2006 OEM Windshield

[PanicDog]

I bought a certified used 2006 4Runner Limited V8 a couple of weeks ago and just yesterday was driving on a city street when a car ahead shot a rock into my windshield that left a sizable chip. :ybrick:

Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I vaguely remember the dealer saying something about replacing the windshield on this vehicle. Now I'm wondering if they put in a cheaper, less durable windshield than the OEM windshield.

My windshield says:

PGW
Solex
Laminated
AS1 41

Can anybody with a '06 help me out and let me know if this is the OEM windshield?

Thanks!

 

[Autbond]

I bought a certified used 2006 4Runner Limited V8 a couple of weeks ago and just yesterday was driving on a city street when a car ahead shot a rock into my windshield that left a sizable chip. :ybrick:

Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I vaguely remember the dealer saying something about replacing the windshield on this vehicle. Now I'm wondering if they put in a cheaper, less durable windshield than the OEM windshield.

My windshield says:

PGW
Solex
Laminated
AS1 41

Can anybody with a '06 help me out and let me know if this is the OEM windshield?

Thanks!

The AS1-41 is just the line that it is legal to have window tint down to. I have an '06 I will check it out; does it say Toyota anywhere on it?

 

[PanicDog]

No, it doesn't say Toyota anywhere on the windshield itself.

 

[Scoobs]

That is not OEM

PGW stands for Pittsburgh Glass Works, which used to be PPG i.e. Pittsburgh Paint and Glass. They do make pretty good glass, and I don't think it is any worse than the OEM glass, but it is definitely not the original windshield. PGW is an OEM supplier to lots of car companies.

http://www.pgwglass.com/Pages/Default.aspx

 

[zlasterhazzard]

I got some nice chips in my stock windshield on a road trip and had it replaced and that sounds like the same windshield i got, unfortunately I took another road trip recently and got some new chips on the PGW windshield, so im assuming they are about the same if i got chipped on both on two long trips

 

[purrfactor]

There is a standard in place for windshields, the OEM one is no better than the replacement one unless of course you go digging it out of another vehicle.

They are all made the same, 2 sheets of glass with a thick piece of plastic in between them that are melded together.

The only difference is the stamps and when it was put in and sometimes by whom, some glass replacement people do not do as good of a job as others.

Honestly, if its not in your line of sight, your comprehensive coverage on your insurance will repair the chip for free. It will not be a ding against your policy in any way. The two best place for repairs are Safelite and Binswanger.

I used to be a glass claims adjustor for an insurance company before I got back into computers. Trust me, just get it fixed, anything the size of a dollar or under can usually be repaired and some techs are so damn good at it, you wont even know it was there.

 

[Uneek]

Most dealers will outsource the job to a glass shop for the work/labor.

purrfactor is right, aftermarket and OEM glass are the same. It has to meet DOT standards. The installer who replaced mine said the same thing and the only difference is the "Toyota" stamp on the corner and price.

 

[martini]

Even if the dealer outsources the work don't they have to use the special OEM glass as mentioned here http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/2755-hydrophobic-glass.html (hydrophilic glass Toyota advertises) or are they free to use anything?

 

[purrfactor]

No they do not have to use it. In most cases unless your car is brand new, you will not get the Mfg glass as a replacement unless - A. You ask for it and yes it is a whole lot more expensive. B. Your insurance company allows you to ask for it.

Honestly, if you insist on it, you can get it but you will have to pay the cost difference between it and the cost of the normal replacement price.

 

[charlier180]

Honestly, if you insist on it, you can get it but you will have to pay the cost difference between it and the cost of the normal replacement price.

Looks like my insurance company has a different policy regarding Toyota OEM glass. When I had my cracked windshield replaced with a Toyota windshield at my request. The insurance company paid for everything except the $50 deductible. IIRC the Toyota windshield cost around $400-500. BTW, the replacement windshield has take a few stone hits over the last 5 years and so far it has held up well.

 

[Scoobs]

I used to work in a PPG plant that actually produced glass for many uses, including windshields and side-lites and back-lites. I can tell you that there is "glass" and there is glass. Just because a windshield meets DOT standards does not mean that all windshields manufactured by any glass manufacturer are equally as good as those of another manufacturer. While a manufacturer's windshield may meet strength requirements it may have more distortion at the edges than another manufacturer's windshield, or it may have more bubbles or other defects. One of my jobs was working in an inspection booth on auto lite runs and we had a zero defect tolerance. I've since seen replacement glass coming from plants in China that would never have passed inspection at PPG for use in auto lites, too many bubbles. They aren't apparent when you look at the windshield under normal lighting conditions but drive into a setting sun and the defects become apparent. That glass would never have made it through inspection at PPG.

People look at glass and figure one piece is the same as the next. I can tell you it "ain't so".

 

[martini]

Does anyone have a picture of what the original markings on the factory glass look like or what to look for? I know my windshield has been replaced (from checking Toyota Owners Online | Official Toyota Owners Website) before I bought it and I definitely have noticed the edges of my windshield are really blurry if you look through them as Scoobs mentioned.