Well, it happened. Really hot out today, and it proved too much for the rock chip I had just to the left of the rearview mirror. It had been repaired and wasn't really noticeable so I was going to leave the windshield in place rather than risk losing the factory seal. When I got in the car today I had a large crack running up to the top and across in front of the driver.

My insurance provider (Safeco) recommends Safelite for replacements. I've heard good and bad about them but not much on C7's. Yea or nay? Any C7 related feedback is appreciated.

Second question is about my insurance. I have a $500 deductible on comprehensive coverage claims. Safelite quoted me $886 for the replacement. Wondering if I should simply pay the full price and avoid using insurance so they don't ding me for it later. Anyone see a spike in their premium after filing a similar claim?

Thanks,
Mike

 

They don't ding you for comprehensive claims so have the insurance company pay for it.

Bill

 

The C7 is not a hard install ....

Dave

 

I would call my insurance agent first.

 

3 minutes Bill? What took you so long?

 

Sure your insurance company recommends Safelite. It's not OEM and it's significantly cheaper. I had a pre-sales crack in the corner. Dealer attempted the cheaper Safelite route, but I insisted on and got GM OEM (HUD) windshield. I do care about the source of any mods/repairs to my Corvette.

Insurance: I had a claim on a Subaru windshield and it did not raise my premium. I have no deductible on windshields. I used Safelite on the Subaru and it seems to be just fine (yeah, I could care less about the source on my Subaru).

 

Safelite is great, USAA's go to glass fixer. They use the proper glass for the application. I've used them 5 times over the years and they've been great every time.

 

My experience with C7 windshield replacement through Safelite was very positive. In fact, it appeared that the safelite windshield was exactly the same as the oem, same manufacturer (AGC), and was considerably less costly.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1596694571

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1596695768

 

Had a rock chip/crack in m '14 Z51....The OEM replacement was about 400 more than Safelite's generic brand, and I went with the OEM (900 including install)...they did a great job.....I also have a 500 deductible, and I just paid it out of pocket....insurance companies do hold claims of any sort against you, whether they raise the rates immediately or later.

 

I just had the same problem. First off, if you have heads up, you can only get an OEM windshield. Aftermarket may be available without Heads up, not sure. Pay the difference for OEM of you have to, aftermarket can have distortion.
Avoid Anyone your insurance recommends, they just want the cheapest, not the best. Personal exp with Safelite in our area has not been good in the past avoid them.
I asked 2 large body shops in the Seattle area who is the best auto glass, both recommended All Star.
I talked to All Star, They recommended bringing it to their shop downtown. I took it there and they did a very nice job, I was happy other that fighting the downtown traffic.
Dont hurry them, tell them they can have it as long as they want it. They had my car for 5 hours.
Good luck with it.

 

The AGC screen installed by safelite shown in my post above is a HUD screen in my ZO6

 

USAA is my insurance provider. I have used safelite twice through them. First time was not so good. Wrong windshield installed, had to come back and install again, the correct one with the heating element. Had to come back again to connect the heating element. Had to come a 4th time to fix the leak.

2nd time was much worse. It was my 06 GMC truck. Leaked four days after installation. Came out and repaired. two week later windshield cracked. They replaced windshield. One month later the top windshield trim blew off going down the Interstate. They came out and installed new top trim. Two months later the right side trim came off. They came out and repaired it. At 9 months it was leaking again.

I was about ready to Drop USAA because of Safelite. I did call to drop them and explained why. They authorized me to have some one else replace my front windshield on my truck. Last 2.5 years with no issues, maybe longer, but traded the truck so I so not know.

I dread ever having windshield issues again, with USAA as my insurance knowing it will be Safelite

 

I was going to post that, over the years, I've probably only read of 1 or 2 issues with Safelite. This thread has more than that, and it's not repeats which might make me a little concerned.

Might not be a bad idea to do as srl did and ask a couple of body shops in your area which is also Seattle. Or, if you've got a paint/body shop that does a lot of Corvettes, even better to ask them.

 

I used them for my sons BMW and it leaked within 3 months... Got rid of the car that month and probably went to the junkyard...

Make sure to use OEM glass and sealant on the install and you should be good..

 

I have a local shop (not Safelite) that has done my Windshield/window/glass work since back in the 70's. Luckily my insurance carrier allows for them.
With that said, Safelite quality depends on each Safelite location. Some are good and some are bad. Talk to some of your local Vette clubs and get their input.
Also, have a discussion with whoever ends up doing your job about the seal being replaced. The overall install on a Vette is not that tough but the seal is critical. By the way I would never put in a new Glass without a new seal.
Good Luck.
VH

 

Here we go with all the windshield internet urban legends...

At least once a year this topic pops up and all the glass experts pop out of the woodwork to spread untrue statements

What do u think , GM makes the glass for all their cars?? .

1- There is absolutely no difference between the AGC branded glass and the OEM except for the GM logo , take a look at the DOT number in the bottom corner of your glass.

There are over 100 000 C7 running around , Your car will never become a 100 point pebble beach concours winner or cross the auction block at Meacham auctions , so why do you need the GM logo .....?

2- MOST dealers do not even install their own glass they call outside companies such as Safelite to install

3- if you want to pay $500 to $1000 more for your OEM branded glass you are entitled to do so but your insurance company DOES NOT have to pay unless you have an OEM rider . It all depends on the coverage you have. Not what you demand

4- after market glass is not softer or more susceptible to chips or cracking , Glass is Glass , there is not harder glass or clearer glass . There are many OE manufacturers out there that make a great piece of glass , Pilkington , ZY are two . You will be fine with these two manufacturers

5- the only difference in the cheaper brands is the fit ..which can lead to leaks distortion and cracks . Stay away from PGW AND XY

6- a C7 corvette is not a difficult installation, one does not need a masters degree in glass installation nor does it take 5 hours

There , I hope I have cleared up all those internet urban legends.........

All your autoglass questions answered right hear with nothing but facts

If anyone would like to discuss my qualifications for making these statements please feel free to email or PM me

Dave

 

At the risk of starting a FLAME war from all the internet keyboard warriors .....I will answer this one also

AO ,as with any serice company you will always hear about the bad experiences and never about the good , with Safelite serving 10,000 customers a day thruout the United States the chances of hearing a bad story about them over an Independent chain that does maybe 20 installs a day is significantly higher .

The insurance contracts are not all about price believe it or not the insurance companies like USAA and GEICO have many measurements they use when awarding repair contracts to any of their vendors be it home repair , towing body repair etc .

One of the main measurements that they use is NPS ( Net Promoter Score ) which is based on one question, how likely are you to recommend this facility or service ....

I am sure we have all seen that question before from some service provider right ....

Apple one of the top NPS companies in the world only has a 65 NPS score

While in any business you have challenges with things that go wrong Safelite would not be able to attract and retain the glass services business of 34 of the top 36 insurance companies year after year if their warranty rates were any higher than any of the independents

Want to guess what Safelites score is .....over 88 NPS year over year .

Now this does not make things right for the folks that might have gotten a bad job done by Safelite , all I am trying to do is put things in perspective ..... there are plenty of mom and pop hacks out there that never even saw a corvette or a Porsche lol lol

Please before all the internet warriors with all their knowledge jump all over my post i encourage you to look up my facts , look up Apple , look up Safelite's NPS score , read about how a insurance contract is awarded before any nasty responses

 

Safelite did mine about a month ago. They do not offer mobile service for C7s
You have to go to their facility.

Most dealers in this area sublet glass to safelite, so they would have had to take it to Safelite.
AS an asdie, my insurance carrier does not approve any local GM dealers for glass work, so I would have to pay a differential if the body shop charged more than Safelite (and they do)
.
My insurance has glass coverage, so it was zero deductible.

Safelite did all the paperwork.

Took about 5 days for them to get the windshield and a bit over 2 hours to install it.

Yes, I got OEM HUD glass.

 

Hey, dcasole, thanks for all the info facts. I appreciate it, and I do my own due diligence by checking sources that I know of. Frankly, in addition to the NPS score that you mention many companies do recommend other companies that they have relationships with, and that can be good or bad. Human=potential for mistakes+enlightened self-interest.

Sometimes cost, contract, or referral fee outweighs information on hand by any company. Sometimes customer satisfaction surveys and focus groups reign supreme. Neither one is always used, not when it comes to business and you know that to be a fact.

As to bad businesses, be they large or mom-and-pop, being incapable of doing repeated good work but staying in business for a long time, it does happen. Maybe most folks aren't like you, but there are some businesses people won't go to and they have their reasons. Doesn't mean the business is going out of biz; doesn't mean it's a great biz either.

Thanks for the info though. I'm sure it's helpful to look up the numbers and learn more about it.

 

I am well aware they use Measurements when awarding contracts or renewing them. USAA dropped a body shop, that they highly recommend. It was on of the only ones where a USAA adjuster did not have to come out. Just take your car in, and the Body shop does it all. All you do is pay your deductible.

Thing is USAA had to many complaints about crappy workmanship. I know my wife's Range Rover, after four return trips was sent to another body shop. It was a very minor body work, just a front quarter panel, head light and some paint. The paint work sucked, the quarter panel did not line up. And the adaptive head light did not move.

I found out six months later they were no longer even an approved USAA repair facility.