f1racer328
Full Access Member
I had my dealership replace mine (All OEM parts obviously, still heated)
Insurance paid for it (I have glass coverage with them)
Insurance paid for it (I have glass coverage with them)
LR4 windshield replacement
- Thread starter Troy A
- Start date
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I was told there there are 2 Pilkington windshield models...OEM which you can not get and is only installed on a new vehicle, and a second model that is the replacement version. I'm on Pilkington replacement windshield #3. Always use new trim clips as noted above. I also replaced the warped and faded cowl when having windshield #2 installed. By #3 I had to replace the A pillar trim on both sides as it would not form a tight seal against the windshield and was making a howling noise at 70 mph & up.
umbertob
Full Access Member
I think that you'll find most insurance companies will be less and less inclined to replace a broken windshield with the genuine article - a Land Rover branded Pilkington glass - as your vehicle ages and depreciates. I had two of them replaced through my insurance on the LR4, the first one (car was just over a year old) was a Pilkington, no questions asked and that's what the installer hired by the insurance brought along with all the pillar clips. The second time was 3 years ago, and although the claim process was exactly the same, the installer showed up with an aftermarket "Trust me, it's the same thing" windshield, and also "forgot" the clips. I sent him back and got on the phone with the insurance adjustor. It took a bit of convincing but eventually they agreed to send an OEM windshield again, with a better installer equipped with clips and everything else he needed. If I had to replace it again today (car is 7 years old), I don't think I would talk them into another OEM glass anymore, I'd get a cheaper aftermarket unit. It kind of makes sense from an insurance company perspective, I guess.
Troy A
Full Access Member
Found another one too: https://www.landroverworld.org/threads/windshield.29046/
Should have done my original search on the computer and not through Tapatalk.
Tapps33
Full Access Member
I have had my LR4 for 10 years now, and had 2 LR3's before that. I never had any issues replacing my glass on the LR3, but the LR4 was a different story.
Let me preface this with the fact that my insurance paid for all but a $100 co-pay.
Safelite did the install, and even though I requested OEM glass, they showed up with a "perfect match....from China." While the glass looked great and fit fine, the auto sensing wipers didn't function. Safelite sent a guy out to put a new pad on the sensor....didn't fix it. Then they ordered a new sensor....didn't fix it. Then they sent someone out to install the Pilkinton glass...non-LR stamped version....still didn't fix it. Finally after over 6 months of back and forth, they brought out the LR OEM glass, and what do ya know, the rain sensor has worked fine ever since.
It could be something finicky with my particular LR4 since it was one of the first 2010's, but after talking to the Safelite manager.....that's right, he came out for the last 2 installs, he mentioned that he's run into a lot of issues with some manufactures, especially Mercedes and Lexus, where OEM glass is all that will work. My LR4 was the first he'd personally seen, but he said he had done a little research before installing the OEM glass, and other Safelites around the US had intermittent issues with LR4 glass.
In my opinion, glass is glass.....but evidently not all glass is the same! For me it'll ALWAYS be OEM glass.....if my insurance will cover it that is. ;-)
Oh, and I'll dog pile on replacing the clips every time! I almost lost my plastics in the middle of the desert because of a cross wind!
Let me preface this with the fact that my insurance paid for all but a $100 co-pay.
Safelite did the install, and even though I requested OEM glass, they showed up with a "perfect match....from China." While the glass looked great and fit fine, the auto sensing wipers didn't function. Safelite sent a guy out to put a new pad on the sensor....didn't fix it. Then they ordered a new sensor....didn't fix it. Then they sent someone out to install the Pilkinton glass...non-LR stamped version....still didn't fix it. Finally after over 6 months of back and forth, they brought out the LR OEM glass, and what do ya know, the rain sensor has worked fine ever since.
It could be something finicky with my particular LR4 since it was one of the first 2010's, but after talking to the Safelite manager.....that's right, he came out for the last 2 installs, he mentioned that he's run into a lot of issues with some manufactures, especially Mercedes and Lexus, where OEM glass is all that will work. My LR4 was the first he'd personally seen, but he said he had done a little research before installing the OEM glass, and other Safelites around the US had intermittent issues with LR4 glass.
In my opinion, glass is glass.....but evidently not all glass is the same! For me it'll ALWAYS be OEM glass.....if my insurance will cover it that is. ;-)
Oh, and I'll dog pile on replacing the clips every time! I almost lost my plastics in the middle of the desert because of a cross wind!
Troy A
Full Access Member
Thanks to all of you, I know much more than I care to know about windshields. Thanks.
So yes, apparently there is Land-rover logo'ed Pilkington glass and there is Pilkington (no LR logo) glass, and then there are a raft of other non-Pilkington sources.
My insurance covers this 100% including OEM parts. Thank you AAA and comprehensive coverage.
Apparently thanks to COVID, there is a global shortage of replacement LR-logo Pilkington windshields in the dealer parts network. Those ones are about $1070 USD with a $350 install charge from the dealer - all in with taxes would be about $1600ish.
Apparently the non-logo'ed Pilkington is NOT supply constrained but I'm confirming that and a price tomorrow.
I used Yelp initially and had it send requests for quotes to 5 local shops. The prices ranged from $260 all in (!) to $500 all-in. It was only when I started asking them about Pilkington and OEM that the prices went up 300%+.
Clearly it sounds from all the prior discussion and the other links we referenced that there are many "very close" versions but that the tint or something throws off the rain sensors so I'm going to go with what I have today which is a non-logoed Pilkington (clearly it was replaced before I bought it.)
I'm in violent agreement with all of you who say that the wavy element lines in the heated versions of these windows are visually distracting. I HATE mine so I will opt for the one without the heating element.
So I'm not there yet but am a lot closer. Also funny story. When Yelp sent out my "Request for quote" to 5 different auto glass shops, every one of them called the same parts guy at the Local LR dealer so by the time I called him to ask for a part for my VIN, he was like "WHY IS EVERYBODY CALLING ABOUT THIS TRUCK?" Anyway, he was the guy who said that there is a national backlog of orders so if I wanted an OEM window I should put the money down and "get in line."
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
So yes, apparently there is Land-rover logo'ed Pilkington glass and there is Pilkington (no LR logo) glass, and then there are a raft of other non-Pilkington sources.
My insurance covers this 100% including OEM parts. Thank you AAA and comprehensive coverage.
Apparently thanks to COVID, there is a global shortage of replacement LR-logo Pilkington windshields in the dealer parts network. Those ones are about $1070 USD with a $350 install charge from the dealer - all in with taxes would be about $1600ish.
Apparently the non-logo'ed Pilkington is NOT supply constrained but I'm confirming that and a price tomorrow.
I used Yelp initially and had it send requests for quotes to 5 local shops. The prices ranged from $260 all in (!) to $500 all-in. It was only when I started asking them about Pilkington and OEM that the prices went up 300%+.
Clearly it sounds from all the prior discussion and the other links we referenced that there are many "very close" versions but that the tint or something throws off the rain sensors so I'm going to go with what I have today which is a non-logoed Pilkington (clearly it was replaced before I bought it.)
I'm in violent agreement with all of you who say that the wavy element lines in the heated versions of these windows are visually distracting. I HATE mine so I will opt for the one without the heating element.
So I'm not there yet but am a lot closer. Also funny story. When Yelp sent out my "Request for quote" to 5 different auto glass shops, every one of them called the same parts guy at the Local LR dealer so by the time I called him to ask for a part for my VIN, he was like "WHY IS EVERYBODY CALLING ABOUT THIS TRUCK?" Anyway, he was the guy who said that there is a national backlog of orders so if I wanted an OEM window I should put the money down and "get in line."
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
@Tapps33 nailed it in his post above.
We replaced our windshield just after we purchased our LR4 a little while back, and the company (higher end, non-Landy dealership) that sold it to us had originally hired Safelite to replace the windshield/windscreen prior to the LR4 being listed for sale. I don't know what issue the previous windshield had, but the dealer deemed it worth replacing before offering for sale.
During our 7 Day "Try It Out" period, we took it in to Jag/LR, Newport Beach (who are amazing, I'll add... best dealership experiences we've ever had anywhere) here in SoCal for a thorough pre-purchase inspection for any issues, which they do not charge anything for, by the way. Their guy who does all windshield replacements (a 3rd Party specialist they hire in who does phenomenal work; a detail oriented, good man) happened to be there, walking past, and noticed our windshield just looked... "off", so he took a closer look.
Quick backstory interjection... prior, I'd noticed that the windshield cowl had a jagged edge and was not sealed flush to the windshield. I'd planned to buy a new cowl and install it myself, thinking it was simply just old and slightly warped from the heat, as our LR4 has always been Southwest owned in Calif and Arizona. In hindsight, I should have taken the cowl condition as a cue to look closer at the windshield...
Upon further inspection, it turns out that the windshield was nearly 1.2" too low, and the jagged cowl was not warped all, but had actually been straight up cut away with a box cutter-like tool, then the wrong windshield was slapped into place. We have the Climate Package with heated windshield for melting frost/snow on cold mornings in the California mountain highlands where we live. The replacement was a Fuyao "direct replacement" piece of junk from China that had no heating element wires and was the wrong size to boot, hence sitting too low.
Soooo... some Safelite tech decided to cut (aka, damage) the cowl rather than take off 3 bolts to remove it properly, ignored the heating element feature/connectors entirely, then installed the wrong windshield 1.2" too low. I mean... really? lol
So we took these findings to the seller/dealer and said, (paraphrased) "hi there, we'd like this windshield to be installed properly, an uncut replacement cowl so that the engine compartment isn't exposed to the elements, and the proper windshield part so that the Climate Package, that was noted in our purchase paperwork, works as designed."
The seller was very understanding and apologized for the problem, saying they would certainly take care of it for us. I mean, we get it... in a normal situation, if they (dealer) had purchased the vehicle with the windshield already in this condition, then we are out of luck... as-is sale and all. But in this case, they'd hired someone to replace it after they purchased the vehicle, so were reasonably liable to remedy it. They didn't have a problem with that logic either.
After a couple days and some phone/email tag, we got a call from Safelite's main office; they apologized 100%, were very friendly and professional, and wanted to have a chance to take care of it. Can't fault them at all on their customer service or desire to make it right. They seem like good enough people, but the problem though... our trust that Safelite would do the work well was pretty much zero. The reason all of us were in this position was because of their shoddy/hurried work to begin with. lol
Now they want to do an even more involved job to rectify their first go at it? Now the cowl has to be replaced, the proper windshield needs to be installed with no reference point for the next tech of correct height placement, as well as hooked up (which requires removing the front interior pillar panels). Does their tech know we have rain sensors? Has the tech ever hooked up a heated windshield before? Etc, etc...
It's not like we didn't like Safelite or anything, they were super friendly, and frankly, we weren't even mad about the whole thing, but we just wanted it done right. The JLR Newport windshield guy has been doing Landy windshields for over 20 years. Who would you choose?
At first, the seller/dealer balked at us wanting the replacement done by JLR Newport because, understandably, the Safelite work was warrantied for repairs and adjustment (i.e. FREE to them. lol) This wasn't going to be a cheap fix. A factory Pilkington heated windshield is about $900, the cowl is about $120, plus the install kit fittings, freight shipping the windshield, taxes, and labor. All in, roughly a $1600 job. In contrast, Safelite initially put in a $250 Fuyao, probably charged $100 bucks to install it, and called it a day. How's that saying go.... "the cheap comes out expensive."
In any case, we insisted on wanting the repair and re-installation to be done by JLR, to which the seller/dealer said roughly, "well, Safelite needs to have a chance to fix it per the warranty, then if it still isn't right, you can take it to the JLR dealership." It was frustrating to hear, but hey, insurance and warranty work goes that way sometimes.
I spoke with our service advisor, Armando, at JLR Newport, and he really went to bat with me to get the repair done right at JLR. We took pictures of a properly installed windshield on a white LR4 they happened to have in the shop at the time, the cowl damage vs a non-damaged cowl, and so forth.
I did a bit of research and spoke with some of the LR techs about all that was involved, and then wrote an email to the seller detailing all of the work that would need to be done to fix Safelite's previous foul up.
In short, I told them we had no trust in Safelite to do the work right and that they were taking a chance that Safelite might do even more damage since now they'd need to get into the interior pillars, under the hood to replace the cowl, hook up wiring, etc.
I think that got the message home to them.
They were running the risk that JLR would have to potentially fix further items and the costs would be even higher in the end.
Got an email response the next day from the seller/warranty company saying to go ahead and take it JLR, not Safelite, and noted in our account that the work would be approved.
I'll add, when at last we took it in for the correct windshield replacement, the JLR windshield guy pointed out to me that Safelite had also gouged the heck out of our roof line just under the rubber seal... a 5 inch long gash down to the metal. Arguably, we could have asked for that to be fixed as well, but that would require paint matching the whole roof and a big headache, I'm sure. I just didn't want it to become a rust problem mainly. Otherwise, it's covered up visually. He assured me that he would fill it in for rust proofing and would cover over with the windshield sealing.
Picked it up later and it looked IMMACULATE. New cowl, amazing seal work, perfect fitment, Land Rover logo'd Pilkington heated windshield, can actually read the VIN# now...
Here are some pics from when we were making the case for repairs at JLR.
The properly installed comparison windshield (white LR4) is on the left, our Safelite'd windshield (black) on the right:
We replaced our windshield just after we purchased our LR4 a little while back, and the company (higher end, non-Landy dealership) that sold it to us had originally hired Safelite to replace the windshield/windscreen prior to the LR4 being listed for sale. I don't know what issue the previous windshield had, but the dealer deemed it worth replacing before offering for sale.
During our 7 Day "Try It Out" period, we took it in to Jag/LR, Newport Beach (who are amazing, I'll add... best dealership experiences we've ever had anywhere) here in SoCal for a thorough pre-purchase inspection for any issues, which they do not charge anything for, by the way. Their guy who does all windshield replacements (a 3rd Party specialist they hire in who does phenomenal work; a detail oriented, good man) happened to be there, walking past, and noticed our windshield just looked... "off", so he took a closer look.
Quick backstory interjection... prior, I'd noticed that the windshield cowl had a jagged edge and was not sealed flush to the windshield. I'd planned to buy a new cowl and install it myself, thinking it was simply just old and slightly warped from the heat, as our LR4 has always been Southwest owned in Calif and Arizona. In hindsight, I should have taken the cowl condition as a cue to look closer at the windshield...
Upon further inspection, it turns out that the windshield was nearly 1.2" too low, and the jagged cowl was not warped all, but had actually been straight up cut away with a box cutter-like tool, then the wrong windshield was slapped into place. We have the Climate Package with heated windshield for melting frost/snow on cold mornings in the California mountain highlands where we live. The replacement was a Fuyao "direct replacement" piece of junk from China that had no heating element wires and was the wrong size to boot, hence sitting too low.
Soooo... some Safelite tech decided to cut (aka, damage) the cowl rather than take off 3 bolts to remove it properly, ignored the heating element feature/connectors entirely, then installed the wrong windshield 1.2" too low. I mean... really? lol
So we took these findings to the seller/dealer and said, (paraphrased) "hi there, we'd like this windshield to be installed properly, an uncut replacement cowl so that the engine compartment isn't exposed to the elements, and the proper windshield part so that the Climate Package, that was noted in our purchase paperwork, works as designed."
The seller was very understanding and apologized for the problem, saying they would certainly take care of it for us. I mean, we get it... in a normal situation, if they (dealer) had purchased the vehicle with the windshield already in this condition, then we are out of luck... as-is sale and all. But in this case, they'd hired someone to replace it after they purchased the vehicle, so were reasonably liable to remedy it. They didn't have a problem with that logic either.
After a couple days and some phone/email tag, we got a call from Safelite's main office; they apologized 100%, were very friendly and professional, and wanted to have a chance to take care of it. Can't fault them at all on their customer service or desire to make it right. They seem like good enough people, but the problem though... our trust that Safelite would do the work well was pretty much zero. The reason all of us were in this position was because of their shoddy/hurried work to begin with. lol
Now they want to do an even more involved job to rectify their first go at it? Now the cowl has to be replaced, the proper windshield needs to be installed with no reference point for the next tech of correct height placement, as well as hooked up (which requires removing the front interior pillar panels). Does their tech know we have rain sensors? Has the tech ever hooked up a heated windshield before? Etc, etc...
It's not like we didn't like Safelite or anything, they were super friendly, and frankly, we weren't even mad about the whole thing, but we just wanted it done right. The JLR Newport windshield guy has been doing Landy windshields for over 20 years. Who would you choose?
At first, the seller/dealer balked at us wanting the replacement done by JLR Newport because, understandably, the Safelite work was warrantied for repairs and adjustment (i.e. FREE to them. lol) This wasn't going to be a cheap fix. A factory Pilkington heated windshield is about $900, the cowl is about $120, plus the install kit fittings, freight shipping the windshield, taxes, and labor. All in, roughly a $1600 job. In contrast, Safelite initially put in a $250 Fuyao, probably charged $100 bucks to install it, and called it a day. How's that saying go.... "the cheap comes out expensive."
In any case, we insisted on wanting the repair and re-installation to be done by JLR, to which the seller/dealer said roughly, "well, Safelite needs to have a chance to fix it per the warranty, then if it still isn't right, you can take it to the JLR dealership." It was frustrating to hear, but hey, insurance and warranty work goes that way sometimes.
I spoke with our service advisor, Armando, at JLR Newport, and he really went to bat with me to get the repair done right at JLR. We took pictures of a properly installed windshield on a white LR4 they happened to have in the shop at the time, the cowl damage vs a non-damaged cowl, and so forth.
I did a bit of research and spoke with some of the LR techs about all that was involved, and then wrote an email to the seller detailing all of the work that would need to be done to fix Safelite's previous foul up.
In short, I told them we had no trust in Safelite to do the work right and that they were taking a chance that Safelite might do even more damage since now they'd need to get into the interior pillars, under the hood to replace the cowl, hook up wiring, etc.
I think that got the message home to them.
They were running the risk that JLR would have to potentially fix further items and the costs would be even higher in the end.
Got an email response the next day from the seller/warranty company saying to go ahead and take it JLR, not Safelite, and noted in our account that the work would be approved.
I'll add, when at last we took it in for the correct windshield replacement, the JLR windshield guy pointed out to me that Safelite had also gouged the heck out of our roof line just under the rubber seal... a 5 inch long gash down to the metal. Arguably, we could have asked for that to be fixed as well, but that would require paint matching the whole roof and a big headache, I'm sure. I just didn't want it to become a rust problem mainly. Otherwise, it's covered up visually. He assured me that he would fill it in for rust proofing and would cover over with the windshield sealing.
Picked it up later and it looked IMMACULATE. New cowl, amazing seal work, perfect fitment, Land Rover logo'd Pilkington heated windshield, can actually read the VIN# now...
Here are some pics from when we were making the case for repairs at JLR.
The properly installed comparison windshield (white LR4) is on the left, our Safelite'd windshield (black) on the right:
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FWIW, with the OEM windshield, I always thought the rain sensing wipers swiped too frequently, even when set to "Min". Somehow the Pilkington replacement windshield corrected this so now there is a greater time interval between the "Min" & "Max" rain sensing settings. Apparently your results may vary based on windshield.
Troy A
Full Access Member
Wow, thanks for this incredible detail. What a nightmare!! You all blow me away. I'm so thankful to be part of this crew. Now you have me wondering if my last windshield was ever installed correctly...it did have some whistling... At this point, I'm starting to think I should just take it to the dealer and bypass these other local shops. Insurance is covering full OEM replacement. Probably means waiting for a few months until I can get one through the current COVID-delayed supply chain. Will know more today if I can get one of the non-LR-logoed Pilkingtons sooner.@Tapps33 nailed it in his post above.
We replaced our windshield just after we purchased our LR4 a little while back, and the company (higher end, non-Landy dealership) that sold it to us had originally hired Safelite to replace the windshield/windscreen prior to the LR4 being listed for sale. I don't know what issue the previous windshield had, but the dealer deemed it worth replacing before offering for sale.
During our 7 Day "Try It Out" period, we took it in to Jag/LR, Newport Beach (who are amazing, I'll add... best dealership experiences we've ever had anywhere) here in SoCal for a thorough pre-purchase inspection for any issues, which they do not charge anything for, by the way. Their guy who does all windshield replacements (a 3rd Party specialist they hire in who does phenomenal work; a detail oriented, good man) happened to be there, walking past, and noticed our windshield just looked... "off", so he took a closer look.
Quick backstory interjection... prior, I'd noticed that the windshield cowl had a jagged edge and was not sealed flush to the windshield. I'd planned to buy a new cowl and install it myself, thinking it was simply just old and slightly warped from the heat, as our LR4 has always been Southwest owned in Calif and Arizona. In hindsight, I should have taken the cowl condition as a cue to look closer at the windshield...
Upon further inspection, it turns out that the windshield was nearly 1.2" too low, and the jagged cowl was not warped all, but had actually been straight up cut away with a box cutter-like tool, then the wrong windshield was slapped into place. We have the Climate Package with heated windshield for melting frost/snow on cold mornings in the California mountain highlands where we live. The replacement was a Fuyao "direct replacement" piece of junk from China that had no heating element wires and was the wrong size to boot, hence sitting too low.
Soooo... some Safelite tech decided to cut (aka, damage) the cowl rather than take off 3 bolts to remove it properly, ignored the heating element feature/connectors entirely, then installed the wrong windshield 1.2" too low. I mean... really? lol
So we took these findings to the seller/dealer and said, (paraphrased) "hi there, we'd like this windshield to be installed properly, an uncut replacement cowl so that the engine compartment isn't exposed to the elements, and the proper windshield part so that the Climate Package, that was noted in our purchase paperwork, works as designed."
The seller was very understanding and apologized for the problem, saying they would certainly take care of it for us. I mean, we get it... in a normal situation, if they (dealer) had purchased the vehicle with the windshield already in this condition, then we are out of luck... as-is sale and all. But in this case, they'd hired someone to replace it after they purchased the vehicle, so were reasonably liable to remedy it. They didn't have a problem with that logic either.
After a couple days and some phone/email tag, we got a call from Safelite's main office; they apologized 100%, were very friendly and professional, and wanted to have a chance to take care of it. Can't fault them at all on their customer service or desire to make it right. They seem like good enough people, but the problem though... our trust that Safelite would do the work well was pretty much zero. The reason all of us were in this position was because of their shoddy/hurried work to begin with. lol
Now they want to do an even more involved job to rectify their first go at it? Now the cowl has to be replaced, the proper windshield needs to be installed with no reference point for the next tech of correct height placement, as well as hooked up (which requires removing the front interior pillar panels). Does their tech know we have rain sensors? Has the tech ever hooked up a heated windshield before? Etc, etc...
It's not like we didn't like Safelite or anything, they were super friendly, and frankly, we weren't even mad about the whole thing, but we just wanted it done right. The JLR Newport windshield guy has been doing Landy windshields for over 20 years. Who would you choose?
At first, the seller/dealer balked at us wanting the replacement done by JLR Newport because, understandably, the Safelite work was warrantied for repairs and adjustment (i.e. FREE to them. lol) This wasn't going to be a cheap fix. A factory Pilkington heated windshield is about $900, the cowl is about $120, plus the install kit fittings, freight shipping the windshield, taxes, and labor. All in, roughly a $1600 job. In contrast, Safelite initially put in a $250 Fuyao, probably charged $100 bucks to install it, and called it a day. How's that saying go.... "the cheap comes out expensive."
In any case, we insisted on wanting the repair and re-installation to be done by JLR, to which the seller/dealer said roughly, "well, Safelite needs to have a chance to fix it per the warranty, then if it still isn't right, you can take it to the JLR dealership." It was frustrating to hear, but hey, insurance and warranty work goes that way sometimes.
I spoke with our service advisor, Armando, at JLR Newport, and he really went to bat with me to get the repair done right at JLR. We took pictures of a properly installed windshield on a white LR4 they happened to have in the shop at the time, the cowl damage vs a non-damaged cowl, and so forth.
I did a bit of research and spoke with some of the LR techs about all that was involved, and then wrote an email to the seller detailing all of the work that would need to be done to fix Safelite's previous foul up.
In short, I told them we had no trust in Safelite to do the work right and that they were taking a chance that Safelite might do even more damage since now they'd need to get into the interior pillars, under the hood to replace the cowl, hook up wiring, etc.
I think that got the message home to them.
They were running the risk that JLR would have to potentially fix further items and the costs would be even higher in the end.
Got an email response the next day from the seller/warranty company saying to go ahead and take it JLR, not Safelite, and noted in our account that the work would be approved.
I'll add, when at last we took it in for the correct windshield replacement, the JLR windshield guy pointed out to me that Safelite had also gouged the heck out of our roof line just under the rubber seal... a 5 inch long gash down to the metal. Arguably, we could have asked for that to be fixed as well, but that would require paint matching the whole roof and a big headache, I'm sure. I just didn't want it to become a rust problem mainly. Otherwise, it's covered up visually. He assured me that he would fill it in for rust proofing and would cover over with the windshield sealing.
Picked it up later and it looked IMMACULATE. New cowl, amazing seal work, perfect fitment, Pilkington heated windshield, can actually read the VIN# now...
Here are some pics from when we were making the case for repairs at JLR.
The properly installed comparison windshield (white LR4) is on the left, our Safelite'd windshield (black) on the right:
View attachment 11475 View attachment 11477 View attachment 11478 View attachment 11479
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Most if not all dealers do not handle their own glass replacements but simply sub it to a third party. What you will get a dealer hopefully is new garnish clips, cowl (if needed) and some experience (hopefully) with the model by the installer. In my experience (and we replace a lot of glass up here) the job quality comes down the installer. The "best" performing glass i have had (longevity, distortion and rain sensor) was a cheap "Benson" replacement. That being said I would lean towards Fayao or Pilkington simply because I know they are manufactured in North America.
