Anyone used Safelite to do their windshield?

Mine is just so pitted it's like a starburst at night. Would like to get a new one...

 

They came over to my house, then I heard the tech say he'd never replaced a windshield in a 996 before. I found an excuse for them to not do it, called my body shop and went with their glass company, who'd replaced 996 windshields many, many times

 

Yes, this is the way.

Find the best high end body shop in your area. Ask them who they use and call those folks directly. They can usually get you an OEM windshield at a discount then a flawless install.

 

I had a Safelite guy come to the house who had previously done a 911 windshield install one but it ended up having bad distortion in the left driver's area. The 2nd guy broke the windshield trying to install the soft trim seal on the stand instead of after it was on the car. 3rd guy finally got it right. All 3 were OEM glass. All in all, it took about 4 months. Fun.

 

What were the better windshield brands? My car came with a Pilkington and I know it isn't OEM but I think it is very good.

 

Don't go with chain....ask your dealer or indy who they use for windshield. I didn't know you could f'up windshield installation...i found out the hard way.
I'd use OEM and just pay deductible

 

I’ve had zero issues with using Safelite on multiple cars. Don’t be surprised if body shops and dealerships use them too but charge you a markup. I have had my windshield replaced on my Cayenne a few times with OEM glass and it was super easy. Just got back today from having rock chips repaired by them.

In my experience the techs at the shop seem more experienced and capable.

 

Sekurit is the OEM brand windshield, Pilkington and PPG are good as well.

 

Mine is a Saint Gobain Sekurit, should be OEM. I would avoid Fuyao. The one Auto Glass Now tried to install was made in China. The Fuyao that was installed in my Wife's Jeep was made in the USA.

 

Don't use Safelite. Find a good body shop and ask who they use for glass, or search around for a good indy outfit. Pilkington is great, PPG, etc. Fuyao is chinese, but one of the largest glass makers in the world if I recall. I have that in my 964 and it's nice, no issues/waves.

 

Does the windshield need to be removed if the outer trim is loose? I have a section down the passenger side that freely slides away from the a pillar. Not sure if this is just a cosmetic trim?

 

The outer part is a rubber trim that is pushed in to a track in the metal reinforced trim that goes around the edge of the windshield. The outer trim can be replaced without removing the windshield. The inner cannot.

Outer - T shaped seal

Inner - C shaped channel with lip for seal

 

My 996 was purchased with a cracked windshield back in 2017.
I ordered a new one from Safelite.
When they arrived, the technician discovered that there was a scratch in the windshield and took it back and had them reorder.
When they came back out, a different technician started to remove the windshield and I requested he confirm the new windshield was in good condition before starting.
The windshield had a bad scratch in the same position.
His boss said that the containers must be scratching them.
I think they brought me the same one.
On the third attempt (and third technician) they were able to provide a good quality windshield.
They gave me a discount on the price.
It was still expensive.

 

Have them confirm the new windshield condition before they remove your old one.

 

Make sure they have the 2 trim pieces required to install. The C-channel shaped one is metal and goes on the windshield before installation. The outer one is rubber and is pressed into the first trim piece. It is best to install this once the windshield is installed or the glass can crack. Let me know if you need the part numbers but to my knowledge no one makes aftermarket/non-OEM pieces.