Replace Windshield

[VS007]

Hi Trevor,

I am a new member and a recent new owner of 2009 CRV.
I have a cracked windshield which needs to be replaced and dealer is asking 800$ whereas Safelite is charging 300$, but I am afraid it may not be orginial quality glass.

Can you recommend the OEM or a glass which is as original in looks and specs?

Thanks in advance,
VS007

[Jwood70]

Hi Trevor,

I am a new member and a recent new owner of 2009 CRV.
I have a cracked windshield which needs to be replaced and dealer is asking 800$ whereas Safelite is charging 300$, but I am afraid it may not be orginial quality glass.

Can you recommend the OEM or a glass which is as original in looks and specs?

Thanks in advance,
VS007

I have an aftermarket windshield in My V and my father is going to be putting one in his shortly (due to cracks and such).

I think the quality of glass that I have is as good as, if not outright better than OEM. And with glass, there are specific requirements for safety reasons.

[Radar24]

They might be charging by the book but I doubt that an original identical to the one originally installed will be put in it. The supply chain is probably just not there. Too few of them would be sold. Handling and shipping of glass is a specialty.

My guess is that either the dealer buys the same approved glass as the $300 job such as PPG or CarLite glass. They either put it in themselves or subs it out and have another glass specialist install the glass. Taking a nice chunk of the bill for profit.

I rather think it is the later unless it is a dealer that can pay the salary of the Glass installer full time.

One area I might caution you about is that the tool used to remove the original glass is probably a specialized power saw that can if the tip touches the painted areas of the body with the tip scratch or remove the paint. It is like a miniature saws-all with a special tip to get into tight places. Often air powered and wicked fast to control! If the blade gets too close to the painted frame that has the adhesive bead on it, the paint can be removed.

There is a black goop they paint with the swab end of a can of goop the entire area. After it dries they put more adhesive bead to stick the glass on. If any damaged painted areas are not coated they are subject to corrosion. In any event it is no where near as resistant as the original baked virgin finish with a fresh bead of adhesive under factory conditions.

Often the glass is replaced out in the weather from a van that carries all the supplies. Compare the controlled factory conditions to the replacement environment and that will give you an idea.

Unfortunately you have no choice in the matter other than to chose who will do it.

Finally if he cuts any clips or moldings, the installer will replace them with aftermarket inferior or inappropriate stuff. Using duct tape to hold the trim and glass untill the adhesive sets! No kidding! Often completely different material than original is used. In two cases I had Stainless Steel trim replaced with vinyl universal glass trim moldings. You can specify that they do not do that. What will happen is possibly a 50:50 proposition. Using the universal vinyl replacement trim is faster so that is what is often done to maximize profits.

Choose wisely!

-Rg

[VS007]

Thanks Rg!
Thanks Jwood!

[HandA]

thanks to Radar24 and Jwood70 for answering since I really have no info at all on windshields.

-Trevor

[lizzurd]

They might be charging by the book but I doubt that an original identical to the one originally installed will be put in it. The supply chain is probably just not there. Too few of them would be sold. Handling and shipping of glass is a specialty.

My guess is that either the dealer buys the same approved glass as the $300 job such as PPG or CarLite glass. They either put it in themselves or subs it out and have another glass specialist install the glass. Taking a nice chunk of the bill for profit.

I rather think it is the later unless it is a dealer that can pay the salary of the Glass installer full time.

One area I might caution you about is that the tool used to remove the original glass is probably a specialized power saw that can if the tip touches the painted areas of the body with the tip scratch or remove the paint. It is like a miniature saws-all with a special tip to get into tight places. Often air powered and wicked fast to control! If the blade gets too close to the painted frame that has the adhesive bead on it, the paint can be removed.

There is a black goop they paint with the swab end of a can of goop the entire area. After it dries they put more adhesive bead to stick the glass on. If any damaged painted areas are not coated they are subject to corrosion. In any event it is no where near as resistant as the original baked virgin finish with a fresh bead of adhesive under factory conditions.

Often the glass is replaced out in the weather from a van that carries all the supplies. Compare the controlled factory conditions to the replacement environment and that will give you an idea.

Unfortunately you have no choice in the matter other than to chose who will do it.

Finally if he cuts any clips or moldings, the installer will replace them with aftermarket inferior or inappropriate stuff. Using duct tape to hold the trim and glass untill the adhesive sets! No kidding! Often completely different material than original is used. In two cases I had Stainless Steel trim replaced with vinyl universal glass trim moldings. You can specify that they do not do that. What will happen is possibly a 50:50 proposition. Using the universal vinyl replacement trim is faster so that is what is often done to maximize profits.

Choose wisely!

-Rg



Maybe i am in a different market...but we do sell a fair amount of OEM Windsheilds. Honda has special shipping containers for them. We have to offer the customer the choice of original or aftermarket. We still have to have the installer come into do the OEM glass but we mainly make our money off the glass not the labour.

[HandA]

our dealership does use the Honda glass (about 20 on hand right now). I'm not in that loop though so I'm not familiar with any of the details.

[Radar24]

Maybe i am in a different market...but we do sell a fair amount of OEM Windsheilds. Honda has special shipping containers for them. We have to offer the customer the choice of original or aftermarket. We still have to have the installer come into do the OEM glass but we mainly make our money off the glass not the labour.
That does not guaranty that the replacement Honda glass is the same as installed at the factory. It could be it is just not a 100% sure thing. Honda has several vendors supplying glass don't they? A source that may not be good enough for assembly at the factory but fine as replacement where time constraints are not as critical.

Just another brain fart. :D I have been having a lot of gas lately.

-Rg

[whoa]

I'm with Radar on this one. Regardless of the windsheild and moulding quality, its removal would be the one single most damaging to the vehicle. I've seen too many with rust around the area years later. Doing it right just doesn't seem to be in the cards since time is money. The only guarantee is to discuss this with the installer and stand next to him to watch.

[Radar24]

This is why the manufacturers recommend in FSMs the time consuming two man wire cutting of the adhesive bead method. It is practically impossible to cut the glass out with a saw and not cut thru to bare metal in one area or another. Typically at the corners or with a blind edge the saw tip will hit. :eek:

The black goop they use to repair any damage to the paint and prime the old adhesive for better bond goes on a less than perfectly cleaned surface without any primer or metal etching. All of the techniques necessary that they use now a days to reduce the tendency to corrode.

-Rg

[whoa]

This is why the manufacturers recommend in FSMs the time consuming two man wire cutting of the adhesive bead method. ...
-Rg

Are there still companies that actually do this????

[lizzurd]

This is why the manufacturers recommend in FSMs the time consuming two man wire cutting of the adhesive bead method. ...
-Rg


Are there still companies that actually do this????

Most of the installers i have seen over the past few years use one of these to pull the glass.

Oddly enough....i just checked a 2009 service manual and they do show the "2 man piano wire method" of removing the windshield.

[whoa]

Looks dangerous (designed to inflict pain?) and not at all gentle:(

[Radar24]

Not really, just as a way to hold a wire so that two persons can move it in a saw fashion back and forth. Kind of useless in bondage! Unless you want to cut off appendages or perform painful circumcisions. :D

The hook looks like it is designed to start or insert the wire. Or in trimming the bead. But a surgically sharp blade would do that much easier and better. I think there is just such a tool that allows an even thickness to be left.

-Rg

[lizzurd]

Not really, just as a way to hold a wire so that two persons can move it in a saw fashion back and forth. Kind of useless in bondage! Unless you want to cut off appendages or perform painful circumcisions. :D

The hook looks like it is designed to start or insert the wire. Or in trimming the bead. But a surgically sharp blade would do that much easier and better. I think there is just such a tool that allows an even thickness to be left.

-Rg

This tool is a one man operation. Once the blade is under the glass the handle is used to pull the blade along.

Let me see if i can find a picture of it being used.


It is a little hard to see but at the 3 minute mark in this video you will see the installer using this tool.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=windshield%20removal&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7ADBR_en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wv#

[Radar24]

It looks like it is fairly easy to use the one where you grasp the handle and pull the wire. Naturally the guy is really strong!

It looks like he used a different tool to cut the bottom. The angle of the windshield is such that the funky wire pulling tool does not fit. That second tool I think uses a very sharp blade that might be replaceable. I have seen them use that one but never that funky one.

-Rg

[VS007]

At the end I decided to go to the dealer and get the OEM windshield. It has Honda logo and set me back by 850$ as opposed to 300$ for a generic one.
Its a new car owner syndrome.

Next time this happens, I will go with PPG or Safelite.

Thanks everybody!