Aftermarket windshield durability poll

[Jimbo344]

Well so far mine hasn't and I've so far NOT spent a penny on cracks and one windshield, so far im up about 500

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[78cj7-18lj]

Mopar glass less than 60 miles, replacement 6 months and going strong.

 

[1996cc]

I just had mine replaced with another Mopar. I asked the glass shop for an aftermarket one (didn’t discuss brands), when they went to install it, they said the edge molding was 1/4” off and was leaving a gap. I had to wait overnight for a replacement, they were willing to try another aftermarket one, but really encouraged me to go Mopar cause they trusted it more... Hopefully it’s better than my first one that didn’t last 1000 miles. With more slope than JK’s, this was supposed to be less of an issue. I watched rocks hit my JK windshield that could have killed me and not even as much as a divot happened (not a single chip in 50,000 miles), I didn’t even see or hear the one that devastated my JL’s glass...

 

[Chuck]

... they said the edge molding was 1/4” off and was leaving a gap ...

I recently rented a new Wrangler, and when I got up to highway speeds it had a pretty bad whistling wind noise -- a noise I've never heard in my 2018 JLR. Then I noticed that the windshield had recently been replaced. This makes me wonder if it had a gap, which caused the wind noise.

In other news, after having many chips (some repaired) over 25k miles, my windshield just developed a foot-long crack. So far it's not in my line of vision, but its leading edge started to turn, so that could change. For now, I'm just living with it.

Whenever I do get it replaced, I'd like to upgrade to KPGlass or Corning Gorilla, but I'm not sure if it would be worth the money. My windshield deductible is only $100. OEM is about $400, Gorilla is about $700 (not sure what KPGlass costs), so I'd have to pay $300 above my deductible. If I knew for sure that it was all that it's cracked up to be (pun intended), it might be worth the investment. But that $300 difference is equivalent to three additional windshield replacements. I'd hate to spend all that extra money on Gorilla and then have it just crack again.

 

[1996cc]

Is Gorilla glass available yet for the JL? I know it is for the JK, but haven’t seen it yet on the JL.

As far as costs go, don’t be afraid to ask for a deal with the glass shop. They typically will charge you about 1/2 the cost of what they bill insurance for, if you pay them directly! I’ve done it many times. My son also learned this lesson first-hand when he threw a rock over the fence at school and it took out a car windshield- his out of pocket was $342 versus the 700+ the shop quoted the lady’s insurance company.

 

[viper88]

I recently rented a new Wrangler, and when I got up to highway speeds it had a pretty bad whistling wind noise -- a noise I've never heard in my 2018 JLR. Then I noticed that the windshield had recently been replaced. This makes me wonder if it had a gap, which caused the wind noise.

In other news, after having many chips (some repaired) over 25k miles, my windshield just developed a foot-long crack. So far it's not in my line of vision, but its leading edge started to turn, so that could change. For now, I'm just living with it.

Whenever I do get it replaced, I'd like to upgrade to KPGlass or Corning Gorilla, but I'm not sure if it would be worth the money. My windshield deductible is only $100. OEM is about $400, Gorilla is about $700 (not sure what KPGlass costs), so I'd have to pay $300 above my deductible. If I knew for sure that it was all that it's cracked up to be (pun intended), it might be worth the investment. But that $300 difference is equivalent to three additional windshield replacements. I'd hate to spend all that extra money on Gorilla and then have it just crack again.

The windshield noise on the rental was probably a bad seal from improper installation. A friend had her JL windshield replaced with a Mopar. I noticed the windshield moulding gap was not even on both sides. One corner of the windshield did not look flush either. Sure enough, there was whistling sound when we got on the highway. We turned right back around and showed the installer. He was full of it. He said the Mopar glass has indicating pins to align it. Which it does. He claimed the pins must have been misaligned from production. Which they were not. He used a razor and cut the plastic locating pins. He then tried adjusting the windshield but the silicone did not budge. I called the manager. He agreed to replace it with another new Mopar windshield. Sure enough, the installer installed it incorrectly. We measure both the original and the second Mopar windshield and the locating pins. They were exactly the same. as the original one that came on the Jeep. The installer did not seat the first windshield correctly. No problem with noise after that.

 

[viper88]

Is Gorilla glass available yet for the JL? I know it is for the JK, but haven’t seen it yet on the JL.

As far as costs go, don’t be afraid to ask for a deal with the glass shop. They typically will charge you about 1/2 the cost of what they bill insurance for, if you pay them directly! I’ve done it many times. My son also learned this lesson first-hand when he threw a rock over the fence at school and it took out a car windshield- his out of pocket was $342 versus the 700+ the shop quoted the lady’s insurance company.

Not that I know of?

 

[Chuck]

Not that I know of?

You guys may be right. I just looked online to get its cost; I didn't confirm its availability for JLs.

 

[Gee-pah]

FWIW, this outfit: very nice people and good sports though they are, are not the KPGlass for the Wrangler.

They are simply a glass company by the same name. We laughed over how I wasn't the first inquiry--and probably won't be the last.

http://kpautoglass.com/

 

[viper88]

Bump. Anyone have better luck with a aftermarket windshield? If so, what brand?

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