Had my Porsche 993 windshield replaced by Safelite AutoGlass here at their Richmond location. I spoke to the installer beforehand and expresses my concern that if there is any corrosion I would like to see it once the glass is out to determine if any remediation is needed. Because a 993 is not the average fare for them the location supervisor worked with the installer to do the job. As a surprise to me the windshield is not held in like older Porsches by a rubber gasket. It looks to be set in an elastic adhesive and then inner and outer rubber edging is placed to produce a finished look. The original OE glass was out of sight expensive so I opted for the aftermarket glass. I turned out to be identical in every respect both in tint, edge masking and antenna wire & connection. The only difference is it does not have the Porsche logo in the corner. It am very satisfied with the outcome.

 

What was the cost?

 

I would have no problem driving to Richmond for the promise of a job well done. It's about 3 hours or so from Raleigh. There's some life in my windshield but certainly it'll be sooner rather than later when I decide to replace it. How much did it cost to get this done and how did it take? What was the name of the supervisor you dealt with?

 

$650 out the door.

 

I did not catch the name of the supervisor. Once they began it took 2-1/2 hours.
A good bit of time to remove and clean up the opening. I suspect some of the time was to allow for the adhesive to set before letting me drive away.
I think the key is to let them know you want to inspect the car once the glass is out. This signals that you will be focusing on what they do.
Andy :-)

 

Did you go thru your insurance with this or straight out of pocket? Thanks

 

Supposedly with Nationwide's pricing even though I paid cash. Hard to tell though as I do not have inside info on this.

 

Good to know theres a competent installer here in town in case I need to replace mine someday. Glad you had a good outcome Andy.

 

Good to know. I'm adding glass coverage to my insurance (can't beat new glass with 50 dollar deductible). Nice to know that they can handle it for the same cost (hopefully without scratching the groves in the process (that's what causes the rust).

Rumor has it that american-made after-market glass is not only cheaper but also better than the German one. Apparently the German windshield is much softer and gets pitted much faster.

 

More people seem to complain about creaking noises coming from aftermarket. I haven't heard of anyone having that problem with OEM.

 

Lots of threads here detailing how these panes are installed with adhesive.

 

So what were the conditions under the glass...any corrosion? Also, how much "out of sight expensive" was the OEM glass?

 

hmmm....I've personally been hearing about the infamous "windshield creaking" since 1999. I imagine the MASS majority of those windshields are/were OEM. Mine is OEM...I had the creaking problem, and I solved it many years ago with a dab of lubricant around the top of the inner seal.

 

installing windshields without the windshield aperture template, i wouldnt do it. but thats just me...

 

Mine is OEM, installed by Safelite, and creaked like crazy. It was not installed squarely.

The rubber cord trick completely eliminated the creaking problem though.