Great just greatttt........

amlv20

amlv20

New member
I had just gotten switched to the tues-sat crew at work so I got Monday's off now.so I figured it's a beautiful day here in central California today,why not give the 4Runner a wash.i pulled it out from the garage onto the drive way and went back inside for an hour or so.when I came out to wash the runner I notice a good sized rock by the passengers tire.i thought to myself better check all the windows with my luck I find a broken window later.as soon as I think that I look up and my windshield is cracked up the middle.****^#*%#*}*%%**!!!!

:uzi:

So now I'm furious thinking the neighborhood punk kid has been th roughing rocks,but the weird part is there is no chip or anything indicating there was an impact of any sort.both me and my wife are religious about keeping the runner clean so we know it wasn't there before,trust me we both would of noticed it.

I'm a ford tech and day in and day out I see the unfortunate results of cheap repairs.and I live by cheap repair gain cheap results,so I try to go with OEM repairs at all possible costs.ive been searching around the net and village toyota parts,and a windshield for a 2008 4Runner is around $1000 :barf:

I guess tomorrow we'll be calling State Farm to see what kind of coverage we have for windshields.if not I'll be calling the toyota dealer down the road and the one owned by the dealer group I work for to see what kind hook up discount I can get but I fear it won't be much.ugggghhh I guess the aftermarket it might be :frusty:



/Rant over/
 
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I've had about 4 windshields (all aftermarket) in my 2008 4runner. Every windshield has been fine but not all installs have been ok. The install is the most important part in my opinion. I Have found that the mobile glass installs seem to be problematic down the road and it's like pulling teeth trying to get them to come back and fix it. I Now use a glass shop in Albuquerque. It takes longer but they seem to do the job right and it's in a controlled environment so there is no rush due to weather.

As for that rock, time to start setting up cameras. If it happens again, hopefully you can catch whoever with the camera then go to police or deal with them Soprano style.
 
I've had about 4 windshields (all aftermarket) in my 2008 4runner. Every windshield has been fine but not all installs have been ok. The install is the most important part in my opinion. I Have found that the mobile glass installs seem to be problematic down the road and it's like pulling teeth trying to get them to come back and fix it. I Now use a glass shop in Albuquerque. It takes longer but they seem to do the job right and it's in a controlled environment so there is no rush due to weather.
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Almost every dealer near me does NOT do glass. They farm it out to a couple local glass companies. So you can go to the local glass place directly and pay one price...or the dealer and pay abouty $100 more and they'll both be done by the same shop with the same installer using the same windshield and same adhesives. It just costs more. When it's done at the dealer the glass shop sends one of their mobile trucks and does it right in the dealerships garage bay.

The mobile trucks are fine. But I've found quality differences in different shops. Around her I use J N Phillips or Portland glass. Those are the two that most of the dealers use.
 
I just had my windshield replaced due to a bad aftermarket install. Its not cool to see water coming out of the a piliar when going throug the car wash
 
The previous owners of my 4runner had the glass replaced at least once. I don't know who the installer was, but they did a terrible job.

  • The paint is scratched off the front edge of the roof, and it's rusting now.
  • The weather stripping is not correctly installed, and there is excess wind noise.
  • I noticed some dirt on the inside where it looks like water ran down the inside at one pint. I don't remember ever seeing water there, but maybe the seal is bad?
  • The aftermarket glass has lots of little rock pits in it now. Too small to repair, but enough to cause some glare when facing the sun. It's Pilkington brand glass.

Take pictures before the install so you know how it should look. Inspect closely for any damages to painted surfaces when they are done, before you pay them.
 
So best price I can get from the toyota dealer my employer owns is $901........and I have to use the installer that comes around to the shop.


So you guys have had luck with aftermarket windows,it's the install that's been a problem.anyone have any experiance with safelite? Or are the the Macco of glass companies?
 
Find the independent shop or two that does work for the luxury car dealers in your area.
Cost will be about $100 more than Safelite or their clones.

I did this a few months ago, got better glass and a proper install (meaning the car has to stay in the shop several hours for the glue to set before they give it back to you) - and, my shop anyway, claimed to use an upgraded urethane adhesive as the glue. The set-up time is a function of temp and humidity.
 
Just had our windshield replaced by Safelite. Progressive Insurance covered it. They recommended Safelite so we tried them. Did a good job with no leaks in the carwash.
 
So best price I can get from the toyota dealer my employer owns is $901........and I have to use the installer that comes around to the shop.
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Something special with the 2008. I've had mine replaced...my insurance covered it, but if I didn't have insurance the cost was under $500.

As for Safelite.....Used them ONCE....never again. When you pull a window there's always going to be so scratching of the metal. A GOOD installer will coat the metal with a primer scratch filler. Safelite didn't. And 5 years later the whole top area around windshield of my 90 Pathfinder us rusting out.
 
Safelite is very hit or miss. Years ago when I worked in the truck accessories biz, we would set up glass replacement for customers if they wanted it. We usually used whoever the customer's insurance preferred which was Safelite most of the time. I don't think I ever saw the same installer twice. Some of them were real good and you could easily tell they had lots of experience but some, pretty sure that was their first windshield replacement. On some occasions, we would end up heling with the removal and install because they were so lost.

In this little one horse town, there is a guy who does mobile glass. I think he knows what he's doing but he is sloppy. I had a couple windshields replaced by him and each one took me a couple days to clean up after and they both leaked. I could never get him to fix them. I actually run into him time to time and I remind him every time. He probably hates me by now.

That being said, I use an actual automotive glass shop now. They have a lifetime warranty on their work and I know where to find them if needed. So far, they have been good but I can usually count on it taking about half a day so I plan accordingly.
 
In managing the bodyshop for a dealership. I can tell you they are absolutely a rip off. We would usually mark up the costs the glass company charged us 25%. But I do agree a great glass guy will make it look OEM. The guy we used went between the big 3 dealerships in town, but also did custom glass work for quarter of a million cars and customs.
Safelite on the other hand. . .I have seen locally been consistently horrible. Between improper removal, improper install and sealing they usually have caused more issues than a cracked windshield.
 
My insurance company has a deal with Safelite, I was all stressed out about how I was going to pay a grand for a windshield, called them and they hooked it up for super cheap, I think I paid like $150 or so total :hatsoff:
 
wadle5 said:
In managing the bodyshop for a dealership. I can tell you they are absolutely a rip off. We would usually mark up the costs the glass company charged us 25%. But I do agree a great glass guy will make it look OEM. The guy we used went between the big 3 dealerships in town, but also did custom glass work for quarter of a million cars and customs.
Safelite on the other hand. . .I have seen locally been consistently horrible. Between improper removal, improper install and sealing they usually have caused more issues than a cracked windshield.
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Yeah, the first windshield I had installed by them had a weird bubble/optical illusion in it, but I called them and they replaced it again for free a second time and it looked OEM
 
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