aljus

I am going to have a local glass shop replace my windshield due to a couple of stone chips. Insurance is covering the cost, about 1100. closest Porsche dealer is 1.5 hrs. away. Any thing I should tell the installer to be careful about/ any advice?

Thanks for your comments...............

DMoore

I'd drive the 1.5 hours.

A year and a half ago I had a broken windshield on my 997.2 GTS. Other damage as well, so body shop replaced the windshield. Poorly - they didn't seat it into the frame deeply enough. A few days later a rock hit it and broke the windshield again. They replaced it - again improperly. I took it to the dealer, who had referred me to the body shop in the first place. They were aghast. They called the dealer, told them to come replace it while they watched. AGAIN it was done wrong. Finally the body shop gave up and told the dealer to go ahead and do it and they'd pay.

Also, FWIW, avoid Safelite. They initially came out to replace my windshield but the installer told me on the sly "This is cheap glass from China and I wouldn't put it on a nice car."

DMoore
'13 C2S
'13 Panamera GTS

Precision Auto

Install ClearPlex!

97c2s993

I just changed my windshield this week through the dealer (outsourced to Liberty Glass I found later). Still too early to tell if any probs. Rock hit windshield on the highway and in minutes turned into a 15in. crack horizontally from the driver's side edge towards the middle of my field of vision.
In any case I insisted on OEM windshield and dealing through the dealer - for invoice records in case of future sale- and ended up paying straight without insurance, and depending on your deductible etc. you should consider it. Here's why: with my coverage (I will have to review my policy) insurance covered aftermarket part cost only to $562, and only $40/hr labor. I would have to cover the difference for OEM and Porsche (or other) labor cost.
Non-covered cost was about $500 to Porsche. With $1k deductible my cost would have been $1,500. Without insurance and paying directly came to $1,200 to Glass co. so no brainer...
Will post in case anything wrong with install.
Good luck!

aljus

Insurance pays for all except $100 deductible

indecisive

If they are just minor chips, get them filled with resin. Most insurance companies will pay to have them sealed up. Now, if it is a crack, get it fixed asap. Had it done on a few cars and you can't even notice.

kosmo

def get the OEM glass

Zmoney3982

I've heard of stone chips on the body paint and even on the windshield, happened on my old 3 series BMW. But has anyone here heard of a rock hitting the passenger side window and not chipping or splitting it but completely decimating it? This is my car and I'm not sure what if anything struck my window but here is what happened to it on Saturday night.

Carrera GT

I agree with other comments that the passenger window is probably a 1 in a million unlucky encounter with some vandals shooting an air rifle at the freeway traffic. A bright yellow "Porch" is probably an irresistible target to vandals.

I did hear of a car with a frameless glass window shattered once some time after it was closed on the seat belt buckle. Maybe something was lodged in between the glass and the seal?

Carrera GT

The Porsche dealer won't have anything to do with the windshield replacement, they'll just call their "usual" auto glass shop.

If the windshield is unserviceable, then replace it, otherwise, have it repaired. I recommend safelite. They have the only removal tool (every other shop just cuts and pushes and pulls and jumps around) and for some cars, I think including 911's, they have the only alignment installation device.

The removal device is utterly ingenious. It's a pair of thin wires on a ratcheting spool. Guided by teflon shields, it's fed between the windshield and the seal, then the wire circumnavigates the windshield glass making a single, perfect cut of the seal rubber. No risk to the car, the paint, the dash, etc. Brilliant.

The installer is like a swing-arm mounted with suction cups on the driver door window.

There's two things to consider. First, check "mega factories" to see the computer automated precision installation process that delivers the glass to the car within such fine tolerances no human can even begin to try to match the exact alignment, placement and sealing. Second, if you do get it replaced, be sure to use a shop like safelite under the approval of the dealer (perhaps they write it up as a service order) and document it with photos to prove it's not an accident repair. This way, there's no "story" about the car to explain why you replaced the windshield on a near new vehicle.