pwstein

I'll be taking my 2000 A8 on the ferry South to Washington State next week and will be doing some parts hunting and repairs while in the lower 48.

I was hoping to get some forum opinions on windshield replacements.

Should I be trying to find OEM glass and then a respectable shop
or
Find a respectable shop and get them to source the OEM glass
or
Utilize one of the many franchise auto glass shops and get whatever glass they offer

I noticed that the original windshield has some patterning along the border and it is slightly tinted (maybe that is me). Has anyone found a replacement solution they can recommend?

I've only paid for glass once in the past for an old 4runner and the glass quality didn't seem to cross my mind way back then. I'm trying to source a decent shop in the Olympia/Lacey area. Thanks.

jfrahm

H got a pilkington for a good price and it was fine for years, but recently cracked on the inside from the mirror mount straight up. I cannot see any damage on the outside of this

I used the pre-facelift glass with the mirror mount because it was way cheaper and I figured I could scrape the mirror mount off, but in the end I decided it was not worth bothering with and left the mirror mount in place.

I might try pilkington again despite this. Maybe the hotspot from the mirror button in the sun is the problem and I should have popped it off on a cold winter day. If I had a mirror there it would have drawn some heat off the button. The windshield has been in place for 4-5 years and I have had no complaints until now.

-Joel.

jfrahm

Update: I found rock damage through both layers, the glass is not at fault.

Adjuster

Pilkington makes most of the glass in the world.

OEM or Aftermarket, it's all the same glass.

The logo's are different, and there is blemished glass you want to watch out for. (Has optical problems, and they are sold on the market at a serious discount, and many/some shops sell them to you as top grade.. while they know better.)

The OEM options included a solar glass that's nearly impossible for radar to penetrate. You can run your detector, but it's worthless, since the radar does not go through the glass. It also makes cell phone service a problem, since you have to roll down a window, or open the sun roof to get a signal. (This was a solar sun roof car with the solar glass windshield and laminate dual pane side and rear glass. The car was amazing at staying cool in hot weather, but my V1 did not work at all. )

With a new "shaded" windshield, the detector suddenly worked fine forward, with miles of warning again instead of a few hundred feet at best.

My current S8 has the laminated side glass, normal sun roof, and a shaded replacement windshield, and the V1 works to all sides like on normal cars, so I'm thinking unless you got the Solar Sunroof, your side and windshield glass is not the "thermal/Solar" glass that appeared to be treated with gold foil like they did with some aircraft canopies I've seen in the past to make them radiation resistant.

If you use Safelite, make sure they don't sell you blemished glass for full price. They are a huge company, have good prices, but I've seen far too many folks get blemished glass with glaring visual defects they should have been told about. (Lines that go all wavy as they go across the glass... Or looking at the light pole, it makes an S curve in the glass. It should be clear, straight lines, and no defects like this if you pay full price for your glass.)

Glass is a rip off too, it's like diamonds, it is marked up over and over and over again, so shop around and ask questions.

pwstein

Thanks for the input. I will speak with a couple shops and feel them out before making an appointment.

I don't have the hot-weather package so it sounds like it shouldn't be hard to get a good replacement that suits the car. Just a matter of quality control.

twentysevenlitres

I had to get new glass when I bought my FL S8.

I didn't consider OEM as I knew it'd be over AU$1000, so I got a local mobile chap recommended by my local garage to do the job.

Great glass, no complaints!

He actually apologised for charging so much (cost me AU$450) despite the fact he'd undercut one of the big glass franchises by about 30%!

Y888

Long crack on my windshield,
Safelite wants 230$ for cheap one and 900$ for oem.
Genuineaudiparts wants 505$ with 2nd day fedex or 30$ less for ground shipping.
How many of you who replaced wshields replaced moldings as well?Molding only is 370$.
Local guy wants 145$ if i bring the glass.
He said he cant get Saint Gobain which is what i have on my car now.He can get either Pilkington or Fuyao or something like that.
Anybody has a picture of aftermarket windshield installed?Any issues with water leaks,squeaks or any problems?
Non insulated one would be the one with a green tint and insulated(740$ with shipping) one would be one with purple glare,right?

https://genuineaudiparts.com/parts/2...&siteid=214407

Y888

Got it done finally for 265$ plus wiper blades,total 290$.
Looks ok to me,ill see how it feels at night and report back.

pocketchange

Sorry for being late to this..
I've had issues with my rear view mirror. The overweight OEM mirror
(I live in Houston btw) doesn't like the heat. So, I got a replacement
10" mirror that is noticeably less weighty and after a visit with Safelite,
had it glued in place (free.)

I will suggest giving Safelite a call at their 800#. I went this route after getting
a quote from the same operation, for over $150 more, at their local customer store..!
I wil forego the quote from the local steal'Rship, which demanded my going with a
new gasket/seal to add insult to my wallet. pc

Y888

Safelite windshield does the job but in heavy rain while parked it transfered a lot of condensation but no leaks which tells me its much thinner than oem,night glare is much better with oem but considering the car is 16 years old its way to go.