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SUCK! Crack on my windshield!

Joined
28 April 2000
Messages
1,190
Location
SF Bay Area / Boston MA
I just got my NSX 3 weeks ago and a rock hit my windshield already! I worked all weekend and now this on a Monday morning! I wasn't even driving behind any trucks. The object hit the passenger side about 6 inches from the hood. The shatter is about the size of a nickel or quarter, but did not spider up the windshield. I'm sure its not fixable without replacing the entire windshield. Has anyone ever replaced their windshield before? What is involved and will insurance pay for this? How much will it cost me?
ARG! thanks.
 
You need to pull out your insurance policy and look to see if you are paying for "comprehensive" insurance that covers windshield replacement. If you have it, your cost will be minus some "deductible" cost that your poilcy will also state. The less your deductible cost, usually the more you are paying for this insurance. If you have further questions, just call your insurance compant and ask!! Best luck.
 
I have my windshield fixed numerous time on my previous car(probe GT) before I finally traded in. Anyhow, we have a windshield place called NOVUS that told me that they can fix dings & cracks on windshield upto a size of a half dollar(possibly more depending on location). Call around and ask different places to see if they repair dings/ cracks the size of whatever you have. However, if you get a "line crack", it may be too late to fix. Also, remember that variance in temperatures(ie: day & night) will cause the crack to propagate much faster due to the expansion of the glass at different temperatures.

Also, if you're claiming it on insurance, make sure that the fix for the ding/crack is a "windshield repair", and the insurance agency will usually pay for the fix(the cost was under $80/ each repair). Most windshield repair places have deals with insurance companies where you won't need to pay for any fix. Insurance companies would rather "eat" the $80 to fix, than pay more for it to replace later down the road. Let us know how it goes for you!
 
If you want to claim the windshield on your insurance, you should be carefull in selecting the proper words: If an object hits your windshield while it's in the air (ie, did not bounce off the road surface), the insurace company looks at this accident as a "comprehensive" with a small deductible. However, if the object falls off a truck, bounces off the road surface and then it hits your windshield, the insurance company will cionsider that as a "collision" with a higher deductible. I have learned this from experience. Good Luck.
 
Originally posted by Daria:
If you want to claim the windshield on your insurance, you should be carefull in selecting the proper words: If an object hits your windshield while it's in the air (ie, did not bounce off the road surface), the insurace company looks at this accident as a "comprehensive" with a small deductible. However, if the object falls off a truck, bounces off the road surface and then it hits your windshield, the insurance company will cionsider that as a "collision" with a higher deductible. I have learned this from experience. Good Luck.

This is not always true. A car in front of me kicked up a piece of tire tread that was in the road, and it damaged my hood. The insurance company covered it under the comprehensive part of my policy.
 
I am replacing my windshield here this coming Monday (tomorrow). I was quoted $1200 by Acura, who recommended I go somewhere else. And several local shops gave me quotes from 275 dollars all the way up to 1000 dollars. I read in the FAQ about the molding replacement, but 2 windshield companies said it wasnt needed. And the FAQ isnt very clear on this. Anyone want to warn me before I get a terrible thing done to my car?
 
Edo,
You are about to turn your NSX into a rolling death trap. There was a recent Dateline expose that focused on how 90% of the windshield replacements are done WRONG and are done in a way that generally compromises the entire structural rigidity of the A-Pillars. In the footage they showed, an improperly replaced windshield can pop out during a crash and allow the A-pillars to collapse all the way down to the dash. It is hard to believe that the windshield is such an integral structural member, but you should see the footage. It might even be on Dateline.MSNBC.com . In most cases the problems were with the nature and type of adhesive used and in others the way that the glass was prepared and handled prior to install. The installers are supposed to wear gloves and NEVER touch the edges of the glass with any part of their body. Suction cup glass handles are supposed to be all the touch the SURFACE of the glass, but most often oils from the skin of the installer or dirt from another part of their body (hips, legs, etc) make their way onto the edge of the glass and then the adhesive won't stick to it, causting the glass to pop out, or worse yet to shatter and fold back in on you.

If you do this, your life and your face better be worth the difference between $275 and $1,200. If you want to know why the dealer didn't want to do it, the answer is they don't want to be sued by you should you survive the accident and it was determined they did something wrong! I can pretty much bet you it will not be done right for $275. You need OEM quality glass too, don't settle for cheap replacements. This is as serious as it gets buddy. We want you around a long time.
smile.gif


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Gordon G. Miller, III
Y2K NSX #51 Yellow/Black

[This message has been edited by G-man (edited 18 June 2000).]
 
actually i would think that the acura dealers would not have much experience as a major auto glass chain would in the replacement of auto glass. I would also believe that the major auto glass chains would have the proper tools...i did not see the story on dateline...however i wonder if they pick the small places or "cheap brand" replacement stores. I would think something like safelite auto glass would be okay to go to.

I must however agree on the quality of the glass....your insurance company most likely will not pay for your ACURA windshielf..and will assure you that it is of the same quality....this was for one of my other cars...she even went so far to say that there are only three companies that make glass and they are all in the us.....i had to ask her how they built cars in japan do they get a shipment from the us to use in their car windows....and is that the same reason one of my glass windows says made in nippon.....of course no matter what i said they won't pay...so at first i settle for the crappy replacement glass...it was just pure shit quality...at certain angles you can see the uneveness in the glass making funky reflections......

so what i did was to buy an OEM windshield and have the auto glass store put it in for me.
 
Going back to what Daria said regarding the wording you use with your insurance company. Yes, it has happened to me too. My insurance company does not cover a broken windshield under comprehensive if you were driving the car when something hit your windshield. This is always treated as a "collision" and the appropriate deductible - which is normally higher than comprehensive - applies. The only sure way of having it covered under comprehensive is when you come out of your house in the morning and you find your broken windshield.
 
Hey G-Man, The Windshield company says the Windsield glas itself lists for $675 and is OEM glass. Of course Acura says that it is not "Acura" glass..which REALLY confuses me. The Auto glass company is a reputable company and has many many stores around the NW. I can only assume that they will do a god job. Now apart from the Glue not sticking due to oil on the edges, what about the molding? I keep hearing the "replace the molding" bit and I really dont understand what or why you would need to do such a thing.
The Acura dealer specifically told me that I would get as good or a better job by a auto glass company, and recommended I NOT get it done by them. I dont think it has anything to do with their being afraid of being liable for any mistakes made. After all, ANY windshield replaced will have the same problem if it is installed incorrectly yes?
 
Maybe what I think is "molding" is different that what the rest of the world considers to be molding. Are we talking about the stuff that is between the window and the INSIDE? or or the stuff that is outside the window and holds it in...
 
Originally posted by Edo:
Maybe what I think is "molding" is different that what the rest of the world considers to be molding. Are we talking about the stuff that is between the window and the INSIDE? or or the stuff that is outside the window and holds it in...

I'm referring to the rubber strip that goes across the top of the windshield.
 
I do not understand what you are referring to. I've never heard of someone charging $1000 for a new NSX windshield. Even if you use OEmparts and replace the top AND bottom molding with new clips AND the part that the glass rests against it wouldn't cost that much even if you are paying full retail price from an Acura dealer. And any aftermarket shop should be cheaper.

Please post your an itemized quote (with part numbers) and I'll look at it.
 
Originally posted by Lud:
I do not understand what you are referring to. I've never heard of someone charging $1000 for a new NSX windshield. Even if you use OEM parts and replace the top AND bottom molding with new clips AND the part that the glass rests against it wouldn't cost that much, even if you are paying full retail price from an Acura dealer. And any aftermarket shop should be cheaper.

Please post your an itemized quote (with part numbers) and I'll look at it.
 
Acura didnt give me parts numbers..
but the written quote says
"Est front windshield, parts and labor with Factory glass 1253.00"
and thats it...2 auto shops here quoted me over 900 dollars over the phone...
and the last one said 300...
makes no sense...and I am thinking that either A)Acura and the first two places are trying to screw me over, or b)The Cheap place doesnt know what they are getting in to...
 
The $1253 place probably just doesn't want the job so they are quoting higher than book cost.

The $900 places sound like they are in line with the actual cost of OEM parts and book labor.

The $300 place is probably either confused or using cheap aftermarket glass.

Full retail on the OEM glass is around $660 I as I recall but you can get it for more like $400-something from discounters.

You can get the job done with high-quality aftermarket glass (like PPG) for probably around $400 as well. Do not go for a lesser brand of glass... it will probably be distorted or more prone to cracking.

All the other associated parts (molding, clips, etc.) retail from Acura for maybe $200 or less.

Labor is 2.5 hours for the whole job by the book. An experienced glass shop can probably do it in less.
 
the 300 dollar glass shop showed me the quote. The Glass is 670 dollars retail for OEM glass. They said since insurance wont pay up for it, they will discount to something like 225, and 75 dollars for labor...
does that sound right?
 
That's bunch of BS!

Edo, the OEM glass retails for $671.65 and the wholesale price is around $503.74.
I don't know what kind of relationship he has with the Acura dealer but it would be impossible to obtain a glass under the wholesale price unless: 1. you are buying $20k or more from Acura 2. obtain the part from Tracy Townsend (nsx parts guy).

So to offer you the glass for $225 is out of the question unless he hit the lotto jackpot that day and decided to give you a $278.00 discount off the glass. But the labor seems right.

As for the moldings, there is the outer molding (the shiny black visible one) and the the inner faster (it's like a seal). You mihgt have to replace the inner seal when you replace windshield. But the outer molding only needs replacement when it's warped or damaged due to the weather.

For your reference:

Windshield 73111-SLO-A00 $671.75
Fastner(seal) 73152-SLO003 $67.80
Outer mldg 73151-SLO-003 $38.32
* I believe above info. is on FAQ as well.

I think you should consider getting the OEM glass rather than the after market ones.

[This message has been edited by Jay (edited 21 June 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Jay (edited 21 June 2000).]
 
Thanks all, I just had my windshield replaced by the "Cheap" place...the glass looks identical to the OEM glass..and has no visual flaws whatsoever. They did a really great job..and I have confidence in their work.
I guess if something bad comes up later I'll let you all know.
Thanks for all the help.
 
Appears I’m a little late on this topic, but I’ll comment anyways…it might help the next person.

A couple months ago I finally decided to replace my shrinking upper windshield molding. I ordered both the molding and the fastner that the molding snaps into. The installation was a major pain, and I actually gave up half way through. Why? Because I couldn’t get a third of the molding to snap into the fastner no matter how hard I tried. Therefore I took it to the closest windshield repair shop I found on yahoo.com. I figured they should have enough experience to easily install a windshield molding. (major mistake!)

Stopped by the shop and they said they could install it for $25. Fine…go for it! I leave the car there the rest of the afternoon and pick it up after work. The molding looked horrible, not only did it kind of have a ripple to it, the fastner part that hugs the roof was rather high, not flush with the roof. Looked like dirt would accumulate under the extra lipage. (is that a word?) He said, if he knew how hard it would be he would have charged me 3X as much. He admitted he wasn’t happy with the work. I asked him to seal the extra lipage down to prevent dirt accumulation…which he did and caused another problem by leaving a cement like glue on my paint. Anyway….needless to say, I left extremely disappointed. I didn’t want him to touch my car anymore.

Two days later I take a rock in the windshield and crack emerges. Dammit, what bad luck…I just spent over $100 (molding, fastner, and labor) getting the molding fixed and now I have to pay for it again. (actually a $250 deductible with insurance)

This time I go to the Acura dealer because I want it done right, yet I find out State Farm won’t pay the full amount if it’s done there. (Acura won’t give them a damn discount) Acura then tells me they don’t actually do the work, an outside windshield guy comes in and does it himself. I, wanting an experienced person to do the install, ask for the guys name and number. Acura actually complied, and I call the guy to set up an appointment. He mentions that it will take a certain period of time to get the parts through Acura, and I say, call Tracy at Gunn Acura in Texas and he can get them quicker and cheaper. The windshield guy complied and was shocked that with his discount he pays more to Acura then what Tracy charges.

Anyway…to make a long story a little shorter…the work was done very well by the “professional” with OEM parts. The other guy (1st time around) scared the hell out of me.
 
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