"mkbruin, Atlas VP" (mkbruin)
05/02/2018 at 16:06 • Filed to: None
0
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"mkbruin, Atlas VP" (mkbruin)
05/02/2018 at 16:06 • Filed to: None | 0
| 14 |
Some of you may recall that my wife hulk smashed her windshield a few weeks ago trying to swat a gnat. Yeah, fun stuff. Anyways, fast forward to now, it’s time for a replacement.
First thing I do is call my insurance company, who directs me to their preferred provider of Safelite. Apparently my policy doesn’t have a windshield allowance, and since the $400 quote is below my $500 deductible it’s entirely out of pocket. There’s only one other shop in town that has good reviews, Auto Glass Now. I had never heard of them, but apparently there’s about 80 nationwide. Their quote was only $250.
For grins, I priced out a new windshield for my Cherokee too. It also came with a $150-$175 difference in price.
All in, I can get two windshields replaced at Auto Glass Now for the price of just one at Safelite. Is all the marketing really that expensive? Is there really any difference in the actual glass?
themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
05/02/2018 at 16:19 |
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Or, and hear me out, safelite charges more since that’s the bill they send to insurance to get reimbursed. So it might very well be the same glass, but one company relies on milking insurance while the other relies on people who pay out of pocket.
Party-vi
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
05/02/2018 at 16:19 |
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I would think it costs more for a tech to drive the glassmobile to your house and set up all the shit without the convenience of a shop to do their work in. On my job sites a truck charge is like $100 an hour.
PartyPooper2012
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
05/02/2018 at 16:23 |
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Well, there is another way. You can go to a junk yard.... maybe. terms and conditions apply based on your area.
For instance I can go to a junk yard near Citifields stadium and get any old windshield slapped in for about 100-150 bucks.
A buddy of mine cracked his in E350 benz. His insurance made him get the windshield through them. They installed. It was more noisy. like an air leak or something somewhere. They put another and another same problem (after market windshied). He finally had enough. Made dealership put in a right one and viola. No problem.
Mind you german cars are pain in the ass with windows.
If it’s not german, it should not cost as much. Camry windshied maybe 150. Lexus maybe 200. no more.
Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
05/02/2018 at 16:26 |
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I had safelite do the windshield of my cobalt but we have a 0 dollar glass deductible so it was all covered by insurance. they did come out to my office’s parking lot to do the install though which was nice. sorry im not much more of a help lol
BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
05/02/2018 at 16:26 |
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Safelite repair, safelite replace
BeaterGT
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
05/02/2018 at 16:35 |
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I did this too (cash, instead of insurance) but Safelite was my only option so I went with them. Overall, the experience was fine. They came out to my work office and did the job. But with any shop and you may already know this, I would recommend you ensure all seals and surrounding trim are not f***ed in any way when you get it back.
Chariotoflove
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
05/02/2018 at 16:38 |
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Ask for references. I mean, Maaco also paints cars for a lot less than competitors, and they’re a nationwide, well known company. So...
A reputable business should be happy to give you references from satisfied customers.
Aremmes
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
05/02/2018 at 16:42 |
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I had the passenger rear window on my wife’s Mazda 3 replaced yesterday by a local mobile glass shop after some dickwads broke into it and stole her purse one night. The local shop’s price was $115 less than Safelite. From what I can tell, the glass from the locals is equivalent to that from Safelite, and the locals seem more keen on providing good service.
Eric @ opposite-lock.com
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
05/02/2018 at 16:44 |
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Verify who made the windshields. The price might be more a reflection of quality than anything.
A lot of cut rate windshields are not OEM or OEM quality. I’ve seen replacement glass that was straight garbage with no UV protection, that is soft and chips like crazy, etc.
It’s definitely worth thinking about...
Wacko
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
05/02/2018 at 16:45 |
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Safelite here in canada is SpeedyGlass /Lebeau(in quebec) and I got mine replaced there, since they also repair chips for free.
SirDrivesAlot (now with hybrid powerrrr)
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
05/02/2018 at 16:47 |
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I used Safelite to replace the windscreen on the Mazda P5 I used to have. They offer “their” glass,or oem glass (at a higher price). If I were to do it again I would have taken the oem glass option. The installation was ok, but they also use a generic molding which I did not care for compared to the oem.
DipodomysDeserti
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
05/02/2018 at 17:13 |
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Safelite makes their own windshields and they’re crap. I definitely wouldn’t pay more for Safelite. I found this out when I kept getting stress fractures on one of my cars. After two Safelite windshields I finally got Geico to pay for an OEM windshield. I have full glass coverage so I didn’t pay for any of it. I always take my BMW to the dealership in order to avoid Safelite windshields. They also once screwed up the install on my brother’s 300D.
Boxer_4
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
05/02/2018 at 17:33 |
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A decent amount of that price difference is likely coming from whose glass they use and where they source it from.
There can be a large range in quality from aftermarket windshields, but some of the less expensive options can be really good (and even better than the OEM glass from a durability perspective, in some cases).
I’d ask Auto Glass Now whose glass they would be using for each particular car.
FWIW, I’ve had a Fuyao windshield in my Forester for the last 3 years, and I’ve been really happy with it from a visibility and durability point of view (resisting stone chips, etc.)
merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
05/02/2018 at 23:36 |
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Another option is to talk to the body man at your local dealership to find out who they use. I did that with one of my replacment windshields and the guy came to my house to install, less than $200. But now I just go to my local glass guy, that we use for all our donation cars windshields and they run anywhere from $150-$400 for my S4 windshield. Dealer wanted $800 for OEM glass and my insurance didn’t cover OEM glass. I’ve always paid out of pocket. But never more than $400.