Best windshield replacement option?

[Parker Freeland]

Greetings to all and I need some advice. A couple of days ago I discovered that my windshield had a 14-inch crack along the bottom. I would welcome opinions on what is the best course of action for replacement. Safelite Auto Glass? Dealer? I did purchase a new cowl from British Atlantic so that when I do the replacement I can put in a new cowl as well. I also bought the extra A pillar cover clips from them. The current cracked windshield is the original heated windshield.

 

[avslash]

Just had Safelite replace my heated one after a rock took it on the way home from a hunting trip.

It was roughly 400ish IIRC. No problems to report thus far.

My only recommendation would be to call the local shop and confirm they have the heated version before you go in. Even though I specified it through their online booking system, they brought in the wrong version initially.

 

[Parker Freeland]

I just called Safelite and they will install the OEM heated windshield. No pushback at all! Clips and cowl coming on Tuesday. I'm having it done at their shop. I would through out for discussion if I should ask the technician to run a bead of cement on the underside of the cowl so that it stay down on the windshield. Last summer I removed and repainted the original cowl and ran RTF along the underside and also ran a strip of electrical tape on the top side to cover any gap between the cowl and the windshield. Probably overkill but I don't have water on the floor of the cabin either!

Thanks,

Parker

 

[ktm525]

Up here windshields only last 1-2 years. Currently using a Fuyao? and seems fine. Have used Benson and Pinklington in the past. Good call on the new cowl and most importantly new clips for the A pillar garnish.

 

[Parker Freeland]

The clip kit has two white clips and two one inch round black patches. Where do they specifically go? The rest of the clips are yellow. I call British Atlantic and they could not tell me.

 

[ktm525]

If the kit is the same the white clips are at the bottom. You will know when you pull the a pillar garnish off. The patches keep the white clips on

 

[NASdiesel]

I had safelite do a 3rd party windshield on my LR3 last year and while it is heated, it has a weird visual effect in the lower center section that I can't explain. Like the glass is warped.

Recently my LR4 developed a crack and State Farm paid in full for the OEM windshield. I would push for OEM.

 

[namenda]

I've had my windshield replaced twice six months apart (stones thrown off semis on highways). $25.00 deductible on Geico. Safelite will come to your place of work.

 

[ktm525]

I had safelite do a 3rd party windshield on my LR3 last year and while it is heated, it has a weird visual effect in the lower center section that I can't explain. Like the glass is warped.

Recently my LR4 developed a crack and State Farm paid in full for the OEM windshield. I would push for OEM.

You are not wrong. All the heated heated windshields I have used have some strange optical effects. Some days I can almost not drive because the effect is so distracting but other times I don't notice it. I may just get regular old glass next time as I really don't use the heated option much. Even though we go below freezing for more than 6 months out of the year the humidity is relatively low and the LR4 mostly lives in a garage.

 

[Parker Freeland]

UPDATE 6/14/2019

Safelite installed the Land Rover LOGO Pilkington glass yesterday and my new cowl. The technician also ordered two new A pillars trim as one tab on each was damaged. I installed them myself with the beefier clips in the kit that I bought from British Atlantic. The two patches in the kit cover two elongated holes at the bottom of the A pillar. I found the service bulletin that shows where to place the patches and also that the long location posts on the trim get cut off.

A good day for my LR4...