OEM and Safelite windshields may be of the same quality, but Toyota and Lexus will only allow for use of OEM glass for warranty repairs. Your windshield replacement is not a warranty repair so that does not matter in your case. I have seen mobile windshield technicians pick up windshields from the dealer parts department many times. Seems unnecessary if those are supplied by local Safelite dealers but I believe dealer windshields are shipped from the Toyota parts depot.
Some Toyota OEM windshields have been on backorder. There was an owner of a 2023 Lexus on a different forum who waited 6 months for an OEM windshield, he gave up and replaced the vehicle. Others stated they were satisfied with Safelite windshields.
Toyota does not make their own glass, different glass manufactures make it for them, those same manufactures sell glass to glass installers…
Pilkington is one of those glass company’s and although it is stupid hard to see and if you have to be looking at the right angle to see it, Pilkington is clearly on my 23 Tacoma and has been the supplier to Toyota for Tacoma’s for years now, Safelite and other installers also carry Pilkington, the glass that Toyota parts department orders in is the same glass, you are just paying for the added Toyota brand to be put on it…
Based on the car model, Toyota uses different windshield suppliers. AP Tech (the subsidiary of AGC Glass) makes the windshields for the Toyota brand today. The windshields are also Nippon Safety brands that are a Pilkington company subsidiary. Since Toyota is a Japanese product, Japanese manufacturers are used. Pilkington is a British company though…
I would think that Toyota/Lexus only allowing the use of OEM glass for warranty repairs is some kind of contract thing and maybe even due to having the Toyota brand name on the Glass, after all, the customer paid for a Toyota/Lexus vehicle and it better only have the same Toyota/Lexus parts on it when doing a warranty repair no matter the manufacture of the part, the customer is not paying for the warranty claim, but when it is their out of pocket money, it is a different story… Same thing with oil, filters, tires, pads and rotors and a lot of other parts that are probably contracted out to other manufactures…
So as long as you are using an installer that will be using top tier glass and the same brand as your OE glass, you are getting the same thing without the extra cost and OE badging… I am sure that a % of glass at different times comes from other glass manufactures due to shortages for whatever reason…
Not what I’ve seen. Toyota and Lexus dealers around here farm out ALL window work. As @davesmopar said - Toyota doesn’t make glass. They use several manufacturers (as do all auto manufacturers).
+1
I planned to do some at-home projects on the day that I scheduled Safelite to come to my home. I was only able to complete a couple of things before they were finished, and then I was able to drive to the nearby state park for a hike.
Quality control. Toyota doesn’t manufacture parts, but they have control over the quality of the parts supplied by the parts manufactures.
Windshield replacement (usually all fixed glass) is sublet repair performed a glass specialist however when Toyota is paying for the repair Toyota supplied glass is used. For retail windshield replacement, the choice of glass is up to the customer.
You mentioned in the past how poorly skilled mechanics are in your area. Any technician should be capable of replacing a door glass.
In my area Safelite opened shops several years ago to be able to perform windshield camera calibrations. Calibrations can be performed on site, but it is better to perform in a controlled environment.
When I asked the insurance company if Safelite could come to my house like I see so many people say they will, I was told no, and that I had to take the suv to Safelite indoor garage myself.
Sounds like we are on the same page…
I am mainly talking about fixed glass installs as most any DIYer can install door glass…
As far as the wavy windshields go, those are probably the Fuyao glass and or XYG glass windshields that are made in China, and like a lot of China made crap, they have very little if any quality control, after all, they are the cheapest for a reason, and due to their cheap price, they are also the (probably) biggest glass company’s out their…
Last night, around 11:15pm, on my way home, I was hit by another rock which left a small ding on the SUV’s body. But this time around it was the result of about 7 idling people in a group who threw the rock at my SUV for an unexplainable reason. I felt threatened and kept driving. My suv and the Lexus do not have a dashcam, so reporting this incident might be pointless.
The paint is chipped, and it is nearing winter and the salt season, so I have to get this fixed immediately to avoid rust. I don’t want to make another claim with my insurance; I’m afraid my premium will skyrocket.
Edit. My family members think the reason those people threw the rock at my SUV was because of the auto high beam light. They assumed the bright light was in their faces and upset them.
As with all manufacturers. But there is ZERO difference between a Toyota OEM part and the exact same part made by the same manufacturer sold through other vendors. Example - Only difference between Toyota Spark plugs and Denso is that Toyota spark-plugs have their name printed on them and they tend to cost more.
Show me where I said mechanics are poorly skilled around here. Good qualified mechanics are in short supply. It’s easier to outsource work that they don’t want to do or have experience. Replacing a door glass isn’t difficult for most mechanics. But that now means the dealer has to keep a supply of that glass in house. It’s easier and cheaper for them to outsource that type of work. Many dealers around here don’t do transmission work either. It’s outsourced. Many also outsource their collision and bodywork, or at least some of it.
