Ok I am not as knowledgeable as you but 2 companies mentioned the part number quoted by safelite staring with DW is aftermarket which is equivalent to OEM

I called my dealer and they mentioned OEM part number is 84120742 and I will stick to that

furthermore never got a email quote from safelite after several requests which did not make me comfortable
.they said install will take 4-5 hours as its complex and I think they are more suited to handle regular cars like honda, Toyota etc. Just my 2 cents

 

Just for your benefit and others ... The DW0XXXX designation is not considered aftermaket it is the last digits of that designation which would be GTY or GTYOEM
And I could also tell you the number of Corvette Installs that we do each and every day and I am confident that it is way more than then "Local" Guy down the street so this makes them way more qualified as witnessed by the many who have had them install a glass .The only reason Safelite told you that it is a "Complex Install" is they are use to the typical Corvette owner so special care is taken when working on one .

Did your installer inform you if what Urethane they are using and what the Safe Drive Away time is going to be ? Are they going to handset the glass or use a ONE TECH which mimics the factory robotic setting tool ? Also ask them what they are using to trim the factory urethane ? Do they "shoot " the glass or shoot the pinch weld...

These are the reasons why one company might be cheaper than another ..... Dont kid yourself there is a difference ...........

Dave

 

The OEM windshield can be purchased for $575 I know because I purchased 2 of them. I had them installed by a auto glass co for $300 ea.. One installed on my Vette and the other on a friends Vette.

 

Pricing will vary from Dealer to Dealer as several manufacturers are now only publishing "Suggested " list price and are no longer requiring dealers to adhere to this standard anymore

Just to clarify what OEM and OE means
AGC Glass Corp makes all the glass for a C7
OEM -inorder for it to qualify for the OEM disignation the glass must include the GM logo in the "BUG" located in the lower corner of the glass
OE - "Original Equipment " This could be the same glass made by AGC but does not have the GM logo . This glass is the same like and quality of the OEM but is much cheaper becaue you are no longer paying for those two little letters in the bottom corner . If you ask for an OE glass and also ask for AGC , I can assure you it will be the same as the OEM

Also in the OE arena is other top tier OEM suppliers such as PILKINGTON and FYG glass . The quality and standards are held to the same high standard as the OEM and if you were to purchase one you would not be disappointed

OEE - Orginal Equipment Equivalent- and then you have the OEE parts orginal equipment equivalent, again these parts for the most part are fine... but there are some manufacturers in this area you want to avoid like the plague . BENSON, XYG, CRIMINEX are just a few

In closing , one other myth i would like to dispell is
Laminated windshield GLASS is glass , one brand is not harder than the next brand , one is not better than others at resisting pitting. Pitting is caused by the aerodynamics of the car

and if you buy an OEM , OE and most OEE the shade/tint will be the same color and same quality
ALL GLASS OEM, OE and OEE is held to the same strick DOT standards for breakage .....

Dave

 

Thank you for the detailed explanation but I do want to ask why the shop can install the part # starting with DW for 150 bucks less if it's the same as OEM?

Secondly is it safe to drive the car with cracked windshield till I get it fixed, what if the crack expands ?

 

Boss , I can't tell u why a shop prices like they price, I can only tell you that an OEM part number and DWXXXXX GTYOEM are the same part

And yes it is perfectly fine and safe to drive the car with the crack , even if the crack expands . A windshield is actually two peices of glass bonded together by a PVB interlayer . This PVB and two layer construction is why its called laminated safety glass

Good luck with your install
Dave

 

Thank you Dave, I trust you but with my limited knowledge on windshield repair, this is my 1st one in 20 yrs , been lucky so far when 2 shops mentioned part number starting with DW is aftermarket I was startled that safelite can quote me an aftermarket as OEM and I didnt believe it at first.

Another question is there any chance glass can enter the car when they take off the old windshield and I am paranoid about it.

Thanks again

 

Your concerns glass fragments are valid and one again I cannot speak to the installation abilities of the shop you chose

A competent company would use a wire device to remove the glass and if so there is not chance that the glass will break up at removal

Dave

 

I had the worst experience with Safelight, I wouldn't let the touch my car again. Ever.

I had a big rock hit dead center and left a big deep chip mark.

My insurance company directed me to Safelight where they would try a 'repair' first. Being that was the first step, I was game. I took it in and the repair turned out better than i thought but even the technician said it wasn't great. "Drive it for a couple months (within their warranty time) and we will replace the windshield, that way you can still drive it and if you catch another rock it would still be covered under the original warranty".

So two months later i call and take it in and they tell me they need to order the windshield in, and that should be about one week.

Next phone call is from the insurance saying that they won't allow (pay) for the replacement because the people at Safelight said their repair was 'acceptable'?

I emailed three pictures of the repair to the insurance and they called right back and said it's getting replaced. I inquired about going somewhere else but was told that since I went there that it would have to go back to them or I would have to pay any difference.

Next call to Safelight. They tell me they have to order the new windshield and it will take a week. I was told they would call and setup the install after the aftermarket unit arrived. I wanted OEM glass and was told it was the same. I asked for the DOT certification as the windshield is part of the safety features I wanted to make sure I wasn't compromising the safety of me or any other occupants. After that they told me it would be at least two weeks to get an OEM piece, and the aftermarket they could now provide in a couple days not a week. I told them I would wait for the correct OEM windshield.

After a little over two weeks I get a call that the OEM unit came in and was defective, but the aftermarket unit was still an option. I told them I would wait so they ordered another OEM windshield.

Anither two plus weeks later I get a call the new OEM unit is in and an install appointment was made.

I take it in and waited till it was replaced. It started raining by the time they were done so I did a quick inspection jumped in and left. When I got home I parked in the garage and everything seemed cool.

I didn't drive it for a couple weeks as winter had started and temperatures were not condusive for my summer only tires on my GS.

Then, there was one nice day so I decide to drive the Vette. I uncovered it and started wiping it down when I saw a defect in the windshield barely visible but it looks like something funky apparently in the HUD coating and is only noticeable at a couple angles.

After making me wait for over a month, they installed the defective windshield anyway.

I didnt even call them back.

I know companies like this make money on volume, but this is my dream car. I didnt like the attitude of the girl at the call center, and they would probably want to replace it with their aftermarket windshield. I didnt call because I could tell that I would start cussing at somebody who doesn't give a **** about me or how this whole thing was going.

I have been at cars and coffee and a couple people have noticed it so they got the whole story and how shitty Safelight treated me.

I won't go back to them again. Ever.

 

Unfortunately I’ve had two windshields replaced. My dealer, Suburban Chevrolet in Sandy Oregon uses a local glass shop who has replaced a few dozen C7 windshields. I decided to go through the dealer instead of dealing direct with the auto glass shop because if something had gone wrong it’s between the dealer and the glass shop to work it out. Given the dealer has far more leverage then I would have.

Just be sure who ever you use has a replaced a couple of C7 windshields because there is a lot to it. I know I watched him take a whole lots of parts off the car in order to get the windshield out.

 

You know , a company will never hear from 10,000 customers a day that get work done and get great service but you will always hear from the 10 on a public forum that did not and while we strive to please EVERYBODY some times we do encounter an issue ……

But I do want to correct some of the statements you made below where I feel you are placing blame on Safelite unfairly

We do want to know when someone is unhappy and we survey every customer , Just to let you know Safelite has a 88.9 % NET PROMOTER SCORE and if you look this up it is world class , we do try to please EVERY CUSTOMER but if you make no attempt to tell us then whos fault is it …….

When you do 10,000 jobs across the US things are bound to happen , its how they are rectified that makes a company go GOOD TO GREAT

Kehraus , this is no excuse but I feel I need to set the record straight a bit …. the insurance company was blaming Safelite unfairly because of their unwillingness to pay for a new glass because you were not happy with the repair ,
Safelite refunds the insurance company ANY and ALL monies paid when a customer is not happy with a repair or applies the credit to the new glass installation price

Again , this is your insurance company telling you this and NOT Safelite , you can take your car ANYWHERE you want to get replaced but just remember if the repair cost is more than what is fair and acceptable price you will be responsible for the difference

And this is normal …….

and this happens …. it is glass after all ...
As you yourself said , the defect was barely visible so you post on this FORUM that SAFELITE installed a defective glass anyway ??? you think they did this on purpose … I can asure they did not . there are defects in the glass that sometimes are impossible to see unless you are looking at them a certain angle ...

.
So again , if Safelite has no idea you are not happy exactly how should they know , and again I ask , do you really believe in your heart that they actually said , oh hell its defective , we are going to install it anyway …. you are sadly wrong
And another little known fact , I could take you on any car dealer of your choosing , and out of 20 cars we look at I will find at least 15 with a defect in their glass , there IS NO SUCH THING as a perfect piece of BENT glass

.

You are making all these assumptions without even give them the chance to make it right ...

I think most of your anger should have been directed to your insurance company …. and you also did NOTHING to try and rectify the situation with the defective glass situation

You don't have to use Safelite and that's fine , but I just felt the need to clear the air a little bit , this is why I try to stay away from these posts when it comes to windshield replacement there are a lot of uninformed customers because as stated above , you only get one replaced once in every 7 or more years

Dave

 

Don't you have full glass replacement coverage?

 

Hey I had my windshield replaced 2 times by Safe-lite. The replacement OEM glass from GM had bear claw marks on it and didn't see it until about 3 weeks after the install. I had NO issues with Safe-lite, they kept their word on workmanship and materials. The glass was defective from GM and they replaced at no cost to me. So please check your OEM glass before you drive off, I have had issues with GM parts lately. I have had issues with carpet and glass very recently.

I think the glass was scratched right when it came off the assembly line when hot, when I got the scratches wet it would vanish, then come back after the water evaporated.

Good luck!

 

Thank You JOevette , like I said sometimes stuff happens in this businesses because we are dealing with GLASS and its how the problem is handle...
Sometimes there are more problems with OEM from a dealer because its being handled by people that are not used to how delicate it is

Dave

 

Got the windshield changed and everything went smooth, the installer did not put a tape saying its not required in these cars and googling shows the tape helps in drying the urethane faster ? Is that fact? The tape is supposed to be for 24hrs anyways

 

The internet is full of urban legend lol

Tape has nothing at all to do with curing the urethane , urethane is moisture cured and cure time is dependant upon the humidity in the air

This is known as the safe driveway time

Tape just holds windshield in place while curing and if the car is not moved before the urethane reaches full green strength no tape is needed

Dave

 

Cool , glad you replied, therefore should be fine

I did ask the installer about using blue tape and he said not required.

 

I've had 4 Corvettes' windshields replaced (C4, C5 and 2 C7's) and used SafeLite for everyone. Just specify OEM glass and I've never had an issue

 

That's what I expect from Safelite and did you check you got OEM windshield ?

 

Yup, each time and never had to ask twice