I 2 day old Nissan Titan, just got hit with a huge rock that put a 12" crack in the front windshield. Are some windshields better than others? I have an appointment with Safelite tomorrow and the make their own windshields, but being **** I want the best. They will gladly order a OEM Nissan windshield, but it'll be a hefty price. Educate me please!

 

No. Get PPG.

 

OEM, PPG, or Safelite are all good glass. Safelite is actually an OEM supplier for some domestic car makers, IIRC.

don't touch the $150 cheapo windshields.

 

Didn't realize Safelite made glass too. I thought they were just a repair chain...

 

The cheaper ones tend to have more distortion. I had my windshield changed a while back, and the first one they put in was pretty bad. They put in a better one about week later.

 

The guy that replaced a previous windshield told me that they used to use Safelite, but had problems with their fitment sometimes so they went with PPG and have had no problems since. Keep the info coming. I have a few more hours to change the appointment.

P.S. You guys are awesome. Their is no other board like this. When anyone needs an answer, people step up to answer your questions quickly and eagerly. The Titan board isn't nearly as reponsive.

 

my windshield was kicked in and was replaced with the cheapo 150 windshield.

too much distortion and pure crap. Gets me mad when i cant see anything with all the distortion

 

Just got a new windshield put in today... It's ppg glass but it was $240 installed so it was like $150-160 for the glass... but I'm not seeing the distortion everyone is talking bout...

Also the guys who put it in said it was ready to drive in an hour... if I drive it tonight(I was told by who works at a body shop it should at least sit for like 24-48 hours...its been 3-4hours) will it mess up the seal in anyway? or make it weaker.. or not last as long or something?

 

From my experience, I would let it sit overnight and cure. Well, I did some research and it appears that PPG and Safelite are the big boys on the block for windshields. PPG seems to have better quality control. I found a website that tells you everything you need to know about windshield replacement. I had no idea how important the installation is. If it's not properly installed, your airbag will punch it out and will render the bag useless. The National Glass association certifies technicians for installing windshields. They had a list of shops that have certified techs. The shop I called charges $349. While that's alot more expensive than the $200 that Safelite charges, I found this shop to be more professional. Their techs are not paid by the job, but rather paid by the hour. They have 401k plans, and the company pays 50% of the employees medical. When I called 4 different shops, they had no idea what glass they use. www.bannerglass.com immediately said PPG. She informed me that Safelite glass sometimes has distortion and doesn't fit correctly. All the other shops said that they use my existing molding. bannerglass said immediately without asking that they will be buying another molding from Nissan to prevent any leakage. They also informed me that they will be using the manufacturers recommended adhesive compound to reattach the windshield. I don't have NGA's web address here at home, but they have an entire list of questions that you should ask your window repair shop and using the proper adhesive is one of the many questions. I really enjoyed talking with them and it made me feel much better. On a side note, while at the Nissan dealership today I found out they use bannerglass for their vehicle glass repairs.

 

http://www.glass.org/consumer/overview.htm