Have a crack in the windshield of my 1999 Honda Accord. I’m planning to have an auto glass repair company replace the windshield, rather than the dealer due to cost. Is there such a thing as a “Honda brand” windshield replacement? Or will any OEM (original equipment manufacturer) brand do? Would appreciate any advice.
Any glass you get from an established glass company will meet government standards and work just fine. Most replacement auto glass is made by PPG and PPG also furnishes glass to the auto makers.
The replacement glass will be the exact same as the original or just as good. The law says so.
You can buy a windshield from anyone. They all come from the same few manufacturers. You don’t have to pay a dealer for a “Honda” windshield.
Chances are the dealer will be getting the glass and the installation from the same place you call. It most likely will be the exact same glass either way.
BTW check with your insurance company, they may pay for it. They don’t like you driving with cracks. Don’t believe all those stories about the insurance company raising rates do to this kind of claim.
“BTW check with your insurance company, they may pay for it. They don’t like you driving with cracks. Don’t believe all those stories about the insurance company raising rates due to this kind of claim.”
take this advice really seriously.
it may save you $$$$$$$$$$
You would probably be quite surprised to know that many if not most replacement windshields are made in China these days. I know a guy who worked for the US Dept of Commerce overseeing Chinese windshield production quality to be sure their glass met our standards. Early ones didn’t, and their makers were selling them under their cost. I’ve probably replaced 10 windshields in the last year. ALL of them have been Chinese except two. They sell Accords in China, and make windshields for them as well.
There is another brand i cannot recall the exact name and i dont know where it is made but i am almost sure is not chinesse the name is plinkington or something like that
Insurance companies CAN’T raise rates on a COMPREHENSIVE claim unless they raise all of their customers comprehensive rates. It’s the law, at least here. AFAIK all glass is insured under comp. Check with your insurer.
I just had a windshield replaced on my Hyundai Accent and they had to replace it again the next day. On the first replacement, the glass was all wavy as I looked through it. It was just awful to drive like that. Objects appeared to move and become larger and smaller if I moved my head. Clearly, there is some sub-standard stuff going on out there! Luckily, the 2nd windshield was fine (but I noticed it was a different brand!!!)
The best thing to do is ask the glass shop if they’re using a DOT approved windshield. The DOT markings are required to be on the glass.
It’s always possible that some distributors could be going around and palming off non-DOT approved glass (bootlegs basically) to the glass shops but I would think these would be in the distinct minority. None of the shops around here use bootleg stuff.
I’ve seen flyers come into the shop from obscure distributors selling non-branded parts (ignition, fuel/oil/air filters, etc. on the dirt cheap but never seen any for glass. Of course, any distributor doing this would probably concentrate on glass shops only and bypass dealers and independent shops.
If you took your car to the dealer to have them replace the glass they in turn WILL call a glass company and have them change it.
Something intersesting////// a few years ago I had a windshield changed with aftermarket glass as any insurance company would want. It turned out after time that this had to be pulled and OEM was installed because the aftermarket glass was a little thinner than OE and this effected the automatic wiper sensor and the auto wipers would not work. The sensors measure refraction and the different thickness was to blame.
There are different brands of windshields. Autoglass companies vary in who they get their glass from. That said, most aren’t any better than any other. The autoglass business is very competitive and very profitable. The glass companies spend big money selling windshields to places like body shops, auto dealerships, insurance companies, etc. Almost all dealers use a local glass company to replace windshields. Usually, the only time I ever look around to find an OEM manufacturer is when the glass is stenciled with the vehicle’s name such as the newer F150’s and F250’s. Ford uses PPG, so you have to find a PPG dealer.
Skipper
Insurance companies CAN’T raise rates on a COMPREHENSIVE claim unless they raise all of their customers comprehensive rates. It’s the law, at least here. AFAIK all glass is insured under comp. Check with your insurer.
Insurance laws are STATE ONLY. There is no FEDERAL car State law. Each state and their laws are going to be different.
You would probably be quite surprised to know that many if not most replacement windshields are made in China these days.
Actually MOST replacement glass you buy in the US comes from here in North America (Canada and Mexico). The cost to ship very heavy glass over is very expensive. Even with cheap labor costs in China it’s still cost prohibitive.
Honda does NOT make any glass. The Accord was made here in the US, so it’s a high probability that the glass was made by PPG in Canada. Find any good glass shop who carries PPG and it’ll be like installing the Honda OEM glass. I’ve used many different replacement windshields and NEVER had a problem with any of them…I have had problems with different installers. The dealer probably doesn’t install the glass either. They usually farm it out. I know one glass dealer here in NH that does all the dealers in Manchester NH…Ford, Chevy, Lexus, Honda, Toyota, Infinity, Chrysler/Dodge…ALL of them. They have 5 mobile trucks that are dedicated to the dealers.