OEM vs aftermarket glass ... are they really the same?

When I was exiting highway, a Bimmer sharply cut in in front of me, and that left about 7-mm rock chip right in the middle of the windshield. I have $50 deductible from GEICO, and the insurance company dispatched a technician from a local repair shop. She was telling me that even though she can *repair* it, the mark will be still there and I'd better replace it with the same deductible.

GEICO said they can replace it with after-market glass ( $460 ) or with OEM glass ( $1038 ) but then I will have to pay the difference ( $578 ). Both the glass shop and the insurance company say that two glasses are exactly same and the only difference is the logo on it. IS THIS TRUE? If so, I wouldn't mind going with after-market part.

In the UK it depends on your insurer IIRC. When I got a stone chip just off the line of sight of the driver I tried to claim for a new screen but the insurer claimed that it should be "repaired" first and if that didn't work then they would replace the screen - when I sold the car two years later the repair was still there and it cost me nothing for the repair. Often here the dealers will call in the screen specialists to do the job for them and you get the same warranty as if the dealers had done it themselves. Becareful that you remember to tell the screen specialist if you have solar reflective glass as an option, also if you have auto-on lights/ wipers and the heated front screen options as there are different screens for all these options here in the UK
As far as I am aware apart from the logo there is no difference between OEM and repair shop screens

Will both be made in the same Chinese factory.

(30-08-2014 05:45pm)Evoquer Wrote:  When I was exiting highway, a Beamer sharply cut in in front of me, and that left about 7-mm rock chip right in the middle of the windshield. I have $50 deductible from GEICO, and the insurance company dispatched a technician from a local repair shop. She was telling me that even though she can *repair* it, the mark will be still there and I'd better replace it with the same deductible.

GEICO said they can replace it with after-market glass ( $460 ) or with OEM glass ( $1038 ) but then I will have to pay the difference ( $578 ). Both the glass shop and the insurance company say that two glasses are exactly same and the only difference is the logo on it. IS THIS TRUE? If so, I wouldn't mind going with after-market part.

Geico uses glass that is distributed by a company they own and often installed by the chain of glass shops they own. Do a Google search for Geico glass repair to read customer feedback – much of it negative. That is why when you phone in the glass incident you are immediately directed to a connection for glass repair. In my past experience, not including my Evoque, non OEM glass was often thinner, distorted and poor fitting. In the case of our Evoques you have an infra-red coating on your windshield. Does the replacement windshield have this? The quality of work done by the repair shop is very important. Seldom does the dealership do it themselves, they contract it out. A poor installation can ruin a cars appearance. A "glass shop" once replaced a windshield on a previous car of mine,. When it leaked they took black sealant and in a very sloppy, heavy manner caulked the outside of the glass to stop the leak. It looked terrible, was dripped over the paint and done to a new car.

(31-08-2014 11:01am)Sarcastrix Wrote:  Will both be made in the same Chinese factory.

Dealer says it uses a local glass shop which uses Pilkington glass.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilkington Its HQs is in UK at least.

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(31-08-2014 06:44am)XFullFatTim Wrote:  As far as I am aware apart from the logo there is no difference between OEM and repair shop screens

(31-08-2014 03:43pm)mstraka Wrote:  non OEM glass was often thinner, distorted and poor fitting.

So what's the truth? I am still confused. Are they the same?

I've had my Freelander 2 heated windscreen replaced by Autoglass (on 2 separate ocassions) and apart from the badge it's identical to OEM glass.

(31-08-2014 03:56pm)Evoquer Wrote:  Dealer says it uses a local glass shop which uses Pilkington glass.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilkington Its HQs is in UK at least.

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So what's the truth? I am still confused. Are they the same?

I doubt the windshield comes from China. If not UK most parts outside of UK come from Europe, frequently Eastern Europe. Wherever it comes from if its OEM it meets Land Rover specs, even if it was manufactured in China. There is some very poor non-quality auto glass, not OEM. I'm insured by Geico. I had my rear window replaced by Geico (ex-wife's rage over my purchase of new 2013 Evoque.) At that time only OEM was available. Ask if Geico guarantees the quality of their aftermarket windsheid to be equal to the OEM part? In my experience Geico is a good insurance company focused on customer satisfaction. Geico glass or OEM? The decision is yours. The lizard seems to be trustworthy. Important is who does the replacement.

How do they ensure no damage is done to the bodywork e.g. bonnet, etc during a windscreen replacement? I've just had some bodywork done and if I had a new windscreen fitted, I'm scared they'll damage it somehow. Paranoid now!

The only way to know exactly if they are the same is to look at the approval number on the glass (for Europe it would be for example E11 43R-0001234) this number relates to the specific glass make up & the manufacturer, the Logos dont always tell the truth about who produced it as 1 glass maufacture can make glass under licence for another manufacturer then most of the rest of the marking on the glass is usually made up of logos for the type of glass, its application & details of the prodcution run, date etc.

The tickness combination of the windscreen can be different for differnt manufactures but its usually around 5 to 6mm nominal, it depends on what glass is used but at the end of the day as long as it is correctly marked all glass should at least meet the requirments of the standard it has been tested to so should be safe for use, if you think thinner glass is weaker then think again its not always the case as some WRC cars ive tested use 2.8mm thick windscreens which perform just as well as 6mm thick ones but save the teams 5kg+ on weight!

Oh by the way i test & approve windscreens for manufacturers all around the world.

Scott