not everybody does things the same way I have learned. Then with out much fanfare a bead of silicon was placed around the window edge and the new windshield was hoisted up into place. Next the bracket for the rainsensor unit was super glued on to the glass and left to dry. Next is my favorite part as I had already planned to have to send back to the states for a new pad and try to replace it myself after it did not work !! One of the guys picked up the pad out of his tool box and wiped it off on his pant leg. Then he reached for a squeeze bottle full of soapy water and throughly soaked the pad on both sides. He then put it in place on the windshield and attached the rain sensor back in its bracket, that simple. Next they put the trim back on the windshield and asked me to get inside and turn the wiper switch on auto, I did. With the same squeeze bottle he sprayed the window by the sensor and the wipers fired right up. That simple. Bottom line the glass means nothing, the tinting means nothing but the seal between the pad and the window is very important and any air can cause it not to work properly. The soapy water displaces any air bubbles on the pad and creates a solid seal. Then the soapy water will slowly dry to create an even seal. This is the same thing that happens when you put 3M paper on the windows to block out sun. It looks bad at first but when it drys it is fine. So this is my experience. It might be worth the effort to pass this on to the tech before you get your windshield replaced. Hope it helps someone. Sorry cant help you out with the price of the windshield !!

hipine

Thank you so much for this post! I'm new to a 2008 LX570. Drove it home from TX to CO yesterday & found rain sensor didn't work. I was getting scared when I found the windshield was aftermarket, not PPG. UNTIL I SAW THIS POST. Got my bowl of soapy water, removed the gel pad (skipped the part about throwing it in the tool box), tossed the pad in the water while I used glass cleaner to clean the sensor face and windshield where the pad would go. Put the pad on the window & squeezed the bubbles out (very easy when it's wet!), blotted excess water from the area, and re-attached the sensor. Turned the car on, set wipers to auto, splashed the windshield with a water bottle and bingo! wipers work on auto!

With great forums like this, and great people who post here, I might just survive owning this fancy car.

-Dave G.

Mbodall

That's excellent that this worked for you! Even though this post is in an LS forum (and was a 6 year old thread *cough* lol), I'm glad that you were able to resolve your auto-wiper issue! Enjoy your LX (the LX470 is my other dream vehicle and next on my list to buy)

Htony

I heard rain sensor wipers don't work well with after market windshield. I have a 500.00 deductible on glass on my insurance. Paying 500.00 I'd rather have OEM glass.

Mbodall

AlexusAnja's post is almost 9 years old and they haven't been on the forum in about a year, but it would seem that their wiper sensor and/or windshield was having an issue of some kind. I've never heard of auto-wipers wiping without reason on "dry" glass without some kind of reason to wipe...

jayclapp

The reason: Crappy Satellite glass and installers.

monrovea

Ok here is my experience with windschield replacement. I too have 500 deductible insurance. I'm not about to pay 2000 bucks for a windschield. Went to Safelite and was quoted 241 out the door. I told them I wanted the rain sensor to work properly because of all the problems I've read about. They assured me the rain sensor would work. After installation of Chinese glass and an hour of extra time they could not make the rain sensor work. Long story short, they ordered a new windschield, PGW, and installed it a week later. Now it works perfectly. They honored the original price with no extra charge. Good for Safelite. I am impressed with their customer service. Replace your windschield with OEM, but better yet, replace it with PGW and save yourself a few bucks!

mhiga

To save you all time and frustration regarding your windshield with Safelite, this is the review I posted on their website verbatim:

The installers (Moe & Chris) and the manager (Duane) were top notch! ...so why only 2 stars? After a Fuyao brand windshield was installed in my car, the rain sensor stopped working correctly. I had to do my own research to find out that the rain sensor would only work with OEM Lexus glass or PGW glass. I explained my finding to the manager and he said that Fuyao makes OEM glass and that he would like to see what a new sensor would do. I spent more than the glass install to purchase a new sensor only to find out that it still did not work.

Frustrated, I called around to other glass shops in the area and found a PGW glass at a competitor who said to just let Safelite know as they buy/sell glass to one another on a fairly common basis. I advised Duane (Safelite manager) of my findings and he said that he will get the glass for me and we set an appointment. Few days later, I go in for my appointment and wait for about 30 minutes only to find that the glass was not picked-up from the other glass company yet and waited another 30+ minutes to find out the glass had an imperfection. They asked if I wanted to proceed. I did not. I asked if they can get a PGW shipped in and they said that they could so I decided to wait.

They found a PGW and ordered it. About 10 days later, it arrived and turned out to be another Fuyao brand so they reordered it and another 10 days later, the PGW finally arrived. We set an appointment, had it installed, wiper sensor still did not work (with the old sensor) so we tried the new one that I had purchased and all worked well.

From start to finish the whole process took 3 months 4/20 - 7/21. There are 3 things that displeases me:

1) My time that was wasted in this whole process (I can never get that back).

2) Duane had mentioned that if the PGW didn't work, I would be charged the cost of a new install. From a management point of view, I totally understand this and actually accept it. However, if the old sensor worked, would Safelite cover the cost of a new sensor? (By the way, I'll mention it again, the sensor cost more than the install). It's like saying all the risk is carried by the customer.

3) This is what upsets me the most...This is not the 1st time Safelite came across this problem. See Lexus forum here: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...gone-wild.html. If this is a known problem, why would a so-called respectable company not have this information in their database? It would save Safelite & the customer so much aggravation.

My rating for the LOCAL Safelite branch of the staff and manager is 5 stars across the board. My rating for the company - 2 starts.

Note to other 01 - 06 Lexus LS 430 owners: Only get PGW glass and go to Lexus and get an OEM gel pad (goes between sensor and windshield). It is the only combination that works.

Note to Safelite: This review will be posted verbatim on the same forum I mentioned earlier. Let's hope that you have updated your database by then..