Safelite Glass windshield quality?

[GT3fan]

Hey guys,

Having my windshield replaced by Safelite on my 2011 e90 and the price is $419 for their housebrand glass. The phone rep states it has a lifetime warranty and is similar quality to OEM.

Does anyone have experience with Safelite made glass?

OEM was additional $200. Is there any difference other than the logo?

Thanks

[dougjones]

I can't speak to their BMW replacements, but I had issues with the replacement in my old Lexus ES350. That vehicle had a panoramic roof and they replaced the windshield three times with their OEM quality glass before using an actual OEM glass. Each Safelite windshield had massive air leaks near the roof line while at speed.

[avantegardestyle]

Originally Posted by AMG2M3

Hey guys,

Having my windshield replaced by Safelite on my 2011 e90 and the price is $419 for their housebrand glass. The phone rep states it has a lifetime warranty and is similar quality to OEM.

Does anyone have experience with Safelite made glass?

OEM was additional $200. Is there any difference other than the logo?

Thanks

Ive used them and my glass is fine,
been 3 years now and no issues on same car as yours

[SpartaEvolution]

I did have an issue on my old G35 sedan (6mt ) where the Safelite tech didn't glue a little rubber trim piece down at the very top of the windshield, which I only noticed due to a slight whistle at highway speeds. I stopped by the local Safelite shop on my way home one day they were able to repair it in a matter of minutes, and I never had any troubles after that.

[Z K]

I think it's more a matter of the skill of the technician than the actual glass used.

You can always ask for a OEM windshield if you like. Safelite can definitely get it for you.

Remember, going to the dealer doesn't mean the dealer installs your windshield. Most of the time, they have a 3rd party installer install it and up charge you.

[GT3fan]

Would there be any difference in resale value in the future to warrant spending the additional $200 for OEM?

Personally, I wouldn't care either way as a prospective buyer of a used car.

[Mvy]

Originally Posted by AMG2M3

Would there be any difference in resale value in the future to warrant spending the additional $200 for OEM?

Personally, I wouldn't care either way as a prospective buyer of a used car.

Some buyers wont care and others will.There are a lot of people who want OEM on their BMW, so I would go for that over the generic Safelite brand assuming there was no issue with insurance paying since that is the most likely route I would use.

Insurance recommend chip repair first, generic second and OEM third. My experience with generic is the tint at the top of the view can be a little off from OEM, and it bugged me enough to push insurance to go OEM (I argued it was not OEM spec since the tint was a different color).

I see getbmwparts.com has them for my year between $300-$500 depending if you have a rain sensor or climate comfort controls. There are probably better deals to be had out there if you search around. Maybe you can get the glass and have them install without paying the premium?

[dj_dub]

Just request OEM glass and you'll be good. I had to pay my deductible either way with my insurance, so requesting for OEM glass with no added costs was a no brainer.

[GT3fan]

Originally Posted by Mvy

Some buyers wont care and others will.There are a lot of people who want OEM on their BMW, so I would go for that over the generic Safelite brand assuming there was no issue with insurance paying since that is the most likely route I would use.

Insurance recommend chip repair first, generic second and OEM third. My experience with generic is the tint at the top of the view can be a little off from OEM, and it bugged me enough to push insurance to go OEM (I argued it was not OEM spec since the tint was a different color).

I see getbmwparts.com has them for my year between $300-$500 depending if you have a rain sensor or climate comfort controls. There are probably better deals to be had out there if you search around. Maybe you can get the glass and have them install without paying the premium?

Actually paying out of pocket. My car does not have the tinted band along the top.

Final quotes from Safelite was $440 for their internal brand and $680 for OEM.

I am starting to overthink this too much.

[SpartaEvolution]

If it were me, and I were paying out of pocket, I'd save the money and go with the SL brand. Heck, the savings are almost enough to pick up some aftermarket swaybars, or maybe a nice set of brake pads (hint hint! ).

If a PPI turned up an aftermarket windshield, I would be very impressed with that shop. Moreover, if a buyer is using an aftermarket windshield to whittle their price down then either 1) you have them on the ropes and they're looking for ANYthing to get a better deal, or 2) they are extremely picky, in which case you can tell them to kick rocks over to their nearest dealer and check prices on a comparable CPO car.

[McSwine]

Crap, for $440 dollars I might replace mine just to get rid of the annoying "sandblast" (for lack of a better word) that you see driving into direct sunlight.

[chief]

I think I was $300 all in for new glass installed at my garage. I tried to get Pilkington or Saint-Gobain but was unsuccessful (the local Safelite shop manager worked on tracking down either one for about 3 weeks) No real price difference between Pilkington/Gobain and the standard Safelite brand, just the issue of availability. Overall I am very happy with the glass, experience and clarity of a fresh windshield.

[GT3fan]

I am going with in house Safelite glass. I only drive my m3 <4K year so it shouldn't be an issue regarding chip resistance.

[GVIFlyer]

Safelite uses Fuyao auto glass, which is made in the USA by a Chinese company. Fuyao provides OEM glass to many auto manufacturers.

http://www.fuyaousa.com

[GT3fan]

Originally Posted by GVFlyer

Safelite uses Fuyao auto glass, which is made in the USA by a Chinese company. Fuyao provides OEM glass to many auto manufacturers.

http://www.fuyaousa.com

thanks for the info!

[tailgate1234]

Originally Posted by AMG2M3

Hey guys,

Having my windshield replaced by Safelite on my 2011 e90 and the price is $419 for their housebrand glass. The phone rep states it has a lifetime warranty and is similar quality to OEM.

Does anyone have experience with Safelite made glass?

OEM was additional $200. Is there any difference other than the logo?

Thanks

I had a very bad experience with Safelite. The glass was fine, but the installation resulted in air leaks all over the place. They used too much adhesive and applied it unevenly. Shoddy work. I highly doubt they use BMW's recommended procedures for replacing the windshield.

[Koach]

I've had two SL windshields installed. 2000 Ford Ranger- had a long crack when purchasing our 'house truck', replaced without issue, but wasn't being too picky for a vehicle that sits behind our house most of the time. The other replacement was a few years back on my wife's 330i- not good, distorted through the center and as someone previously mentioned, the tint color was nonexistent and very noticeable in NM. They replaced it the next week without issue.

Personally, for my M, I'd spend the extra cabbage and go OEM.

[GT3fan]

You guys are making tough to decide between Safelite and OEM glass. Now I'm worried about the installation procedure quality.

[Patrón]

I was involved with a glass company and glass distributor for a few years. as long as it's not chinese and it's american or oem there is nothing wrong with safelite.

where they make their most profit is when they install chinese glass.

[cclinard1]

I had mine done through Safelite not long ago. $100 deductible. They gave me OEM Pilkington they got from my dealership because they could not get one that had the OEM grey tint at the top of the glass. The original they brought didn't have any tint at all although the part number and description in their system said it did.

[GT3fan]

Safelite replaced the windshield. Looks good so far. The glass is made by Fuyao.

[brentl]

2012 E92 M3

On the way home from the stealer getting my airbag recall done, a rock hit my windshield and cracked it.

I emailed my SA and he said it would cost $2500. Not gonna happen.
I called another stealer and they said $1550
A reputable local indy BMW shop said $1700
Safelite online with non OEM glass was around $360
Safelite with OEM glass was $660.
After talking to the Safelite regional mgr, then the shop mgr, then visiting my shop and then realizing that no dealer does them in house, I realized the installer was the key.

I chose the OEM glass just because I want the car to be as close to original as possible (garage queen with 3.5k miles per year that I plan to keep forever).

I then asked which installer was the best and eventually was assigned a tech. His name was Walter at the Pasadena CA location. He came to my house on time. The guy was totally great. First thing he pulls out the new glass, cleans it and checks it for defects etc and then pulls out the upper rubber moulding and says, crap they sent a non-oem one. He calls the shop and they say they cannot get one for 4 days. I had requested OEM glass and trim. I told him I would get one from a dealer ($38) and he re-scheduled and credited my bill. I appreciated that he gave me no grief and even suggested we not use the non-oem trim.

When he came back 2 days later, he carefully protected everything and I watched the entire time. I had previously watched a Youtube video of an installer going through the entire process on and e92 so I had a good idea of what to expect.

The most important thing was for him to not scratch the paint behind the glass as this would allow rust in the future. Using the string method to cut the old sealant, and a special scraper to clean is up he avoided nicking the paint. He used a special primer where the caulk joints are in the pinch welds. Next he carefully applied the urethane sealant without a joint in the top center which seemed like a good plan.

In the end it went seamlessly and he did not damage my car (dealer always messes up something so this was appreciated).

I spotted him a twenty and thanked him.

My friend had another Safelite location do his rear window on his S-class and the tech messed it up 3 times which confirmed it is the tech that we need to focus on.

My experience was great and in a few years if it gets pitted I will be less afraid to have it changed out as I hate looking through crappy glass.

I rarely post here but read a lot of stuff you guys write and want to say thanks to all of you for such great information, so I thought it would be good to relay my experience.