I recently had a rock strike in my field of view and need to replace the front window on my 15 LX. I've searched windshield replacement on this site and see lots of comments that say only get OEM glass, but some say it's ok to get aftermarket (but quality) glass. I'm looking for some recent opinions and experience with this issue. Any help is appreciated.

For some background, the local Lexus dealership doesn't install this. They refer to a local third party that does it. The third party says they can order the OEM if i want it, but strongly suggest I use their non-OEM glass because they say it is made in the same factory and is exactly the same as OEM glass, but without the Lexus logo...and the non-OEM glass is cheaper. Their quote to replace the glass is around $650 plus tax. They say they are very experienced in replacing Lexus glass, including making sure it works with rain sensors, etc.

I have USAA insurance with a $500 deductible. I am leaning towards OEM, because I will be out $500 whether it's OEM or not. Might as well get OEM.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

 

OEM is the must! I had done on my 16 LX in summer. Lexus also require OEM to certify the re-calibration the LDA camera and rain sensor. In my cases, the OEM glass cost about $1600 installed and I have also $500 deductible policy. So the total cost is some where close to $2k included Lexus calibration cost. I will be only responsible for the $500.

 

Thanks! That is what I'm thinking also. If I'm going to be out $500, then why go cheap on the glass. As a side note, apparently my insurance partners with Safelite glass. If i use them for the repair then there is no deductible. Sounds appealing, but I had them repair a chip in the glass on my wife's BMW, and the quality of that technician's work was awful and the professionalism of that one tech was poor. So, I'm not going that route for sure.

 

Ours is cracked right now. Our dealer also uses third-party installers. Direct to third party, OEM glass, $1300ish for window & installation. We don't use aftermarket glass in our vehicles w/ cameras & HUD because the majority of research we've conducted shows there are still a large number of problems regarding clarity of HUD displays, alignment & calibration issues with the cameras & other tech, etc.

 

I've never seen a dealer that does their own windshield replacement. I ended up calling both local dealers, and they used the same guy. Great news is that he lives about a mile away from me and did the glass on a calm summer day on my driveway. No issues with sensors or knowledge...it wasn't by any means his first 200 series windshield. Neither dealer calls Safelite. The comments related to non-OEM glass is simply BS...you do indeed get what you pay for.


My insurance semi-partners with Satellite, but the insurance also has a ton of installers acceptable to them that are NOT Safelite.


My 200 series did not require calibration with anything...the rain sensor was replaced with new as part of the job, as were the moldings as advised per the FSM. The installer showed up with all recommended parts needed for the installation. My deductible was simply $100 in cash handed to the installer.

 

Just curious if you have some of the safety features the latest rigs have (I'm ignorant to the 200 series). As I understand the cameras & other equipment for speed limit signs, lane departure warning, collision prevention, etc. can be very sensitive to misalignment. I believe the alignment is mandatory on some vehicles due to the liability for misaligned safety components and their subsequent risk for malfunction.

 

"200 series" covers the Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus LX570. "100 series" covers the generation before the current one. You're probably right on the need for calibration...my 200 is a Land Cruiser without lane departure etc. equipment. All that said, it's a relatively complex installation...installer needs to be very watchful with demating and mating the wiper heater; 3 large wires (> 8 gauge) on each side mate to the truck below the lower center of the glass...tight fit that requires removing the windshield cowling, etc.

 

I actually just had this done on my brand new '18 last month and, long story short, it has turned into a very expensive nightmare.

I had about 600 miles on my '18 when it got cracked by a rock on the highway. I've had cracked windshields before, I thought it wasn't a very big deal. Boy was I wrong. I called around for pricing (dealers, collision centers, etc.) and all agreed that regardless who does the work, the LX would still need to be calibrated by Lexus. With that being said I got a "competitive" price from the dealer I actually purchased the LX from so I scheduled to have them do the service to be certain everything was completed correctly on my new vehicle. The price quoted was $1,705 including the oem windshield and the calibration.

I paid cash for the service because after consulting with my insurance co. I was fairly certain they would report to Carfax any claim paid out over $500.

I dropped the LX off and picked it up later the same day. The work was terribly shoddy and negligent. There was black epoxy residue on the windshield and A pillars. There was epoxy seeping out between the new gaps between the moldings and the A pillars. These gaps also caused high wind noise on the way home. The moldings were poorly fit with gaps on the sides and at the bottom of the windshield by the air dam. The side moldings were springy and popping up off the track. I knew I could clean up the epoxy but the moldings would definitely have to be refit.

But it gets worse...

The next day I had an opportunity to more closely inspect the work in the daylight and I found the installer had chipped and gouged the paint all along the passenger side A pillar, most likely while prying out the damaged windshield. I called the service advisor to advise of the damage and sent pictures to him. He reached out to the regional manager of the subcontractor they used to do the work and later assured me they would accept responsibility and repair the LX. The subcontractor initially offered to have the LX repaired at their (the subcontractor's) body shop and I told the Lexus service advisor I would be taking my truck to a collision center I trusted and they agreed. All the while the Lexus dealer kept trying to pass me off to the regional manager of this subcontractor and assure me that this subcontractor would make matters right. I assured the Lexus dealer that I was holding them responsible for the damage to my vehicle because it was dropped off for repair at Lexus and picked up at Lexus and whatever they did behind the scenes is their problem. I also paid my bill in full to Lexus so I told them I wouldn't stand for being passed off to the subcontractor, alleviating Lexus of responsibility and acknowledging that the sub is wholly responsible for damages.

I was fairly confident (in my ignorance) that this was a quick and simple sand, paint and clear job to repair the gouges around the windshield and I was eager to get on with this and get back to enjoying my new LX. Well, I was wrong. Because there's no break from the A pillar to the rear quarter panel, the paint/clear blend would have to be carried up across the roof line and all the way to the rear of the truck. Essentially, at least 30% of the truck would have to be disassembled and painted in order to do the repair properly. Passenger side doors, moldings, rear quarter glass, roof bar would all have to come off among other small, potentially squeaky parts. So, not only would my new LX have to be partially disassembled but it would also have to have a significant amount of paint applied. The collision center advisor also stated an alternative burn blend could be done on the clear but it wouldn't have a warranty and there's a good chance it would show or discolor on the Atomic Silver finish.

So, I'm left with impossible options: 1) disassemble and paint half of my new truck, 2) drive an 85K truck around for the next 15-20 years with paint chips and gouges that sparkle in the sunlight or 3) live with a tacky touch up paint job on my new 85K truck. It's a no win situation and I'm extremely disappointed that my first personal experience with Lexus and LX turned into this. Either way I go I'm still at a loss for diminished value in my brand new vehicle. I really don't know which way to go or what to do at this point.

The other issue is if this subcontractor did such a **** poor job on replacing the windshield and moldings how will I ever know if he reinstalled the rain sensors and other under the windshield sensors properly or with any care. If I'm betting, I'm guessing he didn't. He didn't appear to exercise any extra care or caution one would think would be a given considering the circumstance. Call me crazy if you will but I would think when Lexus calls and says we need a windshield replaced on a brand new $101K msrp vehicle you send one of your more meticulous technicians or a manager or something. If anything, just so you don't run into these problems, **** off the dealership and lose their contract. You don't send the careless bum who comes in for the morning, late (he was late getting to Lexus), grabs a stack of repairs off the desk and shuffles around all day replacing windshields in 10 year old Civics. This is just so frustrating and infuriating.

I don't mean to hijack the thread but I thought you guys should know what you're getting into if your dealer uses a subcontractor. All of this could have been avoided if the service technicians had properly prepared and protected the work area. This was completely, careless, negligent and avoidable. I've lost complete faith in this Lexus service department.

 

I don't know what to say except this is awful. I would be furious beyond belief.

Btw, after some intense negotiation, I did get my insurance agency to agree to OEM glass (they originally said they would only do aftermarket glass). It will be done at my house by a Lexus recommended 3rd party service (that claims they are Lexus experts). You better believe I will stand right next to them the whole time and inspect their work.

 

I would not worry about a Carfax issue as it's a glass claim, not collision. Ymmv, but my insurance company doesn't penalize me for a new windshield, or any other glass on the truck(s).

Once again, I'm unaware of any car dealer that doesn't farm out the glass. It costs them far less than training a crew, assigning designated shop space, and holding a bunch of windshields in inventory.

There are also an installation advantages...

In a normal universe, the windshield goes in via a specialist (craftsman in my cases) who does glass every day...and knows that word of mouth is a big deal. You definitely got the very short end of the stick. I had Satellite out on recommendation of insurance company to do a windshield in the wife's 100 series. Guy showed up with none of the required replaceable moldings, let alone the nylon coated pop rivets and modified pop rivet gun to fasten the side moldings up the a-pillar. I asked him to leave and began exploring who the local Toyota / Lexus / BMW / MBZ shops used...two local guys were recommended...one that did Euro cars and the other specialized in Japanese.

I'd be more than upset...might even consider suggesting the dealer somehow buy it back. Not a lawyer but dealer's sub is responsible for the crappy job, ergo the dealer is responsible. Making it "right" will not make it like it was before the aborted ws job...if I were an attorney, I might suggest that since the dealer has insurance for stuff like this, they might want to consider possible local negative feedback.

With not much whining and no attorney, GM bought and paid for a new gas engine in an Olds wagon with the first diesel (yeah...stupid me) that broke it's crankshaft with 40K miles. The local BBB was instrumental in making that happen, not California's Lemon Law.

If it's the same shop that does the dealer's trucks, good on you. I also stand around during any windshield replacement...sometimes the installer needs a helper with large glass...I simply did as I was told and learned a lot. I also manned the shop vac to pick up used molding and sealant. Pay attention to the molding that runs up the a-pillars. They end about 6-7" past the top of the ws...my guy spent a lot of time bending the top end to get it to fit perfectly at the very end. You may need a dab of silicone or body adhesive strip to anchor the end. Mine was installed with 3M body tape and gaffer's tape kept the molding in place as the body tape set.

 

It's funny you say that and I'm thankful for your response because you're kind of a guru in the LX forum and my head is spinning. I actually seriously considered what I called a "do over" and the customer relations manager immediately and literally ran and got me numbers from sales. The numbers were a total joke. They offered me $75K for my LX and offered to sell me my exact spec LX as a "19 for $95K. The "19 is already at the port as we speak. I told them they must be joking with that price. I briefly met with my salesperson and it was general sales spiel as if I had just walked in to buy a new car and not, "We're going to make this right for you to turn your first experience with Lexus and our dealership from a negative one into a postive one."

I think I would like to revisit the trading keys option with someone at the dealership who has more authority to get things done but I just don't know the best way to leverage the situation. Any advice on this is greatly appreciated. I'm not sure how much a lawyer could help considering they (Lexus or the sub) would most likely be willing to offer a settlement for the damages but as I explained I would still be stuck with a damaged LX with instantly diminished value.

 

Have you thought of escalating? Get dealer ownership involved. Maybe a complaint to Lexus corporate, or get a regional manager or his/her boss into the fray. As I mentioned, the BBB did awesome work for me on the early Olds diesel. No matter what and your relative degree of po'd, proceed slow and politely. Sarcasm on your part will go over their heads.

To me, the dealership is responsible...period. Imo, they need to replace your truck with like and kind. I'd continue to raise holy hell.

Ot, I do not consider myself a guru here or any place else. Most of what I post I learned or heard about on ih8mud.com. You could consider registering as you did here. ih8mud.com 200 series forum

 

Thanks for the advice. Right after I bought my LX I registered on ih8mud at the same time I registered for this forum. I'm just under a different username.