Glory be, my windshield cracked today

[Opera House]

on my 97. If it hadn't, I was going to take a baseball bat to it this spring to collect insurance. It has been driving me nuts with those little sandblast pits in the rain and from the glare when the sun hits it just right. How many of you have replaced a windshield just because of this sandblasting? This never seemed to be a problem in the past. Guess we are all driving faster and the gravel digs in.

 

[CougarX]

My winshield is just like that, in just the right light there are thousands of little pits that are really annoying to try and look through. A rock hit mine a couple months a go and theres a little chip but it never spidered out so i'm still waitin for somethin to break it

 

[tbomb]

i had a new winshield installed becuase it had 2 small chips, but they were right in my field of vision, and they were driving me crazy. i had it done while my truck was in for accident repair, otherwise, i prolly wouldnt have had it done - a convenience type of thing. it was also nice to have it done for FREE! (friend owned the shop )

 

[knightmoves1]

windshield

When my 97 Sport developed a crack in the windshield, I decided to shop around to get the best deal. What I found was a 100 % spread between high and low bids. Also, there is no Ford factory glass as a replacement. I was told, "Glass is glass." The place I bought from offered me a $ 30 rebate coupon and came to my place of business to replace the windshield. The job was done in 30 minutes and cost about $ 150, as I recall. I was very pleasantly surprised, as I was expecting to spend a lot more and wait for it.

 

[Stephen]

I don't know who told you there was no factory Ford glass, but there is, I had my windshield replaced with it.

Glass is not always glass. Many times aftermarket windshields have distortions etc, or the tint isn't exactly the same etc. Whenever I have a windshield replaced I always specidy OEM glass.

Ford glass is either made by Carlite or by Ford glass. Ford makes glass not only for their cars but for buildings also. The windshield I had put in the Explorer said "Carlite" with the Ford oval, just like the one that was in there before.

Also, by Federal law, your insurance can not force you to use a aftermarket windshield any more than they can force you to use an aftermarket hood. The difference in glass cost on my Lexus was $200 for the aftermarket, and almost $1000 for the OEM Lexus/Toyota glass, and the insurance covered it just the same. Not much of a difference in price between aftermarket and Ford glass though, $150 or so.

 

[tbomb]

Originally posted by Stephen
I don't know who told you there was no factory Ford glass, but there is, I had my windshield replaced with it.

same here. i had ford glass installed. the quoted price of the glass alone was $211 (body shop cost.)

 

[Stephen]

Sounds like his insurance company convinced him that there was no OEM glass, and that it really didn't matter, thats what mine tried.

I responded with bulllllllll ****

 

[knightmoves1]

Thanks for the info Guys. Apparently, all of the glass shops I talked to used aftermarket glass. With the insurance deductible, the insurance company wasn't offering anything toward the purchase. Fortunately, the windshield worked out great. Maybe I was lucky and didn't know it at the time.

 

[Stephen]

What brand is the windshield?

It is true that most shops have to order the glass from a dealership if its OEM. I know they did on the Lexus, I honestly don't remember about the Explorer. The Explorer's windshield is broken again though, so I'll find out soon enough The shop makes less money on the OEM windshield because they can't markup the price of the part, because you can cross check it with the dealer.

 

[pax]

I wouldn't do it, unless it is dangerous to your health. My 95 sport had a crack on it, got it replaced at 99. Guess what? The top edge of the roof is rusting to the point that water is leaking down to the cabin now. The idiot who scrapted the old glue off took the paint off too. he never prime it before he put the new glass on.
Moral of my story. Make sure the guy who is doing your windshield would prime the bare metal first before he put the new winshield on.
That idiot spoiled my perfect condition truck for good.

 

[sodjer6]

Also don't forget that the windshield, belive it or not, is an important saftey device. Ecspecially in rollovers. There was a big thing a few years ago about Glass Companies improperly installing new windshields, that would pop out in a rollover accident. If that happens you lose a lot of support for the front area of your roof and it caves in like a pop can! The other problem is improper sealing which will cause leaks... If I remember I saw this on 20/20 or some news show that does "Undercover Ivestigations"

 

[DocVijay]

I'm about to get my third windsheild. Cracked two in the past two years. Damn rocks. Anyhow, last time, I went to my Ford dealership and THEY told me that there was no Ford glass. They recommended a few places to go. So if Ford tells me this again, what should I say? Should I tell him he's full of $hit?

 

[tbomb]

Originally posted by DocVijay
So if Ford tells me this again, what should I say? Should I tell him he's full of $hit?

yup. i can take a pic tomorrow if you want of my new windshield. right in the middle, at the bottom, it says "FORD" and "CARLITE." just go to a regular ol' glass shop and keep trying different ones until you get the answer you want.

 

[Stephen]

Yep, the guy's full of ****. Ford has a whole division that just makes glass, for cars and for buildings. My office has Ford windows!

It is also true that the windshield is an important safety device, and you have to make sure that the glass is installed by qualified techs.

 

[tbomb]

Originally posted by Stephen
My office has Ford windows!

thats pretty damn cool

 

[Stephen]

They're deep mirror tinted green and they look kind of like those reflective RX Lexus windows from outside. in the corner of each pane is the Ford oval.